_Elanus_, than that I found a single specimen of it among a collection
of skins that had been sent from South Australia. In size it
considerably exceeds the Black-shouldered Kite, from which it also
differs in the colouring of the upper surface, which is much darker and
washed with reddish brown, the same part in the other species being
delicate grey; the principal character, however, by which it may be
distinguished, not only from its Australian relative, but from every
other member of the genus yet discovered, is the great extent of the
black mark on the under surface of the wing, which following the line of
the bones from the body to the pinion, assumes when the wing is spread
the form of the letter V, or if both wings are seen at the same time
that of a W, divided in the centre by the body; which circumstance has
suggested the specific name I have applied to it.
It will be admitted by every one that this new species is an interesting
addition to the Australian _Falconidæ_, a group, of which the Fauna of
that country is more meagre in species than any similar extent of
country known.
Forehead and line over the eye white; head and all the upper surface
dark grey, washed with reddish brown; wing-coverts deep glossy black;
primaries greyish brown, becoming nearly white on their webs, all but
the first two or three margined with white at the tip; secondaries
brownish grey on the outer web, white on the inner and at the extremity;
tertiaries brownish grey; two centre tail-feathers grey; the remaining
tail-feathers pale brown on their outer webs, and white on the inner;
lores black; all the under surface and edge of the shoulder white; on
the under surface of the wing, following the line of the bones, a broad
mark of black, assuming the form of the letter V; bill black; cere and
legs yellow; claws black; irides orange.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
LEPIDOGENYS SUBCRISTATUS: _Gould_
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
LEPIDOGENYS SUBCRISTATUS, _Gould_.
Crested Hawk.
_Lepidogenys subcristatus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p.
140; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.
I regret to say that I am not sufficiently acquainted with this singular
species to give any account of its habits and economy, but, judging from
the feebleness of its bill and talons and the shortness of its tarsi, I
conceive that it principally preys upon insects and their larvæ; and it
is not improbable that honey and the larvæ of bees and ants, which
abound in Australia, may form a portion of its food. Any information on
this head that may have been ascertained by residents in Australia
would, if made known, be of the highest interest to ornithologists, as
an addition to the history of this singular form among the _Falconidæ_.
Its extreme rarity, however, will, I fear, tend much to prevent the
acquirement of this desirable information.
I saw it soaring high in the air over the plains in the neighbourhood of
the Namoi, but never sufficiently near to admit of a successful shot.
All the specimens I have seen were collected either at Moreton Bay or on
the banks of the Clarence.
As little or no difference exists in the plumage of the specimens I have
examined, I presume that the sexes are very similar.
Crown of the head, sides of the face, ear-coverts, and upper part of the
back brownish grey; occiput and lengthened occipital plumes blackish
brown; back and scapulars brown; wings uniform dark brownish grey above,
beneath silvery grey; primaries and secondaries crossed by several
bands, and largely terminated with black; rump and upper tail-coverts
chocolate-brown; tail brownish grey above, lighter beneath, crossed by
three narrow bands of black near the base, and deeply terminated with
the same colour; throat, chest, part of the shoulder, and under
tail-coverts greyish white tinged with rufous; abdomen, flanks and
thighs buffy white, crossed with conspicuous narrow bands of reddish
chestnut; bill bluish horn-colour; tarsi yellowish.
The Plate pourtrays the bird of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CIRCUS ASSIMILIS: _Jard. & Selb._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CIRCUS ASSIMILIS, _Jard. and Selb._
Allied Harrier.
_Circus assimilis_, Jard. and Selb. Ill. Orn., vol. ii. pl. 51.
_Swamp Hawk_, of the Colonists.
The _Circus assimilis_ may be regarded as the commonest of the Harriers
inhabiting New South Wales and South Australia; it also occurs, but in
smaller numbers, in Van Diemen’s Land. Another Harrier is rather
abundantly dispersed over all the localities suitable to its existence
in Western Australia, and it is just possible that they may prove to be
mere varieties of each other; if such should be the case, the whole of
the southern portion of the coast of Australia, from east to west, must
be included within the range of its habitat; still, without further
evidence in favour of this supposition, I should consider them to be
distinct species; and if this opinion is well-founded, the two species
will be found to inosculate in the latitude of Spencer’s and St.
Vincent’s Gulfs, as, in the collections lately forwarded to me by Mr.
Harvey of Port Lincoln, I found two or three individuals precisely
identical with those from Swan River. In size the _Circus assimilis_ is
but little inferior to the Marsh Harrier (_Circus æruginosus_) of
Europe, to which it offers a great resemblance in its habits and
economy; being generally seen flying slowly and somewhat heavily near
the surface of the ground, evincing a partiality to lagoons and marshy
places, situations which offer it a greater variety and abundance of
food than any other; the principal part of its food consists of
reptiles, small mammalia and birds. I several times observed this
species in the lagoons near Clarence Plains in Van Diemen’s Land, as
well as in all similar situations in almost every part of New South
Wales I visited.
I was not so fortunate as to find the nest of this Harrier,—a knowledge
of its form and of the colour of its eggs is therefore yet to be
ascertained. That it breeds in the localities in which I observed it I
have little doubt, from the circumstance of the adults paying regular
and hourly visits to the marshes in search of food, which was doubtless
borne away to their young. When in a state of quiescence, this species,
like the other Harriers, perches on some elevation in the open plain
rather than among the trees of the forest; the trunk of a fallen tree, a
large stone, or small hillock, being among its favourite resting-places.
The sexes offer the usual differences in the larger size of the female;
the markings of that sex are also rather less well-defined, and have not
so much of the grey colouring as the male.
Head and all the upper surface rich dark brown; the feathers at the back
of the neck margined with reddish buff; face light reddish brown; facial
disc buffy white, with a dark stripe down the centre of each feather;
all the under surface buffy white, which is deepest on the lower part of
the abdomen and thighs, each feather with a streak of brown down the
centre; upper tail-coverts and base of the tail-feathers white;
remaining length of the tail-feathers brownish grey; irides reddish
orange; eyelash and cere pale yellow; bill dark brown, becoming light
blue at the base; tarsi greenish white; feet bright orange; claws dark
brown.
The female differs in being of a larger size and of a darker brown,
particularly on the under surface, and in having the tail of a deeper
tint and obscurely barred.
The figures are about two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
CIRCUS JARDINII: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del. et lith._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._
]
CIRCUS JARDINII, _Gould_.
Jardine’s Harrier.
_Circus Jardinii_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part V. p. 141; and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.
This very beautiful Harrier, which is distinguished from every other
species of the genus at present known by the spotted character of its
plumage, is plentifully dispersed over every portion of New South Wales,
wherever localities favourable to the existence of the Harrier tribe
occur, such as extensive plains, wastes, and luxuriant grassy flats
between the hills in mountainous districts. The extent of its range over
the Australian continent has not yet been ascertained, and I have never
observed it from any other portion of the country than that mentioned
above, nor do specimens occur in collections formed in other parts.
In the third part of my “Synopsis of the Birds of Australia,” I
expressed an opinion that the _Circus assimilis_ of Messrs. Jardine and
Selby’s “Illustrations of Ornithology” was merely the young of the
present species: this opinion, however, my visit to Australia proved to
be erroneous; the _Circus assimilis_, as will be seen on reference to
the preceding plate, proving to be entirely distinct. The present noble
bird has been named in honour of Sir William Jardine, Bart., one of the
authors of the work above mentioned; and which, as well as his other
valuable publications connected with the science of ornithology, are
well known to every zoologist.
To describe the economy of the Jardine’s Harrier would be merely to
repeat what has been said respecting that of the former species. Like
the other members of the genus, it flies lazily over the surface of the
plains, intently seeking for lizards, snakes, small quadrupeds and
birds; and when not pressed by hunger, reposes on some dried stick,
elevated knoll, or stone, from which it can survey all around. Although
I observed this species in all parts of the Hunter in summer, when
others of the _Falconidæ_ were breeding, I did not succeed in procuring
its eggs, or obtain any satisfactory information respecting its
nidification; in all probability its nest is constructed on or near the
ground, on the scrubby crowns of the low, open, sterile hills that
border the plains.
The sexes present considerable difference in size, but are very similar
in their markings; both are spotted, but the female is by far the finest
bird in every respect.
Crown of the head, cheeks and ear-coverts dark chestnut, each feather
having a mark of brown down the centre; facial disc, back of the neck,
upper part of the back, and chest uniform dark grey; lower part of the
back and scapulars dark grey, most of the feathers being blotched and
marked at the tips with two faint spots of white, one on each side of
the stem; shoulders, under surface of the wing, abdomen, thighs and
under tail-coverts rich chestnut, the whole of the feathers beautifully
spotted with white, the spots regularly disposed down each web, and
being largest and most distinct on the abdomen; greater and lesser
wing-coverts brownish grey, irregularly barred and tipped with a lighter
colour; secondaries dark grey, crossed with three narrow lines of dark
brown, and tipped with a broad band of the same colour, the extreme tips
being paler; primaries black for two-thirds of their length, their bases
brownish buff; upper tail-coverts brown, barred and tipped with greyish
white; tail alternately barred with conspicuous bands of dark brown and
grey, the brown band nearest the extremity being the broadest, the
extreme tips greyish white; irides bright orange-yellow; cere
olive-yellow; bill blue at the base, black at the culmen and tips; legs
yellow.
The young has the whole of the upper surface nearly uniform dark brown,
the tail more numerously barred, and the feathers of the chest and upper
part of the abdomen striated, instead of spotted with white: in other
respects it resembles the adults.
The front figure represents the female and the other the male, about
two-thirds of the natural size.
[Illustration:
STRIX CASTANOPS: _Gould_.
_Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
STRIX CASTANOPS, _Gould_.
Chestnut-faced Owl.
_Strix castanops_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 140; and
in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.
Van Diemen’s Land is the native country of this Owl, a species
distinguished from all the other members of the genus _Strix_, as now
restricted, by its great size and powerful form; few of the Raptorial
birds, in fact, with the exception of the Eagles, are more formidable or
more sanguinary in disposition than the bird here represented.
Forests of large but thinly scattered trees, skirting plains and open
districts, constitute its natural habitat. Strictly nocturnal in its
habits, as night approaches it sallies forth from the hollows of the
large gum-trees, and flaps slowly and noiselessly over the plains and
swamps in search of its prey, which, as is the case with the other
members of the genus, consists of rats and small quadrupeds generally,
numerous species of which abound in the country wherein it is destined
by nature to dwell.
I regret that the brevity of my stay in Van Diemen’s Land did not admit
of sufficient opportunities for observing this bird in its native
haunts, and of making myself acquainted with the various changes which
take place in the colouring of its plumage. Much variety in this respect
exists among the specimens in my collection; occasioned not so much by a
difference in the form of the markings, as by a difference in the hue of
the wash of colour which pervades the face, neck, under surface and
thighs. In some specimens the face, all the under surface and the thighs
are deep rusty yellow; in others the same parts are slightly washed with
buff, while others again have the face of a dark reddish buff
approaching to chestnut, and the under surface much lighter; I have also
seen others with the facial feathers lighter than those of the body,
and, lastly, some with the face and all the under surface pure white,
with the exception of the black spots which are to be found in all.
Whether the white or the tawny plumage is the characteristic of the
adult, or whether these changes are influenced by season, are points
that might be easily cleared up by persons resident in Van Diemen’s
Land, and I would invite those who may be favourably situated for
observation to fully investigate the subject and make known the results.
I found the white variety far less numerous than the others; and so much
smaller in size, as almost to induce a belief that they were distinct.
The sexes differ very considerably in size, the female being by far the
largest, and in every way more powerful than the male: the stroke of her
foot and the grasp of her talons must be immediate death to any animal,
from the size of the little Opossum Mouse to the largest of the
Kangaroo-rats, upon which latter animals it is probable that future
research will prove it sometimes subsists.
Fascial disc deep chestnut, becoming deeper at the margin and encircled
with black; upper surface, wings and tail fine rufous brown, each
feather irregularly and broadly barred with dark brown, with a few
minute white spots on the head and shoulders; under surface uniform deep
sandy brown; sides of the neck and flanks sparingly marked with round
blackish spots; thighs and legs the same, but destitute of spots; bill
yellowish brown; feet light yellow.
The Plate represents the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
STRIX PERSONATA: _Vig._
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
STRIX PERSONATA, _Vig._
Masked Barn Owl.
_Strix personata_, Vig. in Proc. of Com. of Sci., and Corr. of Zool.
Soc., Part I. p. 60.—Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.
_Strix Cyclops_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV. p. 140; and in
Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.?
It will be recollected that the habitat of the _Strix castanops_ is Van
Diemen’s Land, to which island it is probably restricted; on the other
hand, the bird here figured, although nearly allied to the preceding,
not only differs in so many essential characters as to leave little
doubt in my mind of its being specifically distinct, but is confined to
the continent of Australia, over which it enjoys a wide range. With the
exception of the north coast, I have received specimens from every part
of the country. During my visit to the interior of South Australia,
numerous individuals fell to my gun, which upon comparison presented no
material variation in their colour or markings from others killed in New
South Wales and Swan River.
If I were puzzled with respect to the changes to which the _Strix
castanops_ is apparently subject, I am not less so with those of the
present bird; for although I find the tawny and buff colouring of the
face and under surface is generally lighter, I also find a diversity in
the colouring of the different parts of the under surface; I have
specimens in my cabinet with the face, all the under surface and the
ground-colour of the upper pure white, and prior to my visit to
Australia I characterized specimens thus coloured as a distinct species
under the name of _Strix Cyclops_, but I have now some reason to believe
them to be fully adult males of the bird here figured. I may remark,
that out of the numerous examples I killed in South Australia in the
month of June, I did not meet with one in the white plumage.
The _Strix personata_ is almost a third smaller than the _S. castanops_,
and as the sexes of both species bear a relative proportion in size, the
male of the one is about equal to the female of the other. The white
spottings of the upper surface of the former are larger than those of
the latter, and the surrounding patches of dark brown and buff are not
so deep, giving the whole of that part of the bird a more marbled or
speckled appearance.
Pale buff; the upper part of the head, the back and the wings variegated
with dark brown, and sparingly dotted with white; under surface paler
with a few brown spots; tail buff, undulated with brown fascia; facial
disc purplish buff, margined with deep brown spots; bill pale
horn-colour; toes yellow.
The figures represent the two sexes of the natural size.
[Illustration:
STRIX TENEBRICOSUS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
STRIX TENEBRICOSUS, _Gould_.
Sooty Owl.
_Strix tenebricosus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part XIII. p. 80.
A fine specimen of this species is comprised in the collection of the
British Museum, and a second example graces my own; its habitat is
undoubtedly the dense brushes of the east coast of Australia, where,
like other Owls, it remains secluded during the day, and sallies forth
at night in search of its natural prey. It is a fine and powerful
species, and the rarest of the Australian members of the genus to which
it belongs, from all of which it is conspicuously distinguished by the
dark sooty hue of its plumage, and by the primaries being of one colour,
or destitute of the bars common to all the other species.
Facial disc sooty grey, becoming much deeper round the eyes; upper
surface brownish black, with purplish reflexions, and with a spot of
white near the tip of each feather; wings and tail of the same hue but
paler, the feathers of the wing of a uniform tint, without bars, those
of the tail faintly freckled with narrow bars of white; under surface
brownish black, washed with buff, and with the white marks much less
decided; legs mottled brown and white; irides dark brown; bill
horn-colour; feet yellowish.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
STRIX DELICATULIS: _Gould_.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
STRIX DELICATULUS, _Gould_.
Delicate Owl.
_Strix delicatulus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part IV., 1836, p.
140; and in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III.
_Y̏on-ja_, Aborigines of the lowlands of Western Australia.
This is the least of the Australian Owls belonging to that section of
the group to which the generic term of _Strix_ has been restricted; it
is also the one most generally distributed. I observed it in almost
every part of New South Wales that I visited; it is a common bird in
South Australia, and I have also seen specimens of it from Port
Essington. It has not yet been found in the colony of Swan River, nor
can it be included in the fauna of Van Diemen’s Land. Although good
specific differences are found to exist, it is very nearly allied to the
Barn Owl (_Strix flammea_) of our own island, and, as might be naturally
expected, the habits, actions and general economy of the two species are
as similar as is their outward appearance: mice and other small mammals,
which are very numerous, are preyed upon as its natural food. To attempt
a description of its noiseless flight, its mode of capturing its prey,
or of its general habits, would be merely to repeat what has been so
often and so ably written relative to the Barn Owl of Europe.
Although the plumage of youth and that of maturity do not differ so
widely in this species as in the other Australian members of the genus,
the fully adult bird may always be distinguished by the spotless and
snowy whiteness of the breast, and by the lighter colouring of the upper
surface.
Facial disc white, margined with buff; upper surface light greyish brown
tinged with yellow, very thickly and delicately pencilled with spots of
brownish black and white; wings pale buff lightly barred with pale
brown, marked along the outer edge and extremities with zigzag
pencillings of the same, each primary having a terminal spot of white;
tail resembles the primaries, except that the terminal white spot is
indistinct, and the outer feathers are almost white; under surface
white, sparingly marked about the chest and flanks with small brownish
dots; legs and thighs white; bill horn-colour; feet yellowish.
The figure is of the natural size.
[Illustration:
ATHENE BOOBOOK.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter del et lith._ _Hullmandel & Walton Imp._
]
ATHENE BOOBOOK.
Boobook Owl.
_Strix Boobook_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Suppl., p. xv. no. 9.—Shaw, Gen.
Zool., vol. vii. p. 262.
_Boobook Owl_, Lath. Gen. Hist., vol. i. p. 362. no. 66.—Id. Gen. Syn.
Suppl., vol. ii. p. 64.
_Noctua Boobook_, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 188.
_Athene Boobook_, Gould in Syn. Birds of Australia, Part I.
_Buck-buck_, Aborigines of New South Wales.
_Goȍr-goȍr-da_, Aborigines of Western Australia.
_Mȅl-in-de-ye_, Aborigines of Port Essington.
_Koor-koo_, Aborigines of South Australia.
_Brown_ or _Cuckoo-Owl_ of the Colonists.
I have seen individuals of this Owl from every one of the Australian
colonies, all presenting similar characters, with the exception of those
from Port Essington, which differ from the others in being a trifle
smaller in size and paler in colour.
In Van Diemen’s Land this species is seldom seen, while it is very
common throughout the whole length of the southern coast of the
continent. It appears to inhabit alike the brushes and the plains, that
is, those plains which are studded with belts of trees. It is no unusual
occurrence to observe it on the wing in the day-time in search of
insects and small birds, upon which it mainly subsists. It may be
readily distinguished from _Athene maculata_ by its larger size, and by
the spotted markings of its plumage; features which will be at once
perceived by a reference to the figures of the two species.
The flight of this bird is tolerably rapid, and as it passed through the
shrubby trees that cover the vast area of the belts of the Murray, it
strongly reminded me of a woodcock. In such places as those I have last
mentioned, travellers frequently flush it from off the ground, to which,
after a flight of one or two hundred yards, it either descends again or
takes shelter in any thickly-foliaged trees that may be at hand, when it
can neither be easily seen nor forced from its retreat.