18. Astur cruentus, _Gould_ Vol. I. Pl. 18.
_Astur cruentus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part X. p. 113.
This species and the preceding are representatives of each other in the eastern and western portions of the continent.
I have lately seen specimens from Port Essington.
_Sparvius cirrhocephalus_, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. x. p. 328.
_Falco melanops_, Lath. Ind. Orn. Supp., p. 12?
_Sparvius melanops_, Vieill. Nouv. Dict. d’Hist. Nat., tom. x. p. 239?
_Astur_ (_Micronisus_) _torquatus_, Kaup, Mus. Senckenb. 1845, p. 259.
_Nisus_ (_Urospiza_) _torquatus_, Kaup, Isis, 1847, p. 181.
_Accipiter cirrhocephalus_, List of Birds in Brit. Mus. Coll., Part I. 2nd edit. p. 73.
Precisely similar in all its actions and in its economy to the Sparrow Hawk, _Accipiter nisus_ of Europe.
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.”