430 
PROCEEDINGS OF SECTION D. 
“ This species,” says Gilbert in his notes to Gould, from the Port 
Darwin district, “breeds from the beginning of July to the end of 
August. 1 succeeded in finding two nests, each of which contained 
two eggs; but I am told that three are sometimes found. The nest is 
formed of sticks, with fine twigs or coarse grass as a lining; it is about 
two feet in diameter, and built in a strong fork of the dead part of a 
tree. Both of those I found were about 30 feet from the ground, 
and about 200 yards from the beach.” 
Vv riting to the Ibis and giving interesting facts of the nidification 
of this species from Mr. Rainbird, Dr. Ramsay says : — “ The nest of 
the Red-backed Pish Eagle is by no means so bulky a structure as that 
of its allies, nor is it so largo as one would expect from a member of 
the family to which it belougs. In almost every instance the examples 
found by Mr. Rainbird were placed near the tops of the larger trees 
in belts of mangroves skirting the edges of salt-water swamps and 
marshes in the neighbourhood of Port Denison, Queensland. They were 
composed of twigs and dead branches of mangroves lined with finer 
material. One, from which that gentleman shot the bird and brought 
me the egg upon which she was sitting, was lined with tufts of lichen, 
and in this instance the egg was placed on various fish-bones, shells, 
and claws of crabs, &e. The edges and sides were beautifully orna- 
mented with long streamers of bleached seaweed, which gave the nest 
a novel and pleasing appearance.” 
Haliastub sphenurus, Yieillot. 
(Whistling Eagle.) 
Figure . — Gould : “ Birds of Australia,” fob, vol. i., pi. 5. 
Frevious Descriptions of Fggs . — Gould : “ Birds of * Australia ” 
(1848), also Handbook, vol. i., p. 21 (18(55) ; Ramsay : P.L.S., N.S.W., 
2nd ser., vol. i., p. 1141 (1886); North : Catalogue Nest and Eggs 
Australian Birds, p. 9 (1889). 
Geographical Distribution . — Australia; also New Guinea, New 
Caledonia, and Lord Howe Island. 
Nest. — Constructed of sticks, fibrous roots, &c. ; is more 
frequently built on the topmost forked branches of a lofty tree, but 
sometimes is placed amongst herbage upon the ground after the 
manner of the Harrier or Swamp-hawk ( Circus Gouldi). 
Egg$- — Clutch, 2 ; round ovals in shape; surface somewhat coarse 
and lustreless ; colour bluish-white, fairly marked ail over with 
blotches, spots, and other irregular- shaped markings of dark reddish- 
brown. In some instances the markings are more dappled or cloud- 
like in appearance, and of a lighter shade of brown intermingled with 
others of purplish-red. Differences in character of colouration may 
occur in the same nest. Dimensions in centimetres of a clutch taken 
at Coomooboolaroo, Queensland, 16th October, 1885 : (1) 5 3 x 4*25 ; 
(2) 5-26x415. 
Observations. — This splendid hawk is a common species in nearly 
every part of Australia; and as its more handsome fishing cousin, 
11. girrenera , loves the coastal region, so the Whistling Eagle prefers 
the more inland dominions. 
Gould, who first described the eggs, once found a nest of this 
species in the side of which had been constructed that of the beautiful 
Spotted-sided Pinch (S Uaganopleura guttata). Both birds were sitting 
