THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
described. Wing 428 mm. Collected at Alexander, Northern Territory, in 
August, 1905. 
Nest. A loosely-constructed platform composed of sticks and lined with leaves and 
placed in a tree. 
Nggs. Clutch three ; ground-colour bluish-white, no gloss, inside of shell green. Axis 50 
to 51.5 mm. ; diameter 37-39 (Queensland), 47-48 by 36.5 (Victoria). 
Breeding-sejason. August, September and October. 
Though not a very uncommon bird, but of striking appearance, this bird 
was only differentiated and described in 1837 by Gould. 
Previously, however, it had apparently been included in the accounts 
of voyagers under the general title of “ Hawks.” Though Gould was the 
first to recognise this bird as new and different from another common 
Harrier, his name has been obliterated, as the first name given to an 
Australian Harrier proved to have been applied to the young of this and 
not to the commoner bird as Gould supposed. 
Gould’s determination existed unquestioned for almost forty years, 
from 1837 to 1874, until Sharpe monographed the group in the first volume 
of the Catalogue of the Birds in the British Museum. Though the alteration 
made was one of absolute transference, such as now is regularly quoted as 
a most confusing correction, no such confusion appears to have occurred. 
Immediately the necessary emendation was made and no argument seems 
to have arisen. Indeed, Gurney’s comment {Ibis 1875, p. 225) reads : “ In 
treating of the two Australian Harriers, Mr. Sharpe correctly applies the 
specific name of C. assimilis to the species figured in Mr. Gould’s ‘ Birds 
of Australia ’ under the name of Circus jardinii, and that of C. gouldi to 
the Harrier figured by Mr. Gould under the name of Circus assimilis.'^' 
To me Jardine and Selby’s bird appeared somewhat abnormal, and 
I note, in confirmation, the following memo, made by Meyer and 
Wiglesworth [Birds of Celebes, p. 7, 1898) : “ The type of Circus assimilis 
J. and S. in the British Museum is immature and not normal, differing 
from all other specimens there of this species in the coloration of the wings 
and tail. The tail is nearly uniform brownish-ashy with a rufous wash at its 
sides, marked with three or four imperfect bars of brown towards the base, 
followed by a clear space, with an imperfect terminal bar. Upper tail-coverts 
white, a few of the longer ones with a bar of brown towards the tip.” 
There are not many notes about this bird, probably on account of 
its fairly common occurrence, but more probably also on account of its 
shyness. 
Mr. T. P. Austin, writing from Cobbora, New South Wales, states : 
“ The Spotted Harrier is usually seen flying low, only a few feet above 
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