THE BIRDS OF AUSTRALIA. 
and Alexandra and on the Coorong, South Australia, where they like to 
build in the sh e-oaks (Casuarina) at varying distances from the ground, 
anything between 15 to 30 feet up ; the nest is somewhat bulky for the size 
of the bird, being composed of fairly large sticks, etc., and lined with shreds 
of bark and fine twigs ; they lay two or three eggs, of a chalky white ground, 
and sparsely spotted and blotched with reddish brown on the surface. The 
smaller birds take a delight to build their nests in the woodwork of these 
eagles’ nests, and they seem to dwell together in peace and safety. I noticed 
in the sticks of a nest on the shores of Lake Albert in a she-oak tree that 
the yellow-rumped tit had built its nest, and also a chestnut-eared finch, 
while in the same tree near by a pied Omllina, or Murray magpie, and a 
shepherd’s companion {Sauloprocta motacilloides) had built their nests and 
were rearing their young in safety under the ‘ wing ’ of the whistling eagle. 
These birds do not seem to be harmful to the settlers.” 
Mr. J. P. Rogers has written me : “ In North-west Australia these birds 
remain all the year and are fairly numerous. Usually a few are to be seen 
round every camp, and at homesteads are often in considerable numbers and 
associate freely with Milvus affinis. At Marngle Creek the stockmen killed 
a beast near my camp and many gathered in a few days to feed on the offal 
and bones.” 
Allied Kite . . . . . . . . . . Milvus migmns, ante, p. 171. 
Mr. J. P. Rogers’ notes from North-west Australia read : “In March 
1902 at Snake Creek, while travelling, the Kites were following me in con- 
siderable numbers : they were catching the large yellow- winged grasshopper , 
which rose in front of my horses in great numbers. The birds are very 
clever at catching the hoppers on the wing. They seize their prey with one 
foot, then tear the wings off with their beak and swallow the insect in one 
or two mouthfuls. Thej^ feed on the wing. 
“ These birds are very numerous here in the cold season and are evenly 
distributed over most of the district : they usually arrive in numbers in April, 
leaving again in October, but near slaughter-houses and around station 
homesteads where offal is plentiful, a few remain the whole year. In 1903, 
1904 and 1905 there were many Kangaroo hunters (there were 80 men hunting 
at one time, and some shot as many as 170 animals in a day, but 50 would 
be an average day : there were about 30 regular hunters, others would shoot for 
a few weeks while waiting for work or to see if they could do at the hunting) 
busy on the Fitzroy, hunting the Agile Wallaby. This animal was in tens 
of thousands, and the pastoralists had to take steps to have them destroyed, 
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