THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
‘‘ Urospizias radiatus from the above will be seen to have little affinity 
with the true short-winged hawks ; its flight, as far as I have seen, is like 
that of a Falcon, rapid, easy and direct. I have also seen it soar upwards in 
circles to a great height : in its style of colour, somewhat square form of 
tail and comparatively long wmgs, it seems to approach the true Kites, but 
unlike them in legs and feet and habits, never feeding on carrion, but 
principally on birds of a size the Kites never venture to attack.” 
Wedge-tailed Eagle .. .. .. Uroaetus audax, ante, p. 95. 
Miss J. A. Fletcher has written me : “ One of my cousins told me he 
saw a pair of Wedge-tailed Eagles collecting sticks for their nest. They did 
not select the sticks from the ground, but flew round the tree and snipped off 
pieces as they went past. They broke the branchlets with a jerk, which 
enabled the birds to retain the desired piece without it dropping to the 
ground.” 
Mr. Sandland sent me the following note in 1909 : “ Very common in 
South Australia. Took nine nests last season (1908). Three nests contained 
only one heavily incubated egg each, which is most unusual, and each egg 
was heavily marked. Eggs vary greatly in size, shape and colour. Nesting 
season June— October. These birds are increasing in spite of the numbers 
kiUed on various stations. In good seasons rabbits are plentiful, and in 
dry seasons, when stock are dying, they still have a plentiful food supply. 
They are looked on with great disfavour at lambing-time and are slaughtered 
unmercifully ; during the last three years my figures are 23, 55 and 31, not 
including eggs or young taken from nests. In 1903 they were thicker than 
usual and we accounted for fully 100. Poisoned 8 at a dead sheep, 5 at 
a dead kangaroo, and then they were eating the dead birds and will also 
eat a dead crow. 
“ Re measurements from tip to tip of wings : the two largest I have 
measured are 6 feet 11| inches and 7 feet 2 inches. The general average 
is from 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet or an inch or two over. However, more birds 
will be found under rather than over six feet. I have measured fully fifty 
at one time and another, and every bird I shoot I can always roughly measure 
by putting my foot on the tip of one wing and holding the other up. I 
invariably do this : my height is about six feet in my boots and only an odd 
bird exceeds my height.” 
Mr. J. B. White’s notes, written about 1875, are here added : “ Uroaetus 
audax. Adult female, length 4:0^ inches, breadth 6 feet 10|^ inches, wing 
26 inches ; this is the largest I have measured, weight 9 lbs., nearly all black, 
414 
