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 under surface and thighs rufous, crossed by numerous narrow bars of white, the red predominating on the thighs; under surface of the wings and tail grey, distinctly barred with dark brown, which is deepest on the former; irides and eyelash yellow; cere and gape yellowish green; base of the bill lead-colour, tip black; legs yellow slightly tinged with green.
The young male has the cere and gape olive-yellow; irides and eyelash primrose-yellow.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ ]
BUTEO MELANOSTERNON, _Gould_. Black-breasted Buzzard.
_Buteo melanosternon_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., Part VIII. p. 162.
_G̏oo-dap_, Aborigines of the mountain districts of Western Australia.
If we examine the Australian members of the family of _Falconidæ_, we cannot fail to observe that it comprises representatives of most of the forms inhabiting similar latitudes in the northern hemisphere; no example of the genus _Buteo_ had, however, been recorded as an inhabitant of Australia until I discovered the present species, which is more nearly allied to the _Buteo Jackall_ of the Cape of Good Hope and the Red-tailed Buzzard (_Buteo Borealis_) of America than to any other. It is a fine and noble species, and although it does not appear to be common in any part of the colonies, it ranges over all the southern portion of the country. I have received it from Swan River, and procured it myself during my journey into the interior of New South Wales, about two hundred miles northwards of Sydney; I have also a specimen which was killed on the Liverpool Plains by one of the natives in my party.
The Black-breasted Buzzard generally flies high in the air, through which it soars in large circles, much after the manner of the Wedge-tailed Eagle; its black breast and the large white mark at the base of the primaries being very conspicuous when seen from beneath.
The sexes are alike in colouring but present the usual difference in size, the male being the smallest.