THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
Pandion haliaetus cristatus Mathews, Nov. Zool., Vol. XVIII., p. 254, 1912 ; id., List Birds 
Austr., p. 113, 1913 ; id., Ibis 1914, p. 110 (Melville l.)-,id., South Austr. Ornithol., 
Vol. II., p. 30, 1915 (N.Q.). 
Pandion haliaetus melvillensis Mathews, Austral Av. Rec., Vol. I., p. 34, 1912 (Melville I., 
N.T.). 
Pandion haliaetus Mathews, List Birds Austr., p. 113, 1913. 
Pandion haliaetus microhalidetus Brasil, “ Rev. Franc. d’Ornith., VIII., No. 81, p. 201, 
7th Jan. 1916 (New Caledonia).” 
Distribution. Australia ; Tasmania. 
Adult female. General colour above glossy sooty-brown with pale edges to the feathers 
of the upper wing-coverts, scapulars, back and upper tail-coverts, as also the tips 
of the tail-feathers ; outer rectrices coarsely notched with white on the iimer webs ; 
flight-quills darker and inclining to black, paler and mottled with white on the 
inner webs towards the base and white bars on the inner webs of the secondaries ; 
crown of head and nape creamy-white with dark streaks, some of which broaden 
out and occupy the greater portion of the feather, more especially on the nape ; 
ear-coverts and sides of breast brown, the feathers on the middle of the breast 
brown, broadly margined or centred with white, while others have only dark shaft- 
hnes ; throat and remainder of the under-surface white, including the axiUaries ; 
inner under wing-coverts creamy-white, the outer series brown edged with white, 
the greater series, for the most part, white, marked with pale brown. Iris rich 
yellow ; feet creamy- white ; bill and claws black. Total length 500 mm. ; culmen 34, 
wing 437, tail 197, tarsus 59. Figured. Collected at Cape York, North 
Queensland, on the 21st of April, 1913. 
Adult male. Similar to the adult female, but smaller. Wing 400 mm., culmen 31. 
Collected at Mackay, Queensland, on the 2nd of July, 1882. 
Immature. Have the head darker and the feathers forming the band on the breast white, 
with dark shaft-streaks. 
Nestling covered with short brown down, a white patch on the vent and on the body under 
the thighs, and a streak from the nape to the tail whitish. Sides of head 
and nape buff ; a patch from the eye backwards black ; feathers on the throat 
showing white ; feet yellowish-white (West Australia, November). 
Nest. Large and bulky, from three to four feet high and the same wide, lined with 
seaweed. Usually placed on a rock overlooking the sea, but sometimes in trees 
or on the ground. 
Eggs. Clutch, two (four). Ground-colour buff, heavily blotched at the lower end with 
large reddish-purple markings, the remainder of the surface spotted sparingly with 
lavender and reddish-brown. Axis 64 mm. ; diameter 46. (Point Cloates, 26th 
of July, 1899.) 
Breeding-season. May to September. 
There does not appear to be any early history of this bird, but it now 
seems probable that the nests mentioned by Flinders and quoted by Gould 
under the IVhite-bellied Sea-Eagle are better attributed to this bird. 
Flinders wrote {Voyage Term Australis, Vol. I., 1814) p. 64: “Near 
Point Possession were found two nests of extraordinary magnitude. They 
were built upon the ground, from which they rose above two feet, and were 
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