THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
A Queensland specimen of morphnoides can be matched as to the colouring 
of the under-surface with the narrow shaft-streaks exactly by a specimen 
of 'pmnatus from Futteguhr, India. When the upper-surface of these two 
specimens be examined, that of the Queensland bird is seen to be only very 
slightly darker, save on the head and neck. In the Indian bird this is pale 
rusty, with more or less pronounced brownish-black centres to the feathers : 
the Queensland bird has most of the feathers on the top of the head whoUy 
brownish-black, the sides of the head and the back of the neck much deeper 
rufous. In the 'pennatus the primaries are as in the previous specimen of 
pennatus^ but in morphnoides the base of the primaries is whitish, more or 
less barred or mottled with grey. In morphnoides also the tail shows the 
barring a little more distinctly. 
From this Queensland specimen of morphnoides a bird from Clifton Downs, 
Carnarvon, West Austraha, shows a lot of difference, being everywhere paler, 
the top of the head and back of the neck being as pale as in the last described 
pennatus, but a few wholly brownish feathers instead of the regular striping 
differentiate these. The wing shows the whitish basal patch of the primaries, 
and the tail shows the barring, but these are, as Sharpe and Gurney observed, 
the chief characters. 
However, that these are of only subspecific value can be seen in a 
specimen of pennatus from Satti, which shows the base of the primaries 
becoming lighter, and in one feather distinct white barring is noted. 
It will be noted that these comparisons have been made with Indian 
specimens of pennatus, not European, and that they all refer to the pale- 
breasted form, which seems to be the adult plumage. North seems to be of 
the opinion that the dark-breasted birds are mature, as he writes : “ Of no 
species of the Austrahan Accipitres is there so wide a difference in colour, 
for it may either have the under-parts, especially the females, pale fawn 
colour, or faint creamy-white, with brown or blackish shaft stripes on the 
upper-breast, or brown or rufous brown, with conspicuous blackish central 
streaks to the feathers, the head and nape too being very much darker in this 
variety.” He then notes that ten specimens collected by Bennett in New 
South Wales all agree, while two dark are from West Austraha and another 
dark one from Queensland. As it seems possible that my “ coongani ” will 
later have to be accepted^ I keep separate the field-notes referring to the 
Western birds, which here follow. 
Whitlock, writing from Marble Bar, West Austraha, in the Emu, 
Vol. VIII., p. I7I, 1909, relates the following experience : “ I had several 
Hawk’s nests under observation along that creek. The first was a nest of 
the Little Eagle {Nisaetus morphnoides) at the top of a big spreading gum-tree. 
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