The Birds of Australia, Vol. 1 of 7

Part I. 2nd Edit. P. 73.

Precisely similar in all its actions and in its economy to the Sparrow Hawk, Accipiter nisus of Europe.

Genus BUTEO, Cuv.

Species of the genus Buteo are dispersed over the great continents of Europe, Asia, Africa and America, but only one has yet been discovered in Australia.

20. Buteo melanosternon, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 20.

This bird departs somewhat in form from the typical species of the genus Buteo; but so little is known respecting it that we are ignorant how far this departure may influence its habits and economy. One most singular story has been transmitted to me and is here given as I received it; without vouching for its truth, I may remark that the testimony of the natives may generally be relied upon.

“The natives, Mr. Drummond, and his son Mr. Johnson Drummond, tell me,” says Mr. Gilbert, “that this bird is so bold, that upon discovering an Emu sitting on her eggs it will attack her with great ferocity until it succeeds in driving her from them; when it takes up a stone with its feet, and while hovering over the eggs lets the stone fall upon and crush them, and then descends and devours their contents. I have had numerous opportunities of observing the bird myself, and can bear testimony to its great powers of scent or vision; for upon several occasions, when the natives had placed a small kangaroo or kangaroo-rat in the fork of a tree or on the top of a Xanthorrhæa with the intention of taking it again on our return, we have found that the bird during our short absence had discovered and devoured every part of it except the skin, which was left so perfect, that at first I could not believe that it had not been done by the hand of man.”

Genus MILVUS, Cuv.

Asia is the great stronghold of the Kites or restricted genus Milvus; a few species occur in Europe, Africa, and the Indian Islands, and two are natives of Australia.

21. Milvus affinis, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 21.

Milvus (Hydroictinia) affinis, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 118.

This representative of the Milvus ater of Europe is found all over Australia, even at Port Essington: Captain Sturt observed it flying over the far interior of South Australia in great numbers.

22. Milvus isurus, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 22.

This species, which is sparingly dispersed over the whole of the southern part of Australia, is an equally beautiful representative of the common Kite, Milvus regalis of Europe.

Genus ELANUS, Sav.

Species of this well-defined genus inhabit nearly every part of the world: two are natives of Australia.

23. Elanus axillaris Vol. I. Pl. 23.

Elanus melanopterus, Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 185.

The Elanus axillaris is a representative of the Elanus melanopterus of Europe.

24. Elanus scriptus, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 24.

A fine new species rendered conspicuously different from all the other members of the genus by the black-lettered form of the markings under the wings.

Captain Sturt found this bird abundant at the Depôt towards the interior of Australia.

Genus LEPIDOGENYS, J. E. Gray.

Of this genus three species are known; they inhabit India, the Indian Islands and Australia.

25. Lepidogenys subcristatus, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 25.

Baza subcristata, G. R. Gray, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll.,

Part I. P. 19. 2nd Edit. P. 41.

Pernis (Hyptiopus) subcristatus, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 343.

I have no additional information respecting this noble species; all the examples of which, that have come under my notice, have been obtained in the brushes of the east coast of Australia.

Genus CIRCUS, Lacep.

Two if not three kinds of Harriers inhabit Australia, consequently the number of species is nearly equal in Europe, Asia, Africa, America, and Australia; those inhabiting the latter country are precisely of the same form, and perform the same offices as their near allies do in the other parts of the world.

26. Circus assimilis, Jard. & Selb. Vol. I. Pl. 26. 27. Circus Jardinii, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 27.

Circus (Spilocircus) Jardinii, Kaup, Isis, 847, p. 102.

Family STRIGIDÆ, Leach.

Genus STRIX, Linn.

While as a general rule other countries are only inhabited by a single species of the restricted genus Strix, the Fauna of Australia comprises no less than four, all of which appear to be necessary in order to prevent an inordinate increase of the smaller quadrupeds which there abound.

28. Strix castanops, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 28. 29. Strix personata, Vig. Vol. I. Pl. 29. 30. Strix tenebricosus, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 30. 31. Strix delicatulus, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 31.

Strix flammea? Vig. & Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 190.

Genus ATHENE, Boie.

A genus of diurnal Owls, of which five species are natives of Australia; the smaller kinds are represented in Europe and Asia by the Athene noctua, A. Cuculoides and A. Brama; the larger kinds have no representatives in the northern hemisphere.

32. Athene Boobook Vol. I. Pl. 32. 33. Athene maculata Vol. I. Pl. 33. 34. Athene marmorata, Gould.

Athene marmorata, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIV. p. 18.

All the upper surface, wings and tail dark brown, obscurely spotted with white round the back of the neck, on the wing-coverts and scapularies; inner webs of the primaries at their base, and the inner webs of the lateral tail-feathers crossed by bands, which are buff next the shaft and white towards the extremity of the webs; face and chin whitish; under surface dark brown, blotched with white and sandy brown; legs and thighs fawn-colour; bill horn-colour; feet yellow.

Inhabits South Australia, is much larger than A. maculata, but so nearly allied to, and so much like that species, that I have not thought it necessary to give a separate figure of it.

35. Athene connivens Vol. I. Pl. 34.

Buteo connivens, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. iv. p. 481.

36. Athene strenua, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 35. 37. Athene rufa, Gould Vol. I. Pl. 36.

Order INSESSORES, Vig.

Family CAPRIMULGIDÆ, Vig.

Genus ÆGOTHELES, Vig. & Horsf.

The known species of this genus are two in number, both of which, so far as has yet been ascertained, are confined to Australia. In many of their actions, and in their nidification, they are very owl-like, depositing, like those birds, their four or five round white eggs in the hollows of trees, without any nest.

38. Ægotheles Novæ-Hollandiæ Vol. II. Pl. 1.

Inhabits the whole of the southern parts of Australia and Van Diemen’s Land.

39. Ægotheles leucogaster, Gould Vol. II. Pl. 2.

Inhabits the northern or intertropical parts of Australia, where it represents the Æ. Novæ-Hollandiæ.

Genus PODARGUS, Cuv.

With no one group of the Australian birds have I had so much difficulty in discriminating the species as the genus Podargus. It is almost impossible to determine with certainty the older species described by Latham; could this have been done satisfactorily, even in a single instance, it would have greatly facilitated the investigation of the remainder. Messrs. Vigors and Horsfield regarded the specimens in the Linnean Collection as referable to three species, and have described them under the names of Stanleyanus, humeralis, and Cuvieri; Latham’s description of the species named by him megacephalus accords so well with the P. Stanleyanus, that I suspect both those terms have been applied to one and the same species, an opinion strengthened by Latham’s remarks as to the great size of the head and mandibles of his bird, the total length of which he states to be thirty inches, which is evidently an error.

After examining a large number of specimens comprising individuals of all ages, I have come to the conclusion that the Australian members of this genus constitute six species; four of which, namely, P. megacephalus, P. humeralis, P. Cuvieri, and P. brachypterus, are most closely allied to each other; and two, namely, P. plumiferus and P. Phalænoides, which present specific characters that cannot be mistaken. We have then in Australia a large group of nocturnal birds of this form destined, as it would seem, to keep in check the great families of Cicadæ and Phasmidæ, upon which they mainly subsist; but they do not refuse other insects, and even berries have been found in their stomachs. They are an inanimate and sluggish group of birds, and do not procure their food on the wing so much as other Caprimulgi, but obtain it by traversing the branches of the various trees upon which their favourite insects reside; at intervals during the night they sit about in open places, on rails, stumps of trees, on the roofs of houses and on the tombstones in the churchyards, and by superstitious persons are regarded as omens of death, their hoarse disagreeable voice adding not a little to the terrors induced by their presence.

In their nidification the Podargi differ in a most remarkable manner from all the other Caprimulgidæ, inasmuch as while the eggs of the Ægothelæ are deposited in the holes of trees, and those of the members of the other genera of this family on the ground, these birds construct a flat nest of small sticks on the horizontal branches of trees for the reception of theirs, which are moreover of the purest white.

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