GREY GOSHAWK. 
were placed in a horizontal fork of a Moreton Bay ash, this tree being 
resorted to in the case of twelve out of the fourteen records, the other 
two being in Melaleucas : the average height at which they were placed 
was 60 feet. Many of the nests, well out on horizontal limbs, could only 
be reached by means of a scoop on a long rod. I cannot do better than 
quote Mr. M’Lennan’s note to illustrate some of the di£&culties a climber 
has to contend with who seeks to investigate the nesting of this bird: 
‘ In a pocket off Peak Point track I found a White Goshawk’s nest 60 feet 
up in a big Moreton Bay ash : it contained two hard-set eggs. I had 
a terrible time climbing this tree. It was a hard tree to climb, and 
when I got 30 feet up I struck myriads of small yellow ants ; they got all 
over me — in my eyes, ears and nose — and bit savagely, so that you can 
imagine what it was to go the other 30 feet and back again before getting 
any relief. One nest was placed in a tree in which a colony of Calornis 
had nested. During the nesting-season of the Goshawk the adult young 
of the Calornis form their principal article of food, and it is probable 
that the nesting of the Hawk is timed to that of this Starling.’ ” 
It will be noted from this account that there is an opinion that the 
present and the next species are the same ; this will be more fully dealt with 
under the next, but it may be here noted that this bird has a more restricted 
range than its supposed albinistic offshoot. While with our present state of 
knowledge it would be foolish to deny such a relationship, if it were proved 
it would become one of the most interesting cases in the ornithological 
world. For the “ albinistic ” seems to have proved a stronger form than the 
original, whereas albinism is generally due to some physical weakness. 
This species ranges from Victoria to Cape York, and I separated the 
northern form as being slightly smaller ; this would be in accordance with 
its range, as its main headquarters appear to be New South Wales. 
Recently, however, Zietz recorded it from Melville Island, Northern Territory, 
and separated that form as more robust. We may tentatively a^dmit 
three forms, but longer series are necessary to define them accurately. 
I am quite convinced that the variation in this Order necessitates long 
series, and that even then the definition of subspecies must be more or 
less arbitrary. 
By this conclusion I do not mean that subspecific forms have not become 
differentiated, but that the variation and plumage-changes with the material 
available mask these forms, and we have not been able to grasp the points 
wherein they show their subspecific characters. The occurrence of this bird 
on Melville Island suggests its recognition in the area intervening between 
that island and Queensland, but it does not appear to have yet been noted. 
VOL. V. 
41 
