HALIASTUK. 
9 
various fish-bones, shells and claws of crabs, dec. ; the edges and 
sides were beautifully ornamented with long streamers of bleached 
seaweed, which gave the nest a novel and pleasing appearance, 
fhe egg has a rough ground of a bluish-white color, with a few 
minute spots of brownish-red near the larger end ; it isofan oval 
form 2 inches by 1 inch 6 lines in breadth. Mr. Rainbird states 
that this species of Hawk is far from rare about Port Denison. 
Throughout the whole year many may be seen hovering over the 
water near the mouth of the creeks, and over the salt-marshes 
which are invariably edged with dense belts of high mangroves.” 
(Ramsay, Ibis, 1865, Vol. i., New Series, p. 83.) 
llnb. Derby, N.W.A., Port Darwin and Port Essington, Gulf 
of Carpentaria, Cape York, Rockingham Bay, Port Denison, 
Wide Bay District, Richmond and Clarence River Districts, New 
South Wales, and South Coast New Guinea. (Ramsay.) 
HALIASTUR SPHENURUS, Vieillot. 
Whistling Eagle. 
Gould, Uandbk. Bds. Aust., Vol. i., sp. 5, p. 20. 
'With the exception of the extreme southern portions of the 
continent, this bird is distributed over the whole of Australia, 
and is found both on the open plains and in the timbered country. 
Hie nest is a large open structure composed of sticks and twigs, 
lined with a few Eucalyptus leaves, and is generally placed 
on the horizontal branch of a tree at a great height from the 
ground. Eggs two in number for a sitting, varying in form from 
true- to rounded-ovals, of a faint bluish-white, some specimens 
being heavily blotched with irregular shaped markings of reddish- 
chestnut, similar to those of Lophoiclinia isura, others being but 
slightly marked with dull yellowish-brown, and in some instances 
almost devoid of markings of any kind, with the exception of a 
few (me scratches and smears hardly discernible on the smaller 
end of the egg. 
