ACCIPITER TORQUATUS, Vig. and Horsf:
Collared Sparrow Hawk.

Falco torquatus, Cuv.—Temm. Pl. Col., 43 adult, 93 young.

Accipiter torquatus, Vig. and Horsf. in Linn. Trans., vol. xv. p. 182.—Shaw, Gen. Zool., vol. xiii. p. 30, pl. 33.—
Gould, Syn. Birds of Australia, Part III. fig. 2.

Falco nisus, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. xi. ?

New Holland Sparrow Hawk, Lath. Gen. Syn. Supp., vol. ii. p. 512; and Gen. Hist., vol. i. p: 2232

Misus australis, Less. Traité d’Orn., p. 61.

Bilbil, Aborigines of New South Wales.

Jil-lee-jil-lee, Aborigines of the lowland and

Min-min of the Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.

Little Hawk, Colonists of Swan River.

 

 

Tuts species is especially abundant in Van Diemen’s Land and New South Wales, and would appear to
enjoy a wide extent of range, since I have either seen or received specimens of it from every part of
Australia with the single exception of the north coast.

In its habits and disposition it has all the characteristics of its European ally, the Adecpiter Fringillarius,
whose boldness and daring spirit while in pursuit of its quarry have been so often described that they are
familiar to every one ; the sexes also exhibit the same disparity of size, the female being nearly as large and
powerful again as her mate; hence the Swift-flying Quail and the numerous species of Honey-eaters upon
which they feed, find in her a most powerful enemy. For rapidity of flight and unerring aim, however, she
is even surpassed by her more feeble mate, who may frequently be observed at one moment skimming
quietly over the surface of the ground, and the next impetuously dashing through the branches of the trees
in fearless pursuit of his prey, which from the quickness of his abrupt turns rarely eludes the attack. Mr.
Caley mentions as an instance of its boldness, that he once witnessed it in the act of darting at a Blue
Mountain Parrot, which was suspended in a cage from the bough of a mulberry-tree, within a couple of
yards of his door.

The nest is rather a large structure, composed of sticks, and lined with fibrous roots and a few leaves of
the gum-tree; it is usually placed in the fork of a swamp oak (Casuarina) or other trees growing on the
banks of creeks and rivers, but is occasionally to be met with in the depths of the forests. The eggs are
generally three in number, of a bluish white, in some instances staimed and smeared over with blotches of
buff; in others I have observed square-formed spots, and a few hair-like streaks of deep brown: their
medium length is one inch and six lines by one inch and oye lines in breadth. o .

Head, all the upper surface, wings and tail deep brownish grey, the tail indistinctly barred with deep
brown; on the back of the neck an obscure collar of reddish brown ; throat, the He surface and
merous narrow bars of white, the red predominating on the thighs ; under sur-
yarred with dark brown, which is deepest on the former ; irides
base of the bill lead-colour, tip black ; legs yellow

thighs rufous, crossed by nu
face of the wings and tail grey, distinctly I
and eyelash yellow ; cere and gape yellowish green ;
slightly tinged with green.
The young male has the cere and ¢
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.

ape olive-yellow ; irides and eyelash primrose-yellow.