an Australian name for the bird Uroaetus, or Aquila audax, Lath. The name wasapplied to the bird by the early colonists of New South Wales,and has persisted. In `O.E.D.' it is shown that the name wasused in Griffith's translation (1829) of Cuvier's `RegneAnimal' as a translation of the French aigle-autour,Cuvier's name for a South American bird of prey of the genus Morphnus, called Spizaetus by Vieillot; but it isadded that the word never came into English use. See Eagle. There is a town in Victoria called Eaglehawk.The Bendigo cabmen make the name a monosyllable, «Glawk.»
1834. L. E. Threlkeld, `Australian Grammar, p. 56:
«The large eaglehawk, which devours young kangaroos, lambs,etc.»
1848. J. Gould, `Birds of Australia,' vol. i. pl. 1:
« Aquila Fucosa, Cuv., [now A. audax, Lath.]Wedge-tailed eagle. Eaglehawk, Colonists of New South Wales.»
1863. B. A. Heywood, `Vacation Tour at the Antipodes,' p. 106:
«We knew it was dying, as two large eaglehawks were hoveringabout over it.»
1880. Fison and Howitt, `Kamilaroi and Kurnai,' p. 251:
«The hair of a person is tied on the end of the throwing-stick,together with the feathers of the eagle hawk.»
1885. H. Finch-Hatton, `Advance Australia', p. 106:
«Since the destruction of native dogs and eagle-hawks by thesquatters, who stocked the country with sheep, the kangarooshave not a single natural enemy left.»
1888. D. Macdonald, `Gum Boughs,' p. 35:
«On the New South Wales side of the river the eagle-hawk issometimes so great a pest amongst the lambs that the settlersperiodically burn him out by climbing close enough to the nestto put a fire-stick in contact with it.»