Our Birds of Prey. 127 
interior. In their habits they are the most vulturine of 
the group. 
The true falcons will be recognised by their toothed 
upper beaks — the curve of the beak being broken by the 
projection of a distinct and sharp tooth, or by two of 
them, on each side. The cuckoo-falcon (Harpagus 
bidentatus) which, in spite of its toothed beak, has its 
affinities chiefly with the kites, will at once be recog- 
nised by its having two teeth on each side of the upper 
mandible, a character that will fix the identity of the 
form in spite of the great variation in plumage to which 
it is subject. The males are about a foot long, the 
females being larger. The upper surface in the young 
birds is of a brown tint (with reddish edgings to the 
feathers) passing into pale or dark slate-blue according 
to age ; the tail brown with numerous white bars, passing 
into black, with two or three white bars ; the under surface 
white with brown bars or spots, passing into a deep chest- 
nut, or greyish, with white bands ; while the throat is 
always white and marked with a dark central blotch. 
This bird is commonly distributed in the colony, but 
is most frequently met with along the creeks and the 
open clearings in the forest along the course of the 
great rivers, more especially in elevated situations. 
Much more common that the foregoing is the falcon- 
kite (Ittinia plumbea), known by the common names 
of " pigeon-hawk" and " snatch-hawk" in certain dis- 
tricts. This bird whose affinities are also chiefly with 
the kites, is much about the same size as the cuckoo- 
falcon, being about 14 inches in length. Its upper 
beak is generally marked with a distinct tooth on each 
side, though occasionally it is barely indicated ; and the 
