APPENDIX. 
“Young full grown; ground colour more of a brownish red than adults 
and much more spotted; breast buff and more thickly streaked than adult 
female; tail cinnamon-red, terminal bar not so wide as adult, tips buff, tail 
numerously barred with dark brown ; these were three young birds fully 
grown but attended by the old ones ; all three young were alike, most probably 
male and female are alike for first year. 
“ A common bird on the Mitchell or wherever there are open plains ; 
breeds in hollow limbs of trees, but I once found its nest in an old nest of 
Milvus affinis, so it does not seem particular; lays 3 or 4 eggs, varying from 
cream colour, freckled and blotched with reddish chestnut, to uniform 
reddish chestnut. On the Mitchell it breeds at any time when there is rain : 
time of year, except in the middle of summer, seems of no consequence. 
Very shy and difficult to shoot, it frequently hovers after the same manner as 
the European Kestrel and feeds on insects, small lizards, etc. It is very 
noisy when its nest is approached, but keeps well out of shot.” 
Captain S. A. Wliite’s notes, written this year, may be contrasted : “ This 
is a very common bird all over South Australia and does much good by 
destroying so many mice. It becomes very confident and tame if not molested, 
but sad to say the public class it as one of the hawk family and is often 
destroyed as being such. Its peculiar laughing call is very familiar to those 
living in the farming areas, where the beautiful and useful birds are to be seen 
hovering over the stubble or crops in a very characteristic attitude as if 
suspended in the air, it keeps its position so long. Met with these birds in 
pairs along the Gum creeks in Central Australia, wliere they were nesting in 
August, 1913, and they were also seen in 1914 in the North West (Musgrave 
trip).” 
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