WHITE GOSHAWK. 
species. It is true, and, I suppose, well known, that the individuals of this 
latter species differ greatly in size, and, as many will not admit, in the 
colouring of the females. As regards the last fact I have instances of grey- 
backed females pairing with wholly white males, and if the New South Wales 
birds are really distinct from the Tasmanian, it will be in the fact that the 
females of the New South Wales birds are frequently grey-backed, while the 
Tasmanian birds are never so.” 
Ramsay, further, in Gat. Austr. Acc. 1876, p. 10, under the name Astur 
cinereus, mentioned this belief : “ Both Mr. Gould (in his Handhoolc to the 
Birds of Australia, Vol. I., p. 38) and Mr. R. B. Sharpe (in the British Museum 
Catalogue Accipitres, Vol. I., p. 118) describe the male of this species as being 
similar in plumage to the female, but smaller. I can only say that during 
the last ten years, having examined over fifty specimens of A. cinereus and 
A. novoehollandim from Tasmania and all parts of Australia, from Adelaide 
to Cape York, I have never yet met with one male in any other than a snow 
white plumage ; in size they differ considerably, some males being 21 inches 
in length, others only 14 inches, or perhaps less.” In the second edition of 
the same work (1898) North added a note : “ I formerly shared with 
Dr. Ramsay the belief that the male of Astur cinereus was purely white, 
but we have now undoubted adult males of this species which cannot be 
distinguished from the females except by their smaller size. Moreover, a 
male and female shot at a nest containing eggs, near Dubbo, New South 
Wales, were precisely alike in colour. A male in the collection, probably a 
very old bird, has entirely lost the narrow transverse ashy bars on the under- 
surface, except on the sides of the chest.” 
A grey bird was secured on Melville Island, Northern Territory, and 
named by Zietz, as already noted, but none have yet been noted in the 
Northern Territory proper, nor yet in North-west Australia nor in New 
Guinea, whereas pure white birds have more or less commonly been found 
in these districts. As above noted, M‘Lennan inclines to Barnard’s h^elief, 
but he was unable to confirm Barnard’s account. In the case he procured, 
both birds were alike in colour, and consequently the interbreeding is 
comparatively a rare occurrence. 
Gould notes that the colour of the eyes varies, but it seems from records 
that all Northern birds have “ fiery-red ” irides, whereas yellow is almost 
entirely found in Tasmania. I will discuss the races later. 
One of the first notes of the life-history of this bird is given by 
Flinders (Vol. I., p. 133), as follows : 
“We were proceeding onward with our prize when a white eagle with 
fierce aspect and outstretched wing was seen bounding towards us, but stopping 
VOL. V. 
49 
