^’S 1 c:3 L I B R A R.Y OF THE U N I V ER5 ITY Of I LLl N O I 5 q598. 295489 L52h The person charging this material is re- sponsible for its return to the library from which it was withdrawn on or before the Latest Date stamped below. Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reosons for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from the University. To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2017 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Alternates https://archive.org/details/historyofbirdsofOOIegg A HISTORY OF THE BIRDS OF CEYLON. BY Captain W. VINCENT LEGGE, R.A, FELLOW OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY, FELLOW OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY, MEMBER OF THE BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION, SECRETARY LATE ROY. AS. SOC. (C.B.), CORR. MEM. ROY. SOC. TASMANIA, ETC., ETC. CONTENTS. Page Page Accipifres . . . . . . / Grall(B 765 Psitfaci .... . . . 167 Gavi(B 995 PicaricB .... . . . 188 Pygopodes .... 1059 Passeres . . . . . . 845 An seres 1062 ColumbcB . . . . . . 698 Herod i ones 1096 GallirKB . , . . , . . 781 Stega nobod es . . . 1172 LONDON: TAYLOR AND FRANCIS, RED LION COURT, FLEET STREET. 1880. OPINIONS OF THE PPtESS &c. ]\[r. R. B. Sharpe, Senior Assist. Zool. Depart. Brit. Mus., in ‘Nature,’ April 3rcl, 1879. “ The avifauna of Ceylon did not attract the attention of the naturalist to any great extent after the year 18dl', when Mr. E. L. Layard published his valuable notes in the ‘Annals of Natural History,’ and brought to light a number of new and interesting forms, until in 1872 Mr. E. W. H. Holdsworth presented to the Zoological Society an excellent memoir, embodying not only all that was known on the subject, but adding greatly to our knowledge from the results of his five j'ears’ residence in the island. Ornithologists, howev'er, could hardly have expected from the published accounts that so much would remain for Captain Legge to do in a field often supposed to be tolerablj' well exhaust(;d by the labours of the two naturalists mentioned above ; and it is impossible to speak in too high terms of the volume which our author has now presented to the public, and which, in our opinion, is one of the best ornithological works ever yet produced. Not only does Capt. Legge excel in his description of the habits of the Ceylonese birds, which lie has himself studied in the jungle during his seven ” [8.j] “ years’ residence in Ceylon, devoting his whole leisure time to the pursuit of ornithology, but on the return of his regiment to England he at once sets to work to complete the scientific history of the birds with whose life-history he is already so well accpiainted. The result of the patient labour Avhich he has devoted to both branches of the subject is apparent on every page ; and from the peculiar relations of the avifauna of Ceylon this task has been by no means an easy one. Possessing only a limited number of peculiar forms, the biixls of Ceylon indicate affinities on the one hand to those of Southern India, and on the other to those of the Malayan peninsula, while in the higher ranges a decided Himalayan element crops up. Sometimes the differences between the forms of birds inhabiting these regions and Ceylon are found to be of specific importance ; but more often the variation does not extend beyond the recognition of a climatic race or subspecies. Not one of these difficult cpiestions is shirked by the author, who diligently compares the subject of every article with the allied fonns of surrounding countries, so that many of his descriptions amount to monographic revisions of genera and species of the highest importance to the student of Indian ornithology ” Mr. Allan Hume, C.B., F.Z.S., The Editor of ‘ Stray Feathers,’ vol. vii. p. 471 (1879). “The first part of Captain I^egge’s splendid monograph of the Birds of Ceylon has recently appear’ed. “ Two other parts will complete the work ; and I can only say that, if the remaining poiffiions are up to the .standard of the present instillment, the work as a whole will equal, if not surpass, any other work of the kind that has ever appeared. “ The paper is excellent, the printing first-class, and, as regards the jdates, thej'’ are amongst the very best that tliat real thoiigh now-a-days unutilizable genius, Mr. Keulemans, has ever produced. “ ff'lie accessories, therefore, are all that can be desired ; nothing like them can be produced in India, and even at a first glance the thick volume before us must extort admiration. “ A more careful examination, moreover, of the work will only deepen and intensify the pleasm'e which eveiy Indian ornithologist must feel on becoming acquainted with it. “ Captain Legge has thoroughly worked up his subject ; and to eight years of labour amongst the birds he deals with, in their native wilds, has added two years of study in the libraries and collections of England. “Nothing can exceed the pains which he has bestowed in elaborating the life-histories of his feathered friends; and while scarcely ani- thing of importance tliat was on record has escaped him, he has added, from his own personal expe- riences and researches, much that is new and of great interest. “ . . . . The work appears to me a perfect model of what such a work should be, admirably -wiatten, admirably arranged, saying just so much as is necessary of each species, free from all useless repetitions, and, above all, not over- loaded with quotations from innumerable writers, all saying the same thing, the great fault of most modern books on ornithology ” Mr. W. T. Blanford, F.R.S., President of tlie Royal Asiatic Society of Bengal, in the ‘ President’s Address,’ 1879, p. 52. “ Captain Legge’s ‘ History of the Birds of Ceylon ’ is a most important work, of which one quarto part, containing Sl'7 pages, has already appeared. I am indelffed to Mr. Hume for an opportunity of seeing an early copy of this part — the only copy, I believe, that has reached India ; and I can only indorse his opinion that it is the best work of the kind devoted to Indian zoology that has appeared. Carefully and sj’stematically arranged, very much on the model of Dresser's ‘ Birds of Europe,’ containing ample description of plumage, habits, distribution, and nidification, it is still free from excessive discursiveness ; and the plates, in which most of the species peculiar to Ceylon are represented, are excellent. The present part contains the Accipitres, Psittacl, and Picariae.” Extract from rcAdew of Part IT. by the Editor of ‘ Stray Feathers,’ vol. viii. p. 404. “ A Second Part of this really beautiful woik has by this time ajjpeared in England ; and an early copy, kindly sent me by the author, has just arrived in time to enable me to announce its ajipearance in this present number. “The first ])art, as will be remembered, contained the Accipitres and Picariae. The present part contains the Passeres and Coluinbae. The two Parts contain 730 pages of closely printed letterpress and 24 plates, and with the Third Part, soon to issue, they will make a very thick Koyal Quaido Volume containing 1000 pages of letterpress or more, and some 32 platcs- [Oontinued on page 3 of Wrapper. J ' ^ 1 L ir,5 1'. TO HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS ALFRED ERNEST ALBERT, DUKE OF EDINBURGH, Iv.T,, I’.C., ETC., THIS WORK IS DEDICATED, BY SPECIAL PERMISSION, IN MEMORY OF THE VISIT OF HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS TO CEYLON IN THE YEAR 1870. BY HIS OBEDIENT HUMBLE SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. PREFACE. Of late years Ornithology has made more rapid strides than perhaps any other branch of zoological research. In Oriental regions more particularly many naturalists have, within the last quarter of a century, prosecuted their studies with the greatest vigour ; enormous collections have been made, entirely new regions explored, and their avifauna investigated with all that energy which collectors of the 19th century bring to bear on their work and doings in the forests of the tropics. The pens of Blyth, Jerdon, Wallace, the Marquis of Tweeddale, Swinhoe, Pere David, and Allan Hume have brought our knowledge of the avifauna of India and the countries to the eastward of it to a high degree of perfection. At the time of the author’s arrival in Ceylon much had been done by Layard, and the results of his labours were being largely added to by the researches of Mr. Holdsworth ; but nevertheless, up to that period, no complete treatise on the birds of the island had been written. As a rising British colony, with fast- developing resources and wealth, an increasing European community, and an educated element in the native population, the production of a book on its avifauna which should take a place in the series of zoological works which are invariably the outcome of civilization seemed to the author a positive necessity. This idea was combined with a strong desire to create a taste for natural history in the minds more particularly of the educated native community, and the hope of founding an ornithological school in Ceylon, such as had been the effect of the labours of Jerdon in the Indian empire. With this view, therefore, the author devoted his entire spare time duiing an 8^ years’ residence in the island to the study of its ornis and the amassing of a large collection of speci- mens. Towards the close of his work he received no little encouragement in a promise of heli) from the Government made to him by the late Governor, Sir William Gregory, who, during his term of office in Ceylon, did so much for the advancement of science in all its branches, and to whom the author is much indebted for his recent exertions with the existing Government on his h PEEFACE. vi behalf. On his return to England in 1877 it only remained for the author to combine his acquired knowledge of the life-history of the birds of Ceylon with a comparison of his collection (the largest ever made by one individual in the island) with series of specimens and skins in the British Museum and the collections of brother ornithologists in London, illustrative of the ornis of adjacent countries ; and after three years of incessant labour the work has been brought to a conclusion. A non-residence in London, within daily reach of the libraries, with their stores of ornitho- logical literature, and the collections with which that great civilizing centre teems, has been a serious disadvantage to the author. Furthermore the vast amount of correspondence and supervision which the publication of the work entailed on him was much increased by his residence at a distance from those engaged in its printing and illustration. The scientific reader will therefore, it is to be hoped, pardon the various shortcomings Avhich the author feels must, on this account, exist throughout the work. Its mission, hoAvever, is not to impart knowledge to the scientific ornithologist in Europe, for it cannot pretend to any such degree of merit ; it is intended purely as a text-book for the local student and collector in Ceylon ; and though the author has as yet met with comparatively little support among the class for which he has worked so hard, yet if he succeeds in inculcating in the minds of only a few of the inhabitants of Ceylon a taste for the study of birds, which he apprehends must always rank foremost among the wonderful creations of an all-wise and bountiful Providence, his labour of love will not have been in vain. On the other hand, while his sincerest gratitude is evoked by the patronage which the Royal Family have been graciously pleased to bestow upon his humble labours, the author cannot but tender his best thanks to his friends and the general public in England for the cordial manner in which they have supported him. Aberystwith, September 2, 1880. W. V. LEGGE, Captain R.A. INTRODUCTION. The island of Ceylon, although it contains none of those remarkable forms which characterize the birds of some of the Malay islands, undoubtedly possesses a rich avifauna ; and, considering its geographical area (about five sixths that of Ireland), the number of species is very large. The tropical position of Ceylon, coupled with its location in the path of the monsoon winds and rains, fosters the growth of luxuriant vegetation and verdant forests, which, as a matter of course, teem with all that wonderful insect-life necessary for the sustenance of birds, and hence the large number of resident species inhabiting it ; whilst the fact of its being situated at the extreme south of an immense peninsula makes it the finishing point of the stream of Waders and Water-birds which annually pass down the coasts of India ; and, lastly, the prevalence of a northerly wind at the time of the migration of weak-flying Warblers brings these little birds in numbers to its shores. The abundance of the commoner species inhabiting the cultivated country near the towns on the west coast, and the semicultivated interior traversed by the railway and the highroads leading to the principal towns, at once strikes the traveller on his arrival in the island ; and the wonderful variety of bird-sounds heard during the course of a morning stroll, though they cannot vie in sweetness with the notes of the denizens of English groves, are, notwithstanding, quite as attractive. The laughing voice of the larger Kingfishers, the extraordinary booming call of the “Jungle-Crows” {Centroims mjipennis and C. chlororhynchiis)^ and the energetic shouts of the Barbets when first heard fill the European traveller with astonishment, and more than compensate for the absence of the mellifluous voice of the Thrush and Blackbird. As regards brilliancy of plumage, when we consider the tropical nature of their abode, the birds of Ceylon are decidedly mediocral. W^e find but little of that conspicuous beauty which characterizes the avifauna of many of the islands of the Austro-Malayan region, or even some of the birds of the Himalayas, nor do we meet with the gorgeous plumage of those of tropical America, or even the handsome dress worn by so many of the feathered inhabitants of African forests. WTen the naturalist has made the acquaintance of the Sun-birds, Pittas, and King- fishers there is not very much left in the way of brilliant plumage to attract him. Notwith- standing, many species are conspicuous for grace and elegance of form combined with an attractive coloration; and if we except the above-mentioned families, the peculiar birds of the island number among their ranks some of the most beautiful species inhabiting it. Before proceeding to the consideration of the ornithological features of the island, it will be well to notice briefly the labours of those naturalists who have heretofore interested themselves in the birds of Ceylon. h2 IXTEODUCTIOX. viii Labours of former Writers. — In 1743 George Edwards, Library Keeper to the Royal College of Physicians, published a work entitled ‘A Natural History of Uncommon Birds,’ and in it figured several species inhabiting India and Ceylon, among which were “ The Black Indian Cuckow ” {Eudynamys lionorata), “The small Red-and-green Parrakeet” {Loriculus indicus), “The Black- and-white Kingfisher ”( rudis), “The Indian Bee-eater” {Mero])s viridis), “The Black- headed Indian Icterus ” (Cn’o/ws melanocephalus), “The Crested Red or Russet Butcher-bird” [Lamus cristatus), “The Pyed Bird of Paradise” {Terpsiphone paradisi), “The Purple Indian Creeper” {Cimiyris asiaficus), “The Cowry Grosbeak ” (iliww/a punctulata), “The Short-tailed Pye” {Pitta coronata), “The Minor” {Eulahes religiosa), and “The Emerald Dove” {Clialcophaps indica). Of these it will be observed that but one species, the Lorikeet, is peculiar to the island. During the latter half of the eighteenth century Gideon Loten was nominated Governor of Ceylon by the Dutch, and, happening to be a great lover of birds, collected and employed people to procure specimens of species which attracted his notice ; and from his labours we first learn something of the peculiar birds of the island. He had drawings prepared of many species, which he lent to an English naturalist named Peter Brown, who published in London, in 1776, a quarto work styled ‘ Illustrations of Zoology.’ His descriptions of the birds he figured were given in French and English, and related to the following species named by him thus: — “The Brown Hawk” {Astur hadius), “Great Ceylonese Eared Owl” {Ketuya ceylonensis)., “Red-crowned Barbet” {Xcmtholcema ruhricapilla), “Yellow-cheeked Barbet” {Megalcema flavifrons\ “Ceylon Black-cap” {lora typhia)., “Spotted Curucui” {Cuculus maculatus), “Red-vented Warbler” {Pycnonotus hcemorrhoiis), “Yellow-breasted Flycatcher” {Ruhigula melanictera), “The Green Wagtail” {Budytes viridis), “The Rail” {Rallina euryzonoides), “The Pompadour Pigeon” {Osmotreron pompadora). The artist who delineated these species was Mr. Khuleelooddeen. Some of the drawings are fairly accurate ; but others are grotesque and unnatural, showing the poor state of perfection to which the illustration of books had up to that time been brought. We pass on now to a man of a different stamp, Johann Reinhold Forster, who gave Latin names to several of the peculiar Ceylonese forms which now stand, having been published after the Linnean period (1776). This author was likewise indebted to Governor Loten, of whom he speaks in his Introduction that he found a great field for his tastes in the science of natural history, and to assist him in his researches taught several slaves drawing. Forster’s work, entitled “ Indische Zoologie,” was published at Halle, in Germany, in 1781, and is written in German and Latin, purporting to be a “ systematic description of rare and unknown Indian animals.” The following species are figured and described : — Circus melanoleucus, Strix hakkamuna, Trogon fasciatus, Cuculus pyrrhocephalus, Pallus phcenicurus, Tantalus leucocepthalus, Anser melanonotus, Anhinga {Plotus) melanogaster, Anas poecilorhyncha, and Perdix bicalcarata. Through Loten’s instrumentality, therefore, 10 species were described by Forster, in addition to those which Brown figured, and which were afterwards named by Linnaeus, Gmelin, and others. Prior to the advent of Templeton and Layard he did more for Ceylon ornithology than any other naturalist. One or two species were made known by Latham in his ‘ Synopsis,’ such as the “ Ceylonese Crested IXTEODUCTIOX. IX Falcon” [Spizaetus ceijlonensis) and the “ Ceylonese Creeper ” {Cinnyris zeylonicus) \ but these were afterwards found to inhabit India ; and Levaillant figured two Barbets in his ‘ Ilistoire Naturelle des Barbes,’ one of which (the Yellow-fronted Barbet) is peculiar to the island. A long gap now occurs, when little or nothing was done to elucidate the avifauna of the island; and we hear nothing of the birds of Ceylon until Br. Templeton, ll.A., went out there to be stationed. Taking a great interest in the natural history of his temporary home, and at the same time not being a sportsman himself, he depended on his friends for specimens, wdiich he forwarded to Blyth, then curator of the Asiatic Society’s Museum, Calcutta, for identification. Fortunately for ornithology one of these friends Avas Mr. Edgar Leopold Layard, the now w'ell- known ornithologist, and at present Her Majesty’s Consul at Noumea. This gentleman, on his arrival in the island, set about collecting for Dr. Templeton, and, in his capacity as an officer in Government service, had ample opportunity for travel and exploration of the jungle. The same zeal and untiring energy which has throughout life characterized Layard’s career was brought to bear upon the study of the Birds of Ceylon ; and in a few years his great exertions in collecting bore fruit in a series of papers called “ Notes on the Ornithology of Ceylon,” published in the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History,’ which demonstrated to the scientific world that Ceylon was far richer in birds than any one had supposed. The account of his important labours is best given in his owm words, contained in his kind notice of this work in a late number of ‘ The Ibis ’ : — “ I arrived in Ceylon in March I84G, and for some time having no employment, amused my leisure in collecting for my more than friend. Dr. Templeton’ who had nursed me through a dangerous illness, and in whom I found a congenial spirit. My chief attraction there w^as the glorious Lepidoptera of the island ; but I always carried a light single-barrelled gun in a strap on my back to shoot specimens for the Doctor. He himself, like Dr. Kelaart, never shot, but depended on his friends for specimens. I, of course, soon became interested in the ‘ ornis ;’ and on Templeton’s leaving at the end of 1847 or beginning of 1848, he begged me to take up his correspondence with the late Edward Blyth, then curator of the R. A. S. Calcutta Museum. He left me his list of the species then knowm to exist in the island, numbering 183, and Blyth’s last letter to answer. From that day almost monthly letters passed between the latter and myself, till I left Ceylon in 1853, The list and the correspondence are still in my possession. “ When I left I had brought up the list to 315 ; deduct from this the novelties added by Kelaart, and some which I think he has Avrongly identified (but which are included in my list in the ‘ Annals and Magazine of Natural History ’}, 22 in number, and it leaves me the contributor of 110 species to the Ceylonese ornis, examples of most of which fell to my OAvn gun. “ My collecting-trips never extended to those hill-parts where Dr, Kelaart collected, Nuwara Elliya, &c. I Avas tAvice in Kandy, once at ‘ Carolina,’ an estate near Ambegamoa, and once as far as Gillymally, via Ratnapura.” Besides this, Layard, as he informs me in epist., collected from Colombo to Jaffna, via Puttalam, Jaffna to Kandy on the Central Road, Colombo to Galle, and round to Hambantota, X INTEODUCTION. Pt. Pedro to Mullaittivu, and thence back to the Central Poad. The specimens procured on all these trips, as Avell as during Layard’s residence at Pt. Pedro and other parts of the island, were sent to Blyth for identification, Avhich resulted in the names given by the latter to not a few of the peculiar forms. He published papers from time to time in the ‘ Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal,’ and also in ‘The Ibis’ so late as 1867. Blyth, however, received specimens from another source, namely, from Dr. Kelaart, a native of Ceylon, and who went out from England in 1849 as Staff-Surgeon to the Forces. This gentleman, though he did not shoot himself, obtained specimens of many of the hill-birds inhabiting the vicinity of Nuwara Elliya, where he resided, and furnished Blyth with skins and notes for some of his papers, one of the most important of which is a “ Report on the Mammalia and more remarkable Species of Birds inhabiting Ceylon,” published in the ‘Journ. Asiat. Soc. Bengal ’ for 1851. In 1852 Dr. Kelaart published his ‘ Prodromus Faunae Zeylanicse ’ in Ceylon, chiefly noted for the outline account of the mammals and reptiles of the island, with which he was better acquainted than with its birds. For this work, Fayard, as he writes in ‘ The Ibis ’ for the current year, supplied him with all his “ lists and numerous specimens, not only of birds, but of many mammals and reptiles new to him ; and it was arranged that we should bring out a second part of the ‘ Prodromus ’ (then in MS. only), which should consist of the Birds, to be written by me.” It appears, however, that Kelaart broke faith with him, and issued his ‘ Prodromus ’ with the notice of the birds (Part II.) compiled by himself. Thus “ left out in the cold,” Layard, on his return to England, published the valuable notes referred to above. He also compiled a considerable portion of the notice of the birds of the island . contained in Emerson Tennent’s ‘Natural History of Ceylon,’ and furnished the author with voluminous notes, whilst his large collection supplied the materials for the “ List of Birds ” printed in the work. This was published in 1868, and besides describing the habits and instincts of the mammalia, birds, reptiles, fishes, and insects of the island, includes an interesting monograph of the elephant. During the interval between the last-mentioned date and the year 1854 scarcely any thing was published concerning the ornis of Ceylon, with the exception of a stray paper now and then contributed to the ‘Journal of the Asiatic Society,’ some of which emanated from the pen of Mr. Hugh Nevill, C.C.S., who recorded the occurrence of the Wood-Snipe in the Part tor 1867, which was not published till 1870. At this time Mr. Holdsworth was devoting his attention to the ornithology of the island, and a co-worker, the author, who arrived on the island a year later (Oct. 1868), had likewise commenced to collect vigorously. Mr. Holdsworth, who landed in the island in September 1875, was sent out from England to study the habits of the Pearl-Oyster, and find out the cause of the failure of the Pearl-fisheries, with a view of advising the Government what should be done for their better management. His appointment necessi- tated his residence, off and on, at Aripu, which is adjacent to the Pearl-banks, and while there he devoted his spare time to a study of the birds in the vicinity of the station. He also collected at Colombo and at Nuwara Eliya during both monsoons. The outcome of his labours during seven years’ residence in Ceylon was his “ Catalogue of the Birds found in Ceylon,” published in INTBODUCTIOX. XI the ‘ Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London,’ 1872, and by far the most complete treatise which had ever been compiled on the avifauna of the island. The author devoted particular attention to the synonymy of the birds, which, up to that time, was in a very confused state ; and the result was the working-out of the correct title of each species, which constituted a most valuable addition to the literature of the Ceylonese oniis. The catalogue numbers 32G species. In this list 24 species were added by the author, which are published under the following titles: — IlypotriorcMs severus, Picus cerugiriosus, Pandion lialiaetus. Puteo desertorum, Iluluia pectoralis, Brachyptermis puncticoUis, Pnonochilus vincens, Erythrosterna hyperythra, Arrenya hlighi, Geocichla layardi, Zosterojys ceylonensis, Estrelda amandava, Chrysocolaptes festivus, Francolinus pictus, Cheftusia greyaria, TereJcia cinerea, Tringa salina, Sterna leucoptera. Sterna gracilis^ Phaethon ruhricauda, Sula fiber, Taccocua leschenaulti, Drynioipus jerdoni, Galtinago nemoricola. Of the above, Zosterops ceylonensis was not an additional species, but a new name for Zosterops annulosus included in Layard’s list. The Putalis niuitui of Layard’s list appeared also under another title {Alseonax terricolor), though this identification afterwards proved to be erroneous. Arrenga blighi was a new species described by Mr. Holdsworth from specimens procured by Mr. Bligh and himself. A few were omitted, which the author considered had been species wrongly identified, or had been recorded by Kelaart on doubtful evidence ; these were — Ephialtes scops, Malacocercus griseus,Cisticola liomalura, Phyllopnenste montanus, Phyllornis aurifrons, Iletcerornis malabaricus, II. cristateUa, Picus macei, Alauda malabarica, Cuculus bartletti, Turtur humilis, and Braiita rufina. Among this number Cuculus bartletti appears to be the Small Cuckoo {Cuculus polio- ceplialus, p. 231); and Turtur humilis seems to have been accidentally omitted, as no mention whatever is made of the species. The Zosterops annulosus of Layard’s notes, as we have seen, was discriminated as a new species. Figures are given of Arrenga blighi, Zosterops ceylonensis and Z. palpebrosus, Brachypteryx palliseri, and Erythrosterna hyperythra. Beview of present WorTc. — The .total number of species included in the present work is 371, of which two are introduced birds, viz. Padda oryzivora and Estrelda amandava. Of the remainder, 18 species, besides the two just mentioned, are treated of in footnote articles, or noticed in the Appendix ; of these, Falco chicqiiera, Accipiter nisus, Scogys malabaricus (App.), Palceornis columboides (App.), Lanius lucionensis, Siphia nigrorufa, Munia rubronigra, FuUyula rufina, Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, and Fregata aquila are considered as doubtfully occurring. The following, Cotyle obsoleta, Oceanites oceanicus, Phaethon indicus, Coturnix communis, are looked upon as doubtfully identified ; two species, Schoenicola platyura and Brachypternus intermedins (red race of B. puncticollis), are doubtfully determined; Alauda parlceri is perhaps not a good species ; whilst one bird {Stercorarius antarcticus) may have, perhaps, been conveyed to the island in the form of the single example of the species noticed. In addition to the above, Puligula ferina, Turnix syJcesi, and a species of Anser are referred to in “ Notes ” as likely to occur. The following 24 species have been added by the author to Mr. Holdsworth’s INTRODUCTION. xii list: — Baza ceylonensis, sp. n., Scops miniitus, sp. n., Glaucidimn radlatum, Cuculus poliocepjhalus, Bracliypternus intermedius, Schcenicola platyura, Locustella certhiola, % Cotyle ohsoleta, Prinia hodgsoni, Tvrtur trayigueharica, Coturniw communis, Machetes pugnax, Calidris arenaria, JEgialitis geoffroyi, jE. jerdoni, Glareola orientalis, G. lactea, Tringa temmincJd, Ciconia alba, Tadorna casarea. Sterna saundersi. Sterna fuliginosa, Anous stolidus, Sula cyanops, Phaethon flamrostris. Four species have been renamed — Spizaetus nipalensis, Pyctorhis sinensis, Prinia socialis, and Acridotheres tristis, which appear in this work as Spizaetus kelaarti, Pyctorhis nasalis, Prinia hrevicauda (App.), and Acridotheres melanosternus. In the subjoined Table vdll be found all the species which are recognized in the work as peculiar to the island ; among them are included two birds about which there are doubts as to their not being found in India. These are Drymoeca insularis and Brachypternus intermedins, the former of which may perhaps be the same as a South-Indian Wren-Warbler [I), inornatus). The birds here tabulated are all figured, with the exception of Prinia brevicaiida and Turdus hinnisi, the reasons for the omission of which will be found in the Appendices. Table op Birds peculiar to Ceylon. Families. Number of species. Name. Ilill-district (under 5000 feet). Low country. Nuwara-El- liya plateau and over 5000 feet. i Pnlponirlfp 2 f Spizaetus kelaarti * * 1 \ Spizaetus ceylonensis * * * 1 ( Athene castanonota * * * 1 Bubonidae 3 Scops iniuutus * [ Phodilus assimilis * Psittacidae 1 Palajornis calthropae 11 Trichoglossidae 1 Loriculus indicus [ Chrysocolaptes stricklandi * * * Picidse 3 < Brachypternus ceylouus [ Brachypternus iutermedius(App.II.) * [ MegaltTina zeylanica * * Capitonidffi 3 ■( Megalaema flavifrous . [ Xantholaeuia rubricapilla * * r!nr»n1irl fn 9 J Centropus chlororhynchus * [ Phcenicophaes pyrrhocephalus .... * 9 f Buchanga leucopygialis * * \ Disseinurus lophorhinus t * Corvidae 1 Ci.s.s.a orna.ta * [ Stoparola sordida * i Muscicapidaj 3 ^ Alseonax inuttui [ Ilypothyinis ceylonensis * * INTEODUCTION. xiii Table of Birds peculiar to Ceylon {continued). Families. Turdid® , Brachypodid® Timaliid® Dic®id® Hirundiuid® Ploceid® . . Sternid® . Columbid® . Phasianid® Number of species. 10 Name. Myiophoneus blighi Turdus kinnisi (App. Turdus spiloptera . . Oreocincla imbricata II.) r Rubigula melanictera \ Kelaartia peuicillata ^Malacocercus rufescens . , Garrulax cinereifrons . . . . Pomatorhinus melanurus Alcipjje nigrifrons Pellorneum fuscicapillum Pyctorhis nasalis Prinia brevicauda Elapbrornis palliseri . . . . Drynioeca vaHda l^?Drym(Eca insularis . . . . J Pachyglossa vincens \ Zosterops ceylonensis Ilirundo hyperythra Munia kelaarti {Acridotheres melanosternus Eulabes ptilogenys Sturnornis senex Palumbus torringtoni® f Gallus lafayettii I Galloperdix bicalcarata Ilill-district (under 5000 feet). * * * * * * * * * t * Low country. * II II Nuwara-El- liya plateau and over 5000 feet. * * * * t •* * * * t * § * * * * t Not common. J Certain forests of Western Province in N.E. monsoon. § Occasional. || Spreading into the forests at the base of the hills, particularly in the W. Province. H In the forests of the Passedun Korale, down to 600 feet near Moropitiya. It will be seen that this Table comprises 47 species. One peculiar genus {Elaph'ornis) inhabits the island, its nearest ally being the Malayan and Himalayan Brachypteryx ; and a subgenus {Sturnornis) is likewise recognized. Affinities of the Ceylonese Avifauna. — We now come to the important point of the relationship of the Ceylonese ornis to that of adjacent regions ; and this, as might be expected from the geographical position of the island and its separation from the mainland merely by a c XIV INTKODUCTION. shallow strait, is closer to that of South India than to the avifauna of any other part of the peninsula. Wallace, in his great work on the Distribution of Animals, considers the island of Ceylon and the entire south of India as far north as the Deccan as forming a subdivision of the great “ Oriental Region.” It is, however, in the hills of the two districts, which possess the important element of a similar rainfall, where we find the nearest affinities both as regards birds and mammals ; and this is exemplified by the fact of some of the members of the Brachypodidee and Turdidse (families well represented in both districts) being the same in the Nilghiris and the mountains of Ceylon, while many of the Timaliidse and Turdidse in one region have near allies in the other. For example, Malacocercus [Layardia) rufescens, Pomatorhinus melanurns, Alcippe nigrifrons, Garrulax cinereifrons, Myiophoneus hlighi, Oreocincla imhricata, Tiirdus kinnisi, and Palumhus tOTringtonim in Ceylon are respectively rejiresented in the hills of South India by Layardia suhrufa, Pomatorhinus horsfieldi, Alcippe atriceps, Garrulax delesserti, Myio- phoneus liorsjieldi, Oreocincla nilgherriensis, Turdiis simillima, and Palumhus elphinstonii. But though this strong similarity in the avifauna of the mountains in question, as well as their geological characters, indicate a contemporaneous upheaval and enrichment with animal life of their surfaces, a similar connexion is found between the northern parts of the island and the low country of the Carnatic. Here, again, we have in the fossiliferous limestones of the two regions an undoubted connexion, and also an affinity in their avifauna, which differs totally from the mountain-districts on either side of the straits. The northern parts of Ceylon, as well as the south-eastern, both of which I shall speak of in my remarks on the geographical features of the island, may be considered to constitute an Indo-Ceylonese subregion, and are inhabited by the same species as the south-east coast-districts of the peninsula. Brachypternus puncticollis, Anthra- coceros coronatus, Malacocercus striatus, Pycnonotus hoemorrhous, Merops viridis, Pyrrhulauda grisea, Mh'afra affinis, Turtur risorius, Buchanga atra, and perhaps Cursorius coromandelicus are species characteristic of the north of Ceylon and of Ramisserum Island and the plains of Tanjore, but which are not inhabitants of the damp Malabar district. On the other hand it is noteworthy that Gallus soniierati and the Lesser Florrikin [Sypheotides cairita), common in the Carnatic, have not yet been detected in North Ceylon. It is by way of the low-lying country of the Carnatic (the fauna of which, it may be remarked in passing, is allied to that of Central India) that the cool-season migrants enter the island of Ceylon, leaving numbers of their fellows in Southern India ; and this forms an additional ornithological bond between the two districts. Some of these migrants come from the regions at the foot of the Himalayas, and tend to the supposition that there is a Himalayan element in the avifauna of Ceylon ; but this is but very slight, if, indeed, it should at all be recognized, for migratory species, such as Scolopax rusticula and Gallinago nemoricola (which only inhabit the upper ranges and the high mountains of Southern India, and whose locale depends solely on climate), cannot be taken into consideration. One genus {P achy gl ossa) certainly does constitute a bond of affinity. The distinctness of the avi- fauna of the Southern-Indian and Ceylonese mountains from that of the Himalayas may be shown by the fact that most of the Himalayan typical Timaline genera, Suthora, Stachyris, Trochalopteron, INTRODUCTION. XV Actinodura, are wholly absent from Ceylon, and but poorly represented in the hills of South India, there being only three species of the numerous genus Trochalopteron in the Nilghiris and Palani hills and not any of the others. Again, there is only one species of Garrulax in South India and one in Ceylon. Of the widely spread genus Pomatorhinus, found in the Himalayas, Burmah, and Java, there is only one species in each of the southern hill-regions in question. The genus Alcippe is about equally represented in both regions. These data show that though there is a connexion between the ornis of the Himalayas and that of Ceylon it is but slight, and only what one would expect in mountain-districts of adjacent ornithological regions. It is noteworthy that the Liotrichidae, or Hill-Tits (one of the three peculiar families of the Oriental Region, and which are abundant in the Himalayas), are absent from Ceylon. Certain Indian families are entirely absent from Ceylon, either as residents or migrants ; they are the Eurylaimidse (Broadbills) — a Himalayan and Malayan form, — the Pteroclidae (Sand- Grouse), the Otididse (Bustards), Gruidse (Cranes), and Mergidm (Mergansers). Among these families it is remarkable that some member of the Gruidae has not yet been found in the cool season in North Ceylon; for, though the country is not thoroughly suited to their habits, the members of this family being migratory (and one of them, the Demoiselle Crane, extending to South India), it is singular that they do not extend their migration a little further south and reach the shores of Ceylon. I have heard a vague rumour of a Crane being seen near Mullaittivu ; and it is not wholly improbable that the above-mentioned species {Anthropoides virgo) will some day be added to the occasional migrants during the N.E. monsoon. Another family, Vulturidse, has a place in the Ceylonese avifauna, owing to a straggler having recently appeared in the island. Here, again, is an instance of species wdiich, one would think, ought to occur as visitants in the N.E. monsoon ; for I am informed that Vultures are not unfrequently seen in the Tanjore district ; and Gyps indicus breeds in the Nilghiris. Besides the widely distributed Grallatorial and Natatorial forms common to both India and Ceylon, certain Indian genera of western distribution are represented in the island. They are Cuculus, Ceryle, Halcyon, Cypselus, Caprimulgus, Corone, Lanins, Turdiis, PhyUoscopus, Cinnyris, IIiru7ido, Motacilla, Corydalla, Turtur, Francolmus. Of these the Cuckoos are remarkably numerous. If we turn now towards the Malayan region we find, in spite of its more remote geographical position, quite as close an affinity as with the Himalayas — which may perhaps be accounted for on the theory held by some that there was at one time a connexion between the two regions. It may, however, be remarked, in passing, that if this did occur it must have been, in all probability, by way of the Andamans and Malacca, as we find the 15,000 feet contour of ocean- depth passes up near the east coast of the island into the Bay of Bengal to lat. 10° N. This Malayan affinity is shown in the existence in Ceylon of a Malayan form, Phcenicoplmes, and a member of a typical Sunda-Island genus, Myioplioneus. It is also worthy of note that the island is visited by a Malaccan emigrant, Gorsachius, which has rarely been met with in India. This is remarkable, as, in all probability, before the submergence took place which altered the Malayan XVI INTEODUCTION. region, the hills of South India were just as much connected with Malacca as those of Ceylon. A closely allied Swallow to our “ peculiar ” Hirundo hyperythra is found in Malacca ; and Malayan genera of Pigeons ( Osmotreron, and Chalcoj)haps) are also found in Ceylon, and perhaps to a greater extent, when we look at its small geographical area, than in India. Certain Australian and Malayan birds, such as Ilaliaetus leucocjaster, Coturnix chinensis (found also in China), Mycteria australis, extend into Ceylon, not to mention the Waders {Limicolce), which range from Asia thence to the Australian continent, taking in Ceylon in their path. The island, however, is not dependent on these latter for its migratorial Waders, in which, as also in some water-birds (Anatidae), it is very rich. It forms, in fact, the southernmost Asiatic limit of the flight of many European and Asiatic Grallatorial and Natatorial forms ; and hence the large numbers of these birds which are found in the cool season along its shores. Of these the following species are noteworthy : — Scolopax rusticula, Gallinago nemoricola. Machetes pugnax, Tringa ininuta. Tetanus ockropus. Tetanus fuscus, Tringa minuta, Limesa cegecephala, Himantepus candidus, Recurvirestra avecetta, (Edicnemus scelepax, Ilcematepus estralegus. Anas acuta. Anas circia. Anas crecca, and Phoenicepterus reseus. Geegrapliical Features and Inland Pistributien. — Having now considered the important question of the affinities of the Ceylonese avifauna it is necessary to notice the geographical features of the island as bearing upon the inland distribution of the birds inhabiting it. Ceylon is an island of about 270 miles in length and 138 in breadth, lying between lat. 5° 50' and 9° 50' N., and between long. 79° 40' and 61° 50' E. ; it is separated from the mainland of India by a shallow strait 35 miles wide, which is traversed by a chain of islands, between which lies a long sandy shoal called Adam’s Bridge, which is alternately raised and lowered on the north and south by the action of N.E. and S.W. monsoons. For ornithological purposes the island may be divided into four regions or districts — the dry forests of the entire north and south-east, the arid mari- time belts of the north-west and south-east coasts, the damp Western-Province region, and the hill-zones of the Central and Southern Provinces. The northern part of the island consists of a vast plain covered with forest, except near the sea, where, particularly on the north-west coast, there are open tracts studded with low thorny jungle. This region is called in the present work the “ northern forest-tract,” and is here and there studded with very rocky abrupt hills, rising suddenly out of the forest-clad plain. Sigiri, Pittagalla, and Mahintale rock are some of the most notable among these acclivities. This region, which lies to the north of the high land intercepting the moisture brought up from the ocean by the S.W. and N.E. monsoons, is alternately swept by a dry westerly and easterly wind, and is covered with tolerably luxuriant forest and wild secondary jungle, inhabited chiefly by members of those Indian families which are most strongly represented in the island, the Flycatchers, Drongos, Barbets, Bulbuls, Babblers (Timaliidae), and Cuckoos, but also contains many of the forest-loving “ peculiar ” forms, which have their stronghold further south. The northern forest-tract likewise is the home of many of the larger INTEODUCTION. xvii Water-birds and “ Waders” which affect the numerous tanks* in the heart of the jungle. The most luxuriant vegetation in this part of the island is to be found on the banks of the rivers, where the Koombook {Terminalia glabra) is one of the most characteristic trees. In the drier parts the forest is sprinkled plentifully with the iron-wood {Mimusops indica), the fruit of which is the favourite food of many birds. The open scrubby belt of land bordering the N.W. coast, as also the island of Manaar and parts of the peninsula of Jaffna, are characterized by a very different flora. Here almost every tree is of a thorny nature, and the low and almost impenetrable masses of brushwood are filled with Euphorbia-trees {Euphorbia antipuorum), which is the characteristic plant of the district. This region is the home of plain-loving birds, such as Pyrrhiilauda grisea, Merops viridis, Munia malabaricay and is the almost exclusive habitat of Buchanga atra, Lanius caniceps^ Turtur risorius, Ortygornis pondiceriana, and Cursorius coro- mandelicus, which appear to have extended their range from the Carnatic hither and not passed beyond the forests which hem in the district. Here, too, is the great haunt of the migratory Waders, which swarm on the muddy flats between Jaffna and Manaar, and also congregate round the salt lagoons of the N.E. coast. These latter are surrounded with heavy jungle, inhabited bv the same birds as further inland, but which stands back at some distance from their grass-beeirt shores. Southward of the region just considered we have on the west coast the damp, luxuriant, typically Ceylonese region, cultivated with rice in some parts and in others clothed with tall forest, of which the characteristic trees are the gigantic Hora {Bipier ocarpus zeylonensis), the Boon {Boona affinis and Boona congestiflora), the stately Keena ( Calycophyllum tomentosum), and the lofty Dawata {Carallia integerrima). This tract, which comprises the Western Province and “South- western Hill-district,” is intersected with ranges and groups of hills heavily timbered in some parts * Many of these large irrigation-works claim a place among the most gigantic monuments of ancient enterprise and labour ; they literally astonish the traveller and fill his mind with wonder as he stands on the vast bunds and looks down on the wild and lonely scene, pondering on the means and appliances which the engineers of those distant times must have used to get the great stones in their places. Whole valleys have been dammed up, and sometimes the stroug floods of three rivers thrown back and spread out into a great lake, the waters of which must have irrigated thousands of square miles. The bund of the great Padewiya tank extends for 11 miles across a valley, and in olden times, before this enormous embankment was broken down by the rush of mighty floods, the water was, as Emerson Tennent tells us, thrown back for 15 miles along the valley. I regret to say I never visited this tank ; but I have seen other bunds of great size, of which perhaps that which holds back the -wnters of Kanthelai tank is the finest. This tank, which has been lately restored, was built by King Maha Sin, a.d. 275; and the following details kindly furnished me by Mr. E. Scott Barber, C.E., who repaired the bund, may not be uninteresting to my readers : — “ When up to ‘ spill-level ’ (22 feet), the tank contains 3580 acres, and is 17 miles round. The bund is 60 feet high and 290 feet in width at the bottom ; it is 6800 feet in length, and contains 19,121,296 cubic yards of material. It is ‘pitched’ with large boulders from bottom to 60 feet up the slope and from 3 to 4 courses deep. The outlet was by two culverts 4 feet by 2 feet, situated at either end of the bund ; the stones forming them average 1| to 2 tons in weight, and are ‘ tougued ’ together in the centre.” The top of this mighty embankment was about 60 yards wide and covered with jungle and large trees. As it was, it gave one the impression, when walking along it, of standing on a natural ridge or long low hill ! XVlll INTEODUCTION. and covered with bamboo-cheena in others ; the valleys, constantly rained on during the south- west monsoon, and likewise receiving a heavy downfall in the north-east monsoon, are the dampest spots in the island, and harbour numbers of Timaliidas {Malacocercus rufescens, Garrulax cinerei- frons, Alcippe nigrifrons, Pellorneum fuscicapillum), also Brachypodidse [llypsipetes ganeesa, Criniger ictericus, Ruhigula melanicterd). The cultivated districts are conspicuous for the numbers of the common Bulbuls, Barbets, [Turtar suratensis), smaller T\mA\\(\s&{Cisticola, Prinia, Prgmceca, &c.), as well as some numbers of the Heron family, which are seen about the paddy-fields. A considerable portion of the uncultivated soil in the Western Province and also in the lower hills is overgrown with a dense bramble {Lantana mixta), popularly known as “ Lady Horton’s wood,” and which was introduced (unfortunately) into the island about the year 1830. It thrives on gravelly soil, and especially on land which has once been cultivated, sometimes clothing more than an acre Avithout a single break. The fruit of this pest is eagerly sought after by many birds, particularly Bulbuls (PuMgula, Pgcnonotus, Ixos) ; and to this fact the wonderful manner in which it has been propagated is due. The damp, heavy forests of the Adam’s-Peak range descend continuously into the low country of Saffragam, and through them several true hill species (Eulahes ptilogenys, Paloeornis calthropce, Garrulax cinereifrons) range to a lower level than anywhere else, being quite common in portions of the Kuruwite and Three Korales. e now come to the consideration of the fourth ornithological district, the lofty hills of the Southern Province, rising up on the north of the valley of Saffragam, of which Ratnapura is the chief town. The first-named region is entirely occupied by a group of high mountains and elevated valleys, forming a perfect mountain-zone, inside of the base of which there is scarcely any land of less elevation than 1500 or 1700 feet. This lofty district culminates in the high Pedrotallagala range (8200 feet), just on the north of the plain of Nuwara Eliya, from which extends an elevated plateau, intersected by forest-clad ridges, and dotted here and there Avith the curious natural fields called patnas, for some 20 miles south to the Horton plains (7000 feet), Avhence the lofty Haputale range stretches to the east and the Adam’s-Peak range round to the Avest as far north as the Four Korales, the slopes of both dropping at once into the low country. The coffee-districts of Dimbula and Dickoya are enclosed by the latter on the east of the Nuwara- Eliya plateau, each AAuth its dividing range ; Avhile the Uva patna-basin (a curious tract of grass- covered or patna-hills) forms its eastern flank, and slopes out into the Bintenne country through the valley of Badulla, being bounded on the extreme east by the lofty ridges of Madulsima. On the north of the Pedro mountain high ranges jut out towards the upland valley of Dumbara, beyond Avhich the Knuckles and Ambokka ranges, running on each side to the north-Avest and north respectively, complete the Kandyan mountain-system. The southern hill-ranges bound the south side of Saffragam, and are comprised of the Kukkul, MoroAvak, and Kolonna Korales, the highest point being Gongalla, a little over 4400 feet in altitude. Of late years the forest has been felled for the planting of coffee, as in the Central Province ; but there are still large tracts of forest in the Kukkul Korale in Avhich Central-Province birds {Cissa ornata, Eulahes ptilogenys, Sturnornis senex. INTRODUCTION. XIX Palceornis caWiropce^ Zosterops ceylonensis, CuUcicapa ceyJonensis) abound, and in which botli Gallus lafayettii and Galloperdix hicalcarata are plentiful. The northern portion of this korale, lying between the Karawita hills and the hilly forests of the Passedun Korale, consists partly of semicultivated land and partly of a curious and little-known tract of open grassy hills with wood- dotted dingles, resembling the patnas of the Kandyan country, and on the open parts of which Grass-Warblers, Wren-Warblers, and Munias are common, while Babblers {Fomatorhinus) are found in the groves ; but otherwise an absence of bird-life is decidedly noticeable. It is in the coffee-districts and valleys lying beneath the estates which are dotted with patna-grasses, particularly “ Maana-grass ” [Andropogon martini), and patched here and there with groves of luxuriant trees lining the courses of the streams, where the hill-species, both “ peculiar ” and Indian, intermingled with not a few low-country forms, abound ; but it is also in these spots where the original ornithological features of the country are being gradually changed by the disappearance before the woodman’s axe of such a vast area of forest, and species such as Palumhus torringtonioe, Merida kinnisi, Eulabes ytilogenys, Stoparola sordida, and CuUcicapa ceylonensis (true hill-species) are being driven into the ujjper forests, or are locating themselves to a considerable extent about the open estates where once their forest-home stood. In the upper forests and in the Nuwara-Eliya plateau we lose the stately trees of the genera Eoona, Dipterocarpus, &c., and find stunted, though thick-trunked, arboreal forms, for the most part profusely clothed with handsome mosses ; and these woods, w ith their circumscribed patnas, are the favourite haunts of the peculiar birds enumerated in my table, as w^ell as many Indian species, both permanent and migratory. Of the former may be mentioned Merida kinnisi, CuUcicapa ceylonensis, Pams atriceps, Cisticola schoenicola, Pericrocotus Jlammeus, Pericrocotus peregrinus, llypsipetes ganeesa, Pratincola hicolor, Orthotomus sutorius, Corydalla rufula ; of the latter, Turdus wardi,Erytlirosterna hyperythra, Larvivora hrunnea, Ilierococcyx varius, Phylloscopus nitidus, Phylloscopus magnirostris are noticeable. The eastern subdivision of Southern Ceylon, which is shut off from the influence of the south-west monsoon by the eastern slopes of the Kolonna and Morowak-Korale mountains and their spurs, which run south towards Matara, presents one of the most remarkable instances of a sudden change in physical aspect and floral character that can, perhaps, anywhere be met witli in such a small island. Possessing a totally different climate, and consequently a distinct flora, the avifauna of this region has little relation to that of the damp south-western division. The birds of the vast forest which stretches southwards from the Haputale mountains to the confines of the scrubby maritime district are the same as those of the northern forests ; and the ornis of the coast-region is precisely the same as that of the north-west coast, except that it includes several species, such as Prinia hodgsoni, Taccocua lesclienaulti, and Pyctorliis nasalis, which seem to have their head-quarters here, and are not found (in such abundance, at any rate) in that part. Charac- teristic species of the two regions are Xantliolcema hcemacepliala, Pyrrhulauda grisea, Merops viridts, Picus mahrattensis, TJpupa ceylonensis, and Cittocincla macrura, none of which, with the exception of the latter bird, are found in the adjoining damp district. The numerous shallow XX INTEODUCTION. salt lagoons and leways are the resort of Waders, Terns, Herons, Flamingoes, and Water-birds, all of which are characteristic of the north-west of the island. The north-eastern part of the sub- division in question is called the Park country, the borders only of which, I much regret to say, are known to me. This tract consists of open glades and small plains covered with long grass and surrounded by heavy jungle, in which there are numbers of birds, the prevalence of Woodpeckers being noticeable. As regards the open country, it is not unlikely that some new Timaline species may be found in it. Lastly, with regard to the great families of Scolopacidse and Charadriidae, which form such a large proportion of the Ceylonese ornis, and which migrate to the island in vast numbers at the commencement (October and November) of the cool season, as will be seen on a perusal of this work, their great haunts are the lagoons, tidal fiats, marshes, and tanks near the coast along the northern shores of both sides of the island. On the west coast these cease to the southward of Negombo, and the sea-board is only intersected with deep mangrove-lined lagoons and lakes, which are quite destitute of “ Wader ’’-life, save that of one or two species, as the ubiquitous Trin(joideshyimleucos2Ci\^ the very abundant Totanus glareola. The entire east coast, however, is more or less inhabited by Sandpipers, Stints, Shore-Plovers, and other members of these families. From the Virgel down to Batticaloa the sea-board is not so favourably suited to their habits as further south, where they again become very abundant, and occupy the coast-line, with its numerous estuaries, leways, and lagoons, down to Hatagala. Nowhere, however, do these interesting birds muster in such force as from the Jaffna peninsula, with its inland salt lagoon and large salt lake, down the west coast to the immense tidal flats at the embouchure of the Manaar channel. The entire coast of this region is shallow, the tide receding some distance, and leaving exposed an oozy shore, covered in places with green weed. On these flats myriads of small Waders congregate, and species (such as the Turnstone and that anomalous bird the Crab-Plover) which are not plentiful on the east coast are here found in abundance. In this district are of course included the islands of Palk’s Straits, on which these birds are likewise equally abundant. Monsoons and Seasons. — There are, roughly speaking, two seasons in Ceylon, which are ushered in by the advent of two monsoons, the south-west and north-east. The former com- mences to blow in April, after the termination of the hottest time of the year, the sultry weather of March. For about a fortnight violent squalls, accompanied by downpours of rain, drive in from the sea on the west coast ; and along the western slopes of the mountain-ranges, where the moisture resulting from this wind collects, the rain is just as heavy and more continuous. This weather, which is called the “ little monsoon,” is, though unpleasant, preferable to that which preceded, when there was an absence of wind and the nights were very sultry. It is the signal for the commencement of the spring migration. Insessorial birds (Warblers &c.) immediately move northw^ards, and the Waders, which throng the salt lagoons and estuaries on the northern and eastern coasts, commence their long flight towards northern regions. After the cessation of the little monsoon there is a lull, when the weather is again unpleasantly hot and “ steamy,” until LXTEODUCTION. XXI the end of May, when the south-west wind again blows with greater violence than before, for in some years the “ little monsoon ” is not by any means strong. The rain at this period is also much more continuous, and sometimes very heavy downfalls are experienced, as in 187G, when 11 inches fell at Colombo in twenty-four hours. At this time of the year perfectly different weather is experienced on the east coast, when the same south-west wind, deprived of its moisture by its passage over great tracts of forest, has become intensely dry and almost warm. After the burst of the monsoon is over the wind gradually lessens throughout the months of July, August, September, and beginning of October, when the weather again becomes sultry. The great autumn migration is now setting in : myriads of Sandpipers, Stints, and shore-birds in general are now travelling southward from Northern Asia, and some species, as the Pintailed Snipe and the Golden Plover, arrive on the north coast, and even reach the south-western district (Galle) as early as the middle of September ; at the same time Warblers and Wagtails arrive in the island and rapidly spread over the country. About the middle of October, and sometimes as early as the first week in that month, the first signs of the N.E. monsoon may be looked for on the east coast. Heavy thunderstorms coming from the land every afternoon betoken the breaking up of the S.W. monsoon ; they continue for about a fortnight, and then the wind, Avith rain, sets in from the north-east ; at the same time on the west coast heavy thunderstorms are experienced every evening, which, in the same manner as those which preceded them on the east coast, take place later each con- secutive evening until they cease. During this time migrants from India continue to arrive, and a local movement of birds towards the west coast takes place. The north-east Avind, which is not so strong as the south-Avest, reaches the Avest coast only in the form of a land-breeze at night, Avhich is scarcely felt until about Chiistraas. In the meantime, at the end of November, a strong northerly breeze sets in doAvn the Avest coast ; this is locally styled the “ long-shore Avind,” and is mainly conducive in adding to the ranks of migrants of all classes, but particularly to those of the Grallatorial order. Snipe now come in great numbers, and by the middle of December large bags may be made in almost any good district. Internal Migrations. — It is natural that the preAMence of tAvo Avinds blowing at different seasons from opposite quarters across the island should cause a movement of species inhabiting the coast districts on each side of it. This is most observable on the coast of the Western Province, south of Negombo, as here the Avind is damp, and, as AAe have just seen, accompanied by heavy rains, Avhich induce certain species to leave the sea-board and retire inland in order to obtain shelter from the force of the monsoon. It Avould appear to any one studying the avifauna of a coast-district, like that of Colombo for example, that all these birds had left that side of the island ; but this is not the case, as they are mostly to be found after the rains of June in the sheltered districts of the interior, not far from the coast. On the other hand, hoAvever, various species AA'hich are not resident on the Avest coast visit it Avhen the S.W. monsoon has died away and the N.E. monsoon has commenced to blow on the east coast, tending to carry them toAvards d XXII INTRODUCTION. the south-west. Instances of such birds are to be found in the Paradise Flycatcher {Terpsiphone paradid) and the Indian Sky-Lark {Alauda guJgula), which latter bird is found during the south- west monsoon in numbers at the tank-meadows in the northern forests, while the former (in the red stage) inhabits both the northern and south-eastern forest-tracts. Species that move away from the immediate western sea-board are Bendrochelidon coronata, E^idynamys honorata, Tham- nohia fulicata^ Tephrodornis pondicerianus, and Parus cinereus ; but a few miles inland, in sheltered spots, these birds may be found all the year through, except perhaps the latter, which must be classed as an uncertain N.E. monsoon visitant to the maritime districts of the Western Province. In the mountains the movements of the hill species are very noticeable in those districts west of Nuwara Eliya which are exposed to the violent winds and rain which accompany the incoming of the monsoon in May. The Hill-Myna [Eulahes ptilogenys), the Blue Tit {Parus atriceps)^ the handsome Torrington Wood-Pigeon [Palumbus torringtonice), the large Bulbul {Hypsipetes ganeesa), the Orange Minivet {Pericrocotus Jlammeiis)^ the Jay {Cissa ornata), the Hill-Barbet {Megalcema flavifrons), the Jungle-fowl {Gallus lafayettii), and the Spur-fowl {Galloperdix hicalcarata) are among the more prominent species which appear in the upper ranges (from 6000 to 8000 feet) as soon as the calm weather of the N.E. monsoon has set in in November. At this season of the year also low-country birds, which, as a rule, only range into the hill-zones to an inconsiderable elevation, ascend to the upper hills. Artamus fuscus, Oriolus melanocepliaius, Upupa ceylonensis, Pycnonotus hcemorrhous, Layardia rufescens, Terjysiphotie paradisic and Ilypothymis ceylonensis are species which either occasionally ascend to altitudes above 6000 feet, or are found yearly in the upper zone during the N.E. monsoon. True Migrants. — The arrival of the migratory species, which takes place, as already mentioned, at the termination of the S.W. monsoon, greatly adds to the avifauna of the island. The Insessorial migrants consist chiefly of Muscicapidse, Laniidse, Motacillidae, and Sylviidae, while the Grallatorial are made up of Scolopacidse and Charadriidee. The members of the first- mentioned order are wholly migratory ; but certain species of the two latter remain to some extent as non-breeding loiterers throughout the year. The following is a table of migrants : — AccmTREs. Baza lophotes. Falco perogriuus. Cerchiieis amurensis. Circus iBruginosus. Circus cineraceus. Circus melauoleucus. PiCAEI.E. *Cuculus canorus, Cuculiis micropterus. Cuculus poliocephalus. Cuculus passerinus. *Cuculus maculalus. Ilierococcyx varius. Coccystes coromandus. Merops philippinus. IXSESSORES, Oriolus indieus. Lauius cristatus. Buchanga longicaudata. Alseouax latirostris. tSipliia rubeculoides. Muscicapa hyperythra. *Cyanecula suecica. Larvivora bruunea- INTRODUCTION. xxiii Turdus wardi. Geocichla citriua. '*Mouticola cyaua. *Sylvia affinis. Acrocephalus dumetorum. Locustella certliiola. Phylloscopus nitidus. Phylloscopus magnirostris. Phylloscopus viridauus. Hirundo rustica. *IIirimdo erythropygia. *Motacilla maderaspatensis. Motacilla melauope. Budytes viridis. Corydalla richardi. Corydalla striolata. tPitta coronata. CoLUUB.i:. *Turtur pulchratus. Gballje. *Porzana bailloni. Porzana fusca. Eallina euryzonoides. ? Hypotaiuidia striata. *Eallus iudicus. *Scolopax rusticula. *Gallinago scolopaciua. Gallinago stenura. *Gallinago galJiuula. JLimosa a'gocephala. jTerelda cinerea. tTotauus glottis. tTotanus stagnatilis. jTotauus fuscus. Totanus calidris. Totanus glareola. Totanus ochropus. fTringoides hypoleueus. *Machetes pugnax. tTrmga subarquata. tTringa minuta. tTriuga subminuta. *Tringa temmincki. jLimicola platyrhyucha. *Calidris arenaria. §Strepsilas iuterpres. Numenius liueatus. Numeuius phseopus. JRecurvirostra avocetta. Squatarola belvetica. Charadrius fulvus. t-Egialitis geoffroyi. t^gialitis mongolica. *Chettusia gregaria. Haematopus ostralegus. fSterna caspia. Larus brunneicepbalus. Tadorna casarca. Anas acuta. Anas circia. Anas crecca. Spatula clypeata. ?§ Phoenicopterus roseus. *Ardea goliath. Gorsachius melauolopbus- * Rare stragglers to the island in N.E. monsoon, or irregular migrants in small numbers, t Migratory for the most part, non-breeding birds remaining throughout the year. J Possibly a regular migrant in small numbers. § Rarely a loiterer in Ceylon in S.W. monsoon. In this list the families Cuculidae and Sylviidae muster strongest among land-birds, but do not, it will be observed, furnish as many representatives as the Grallae (Waders). Among the latter it is noteworthy how many species “ loiter ” or remain behind in the breeding-season. A knowledge of this fact is all the more interesting, as, until very recently, it was not known that members of the Gralline order, such as Totanus, Tringa, and TEgialitis, ever remained in the tropics throughout the year ; now, however, the researches of Mr. Hume in the Andamans, and of myself in Ceylon, have fully proved this to be the case. Stragglers to Ceylon at uncertain times of the year have not been included in the list, as they cannot be looked upon in any way as migrants. Among these may be mentioned Neophron ginginianus, Nisaetus pennatus, N. honelli. Baza ceylonensis, Buteo desertorum. Pastor roseus, Alsocomus puniceus. Sterna dougalli, Anous stolidus, Sula leucogastra, S. cyanops, Stercorarius antarcticus, Phaethon Jlavirostris, P. iudicus, and Fregata minor. Of these, Pastor roseus and Sterna dougalli are the only species which, when they do visit the island, appear in numbers. Breeding-season. — The majority of Ceylon birds breed during the first half of the year, the exact times varying according to locality and climate. In the Western Province the height of the breeding-season is, as in India, during the rains of April, May, and June. At this time the d2 XXIV INTRODUCTION. jungles teem with insect-life, and all forest-birds are busy rearing their young. In very moist districts, such as Eatnapura and the Passedun Korale, eggs may be found in August and even September. Among early breeders in the Western Province maybe cited the Barbets and Wood- peckers. On the eastern side of the island many birds commence to breed in November and December, while the heavy rains are falling ; but the season continues, nevertheless, throughout the first three or four months of the year, and many birds may be found nesting, as on the western side, in May and June. In the hills, and more particularly in the upper ranges, where the nights are cold and frosty in January and February, the nesting-season commences at the end of March or beginning of April, and continues until June and July, corresponding in this respect with the breeding-time in temperate climates. In the north of Ceylon the larger Waders (Ardeidte), and the Water-birds that breed with them, commence to nest in November ; but on the south-east coast the season is later, the Heronries not being resorted to as a rule, I think, before January. Bemarks on the plan of the Work. 1st. Classification. — The classification followed in this work is totally different from that used by Jerdon, principally taken from Gray, and which continues still in vogue among some Indian ornithologists. This is, I must confess, inconvenient for Indian field-naturalists and collectors ; but as, in my opinion, it was not possible to follow the above-mentioned system, and as the main object of this work is to endeavour to inculcate a taste for ornithology among local students of the science in Ceylon, it behoved me to adopt that system which appeared to me to accord best with the generally recognized affinities of the various orders into which the Ceylonese omis divides itself, and at the same time coincided best ivith the classification employed by Jerdon, and which I am aware many who have taken up the study of ornithology in Ceylon are familiar with. The divisions adopted have been Orders (in one case also a Suborder), Families, and Subfamilies, and, in the great Order Passeres, Sections have also been made use of. The Accipitres, or Birds of Prey, have been granted precedence simply as a very favourite and specialized order, and because it has until recently been the practice among English ornithologists to follow Gray and place them first. The Psittaci, or Parrots in the possession of a cere and a very high degree of intelligence, seem to occupy a place not far distant from the Hawks. The interesting order Picarise, in which the posterior margin of the sternum has a double notch, inasmuch as many of its groups possess zygodactyle feet, comes next the Parrots. The satisfactory arrangement of the vast order Passeres presents great difficulties ; and here the system adopted by Mr. Wallace in classifying according to wing-structure has been adopted. The Columbae (Pigeons) are a highly specialized order, and in preceding the Gallinse, or Game-birds (aptly called Easores, or “ Scratchers,” by some systematists), must of necessity come next the Passeres. In the arrangement of the remaining orders in the work (Grallae, Gaviee, Anseres, Pygopodes, Herodiones, and Steganopodes) I have followed the bent of my own views on the subject, considering these six orders as naturally divisible into two great classes — 1st, those with autophagous or independent young ; 2nd, those with heterophagous or dependent young. It is impossible to follow a linear arrangement ; but nevertheless there are forms in each of the orders composing these two divisions which possess affinities for one another, and IXTRODUCTIOX. XXV consequently tend to group them in the rotation which they take in this work. The same rule has been followed, as much as possible, in considering the order in which the various families composing these orders should be arranged. It will not he necessary to enter into any disqui- sition in this Introduction on the much-disputed subject of classification, or to explain further my reasons for not following the more modern systems of Professors Parker and Huxley, or, still better, the modification of these systems by Messrs. Sclater and Salvin, as they have been sufficiently set forward in testifying above my desire to adopt a system best suited to the requirements of the local student, at the same time avoiding a total reversal of Gray’s classification. 2nd. Flan of the Articles. — It has been thought best to define the characters of the various orders, families, subfamilies, genera, and species in accordance with their external charac- teristics, in order to simplify their comprehension to beginners. Reference is, however, made frequently to the sternum, a generally important, though not in some families (Scolopacidse, for instance) always a reliable character. The accompanying woodcut represents the sternum of the Malay Bittern ( Gorsachius melano- lo])hus), together with the bones attached to it. It has been selected as an example of a sternum with a single notch in the posterior margin. The various parts are named beneath. st, sternum ; k, keel of sternum ; no, notch in posterior margin ; fit, furculum ; co, coracoid bones ; sc, scapula. In the great division Carinatse, which comprises all living birds but the Ostrich family and its allies, the “ carina ” or keel is more or less deep so as to hold the powerful pectoral muscles which lie in the angle between it and the body of the sternum. In the latter (Ratitse), however, the keel is slightly developed only, the sternum being flat, inasmuch as the same development of muscle is not required for non-flying birds. The furculum is in most birds a single bone, but in some Parrots, Pigeons, and Owls consists of two separate clavicles. In some genera of the Steganopodes it is anchylosed to the keel, and this latter is not produced to the posterior edge of the sternum. The synonymy at the head of the articles is not supposed, by any means, to be complete. Besides local references, only those of a leading nature, as also relating to the recent writings of Indian ornithologists, more particularly contributors to ‘ Stray Feathers,’ have been given, as these XXVI INTEODUCTION. were all that were necessary to the local student. Towards the close of the work I have been obliged to curtail the synonymy, even in its reduced form, and many Indian references have been omitted which did not relate to notes of much interest on the species in question. Mr. Ramsay’s distribution list of Australian birds has been of much service to me as regards Australian distribution ; but, owing to want of space, I have been unable to quote, except in one or two instances, this important contribution to Australian ornithology. In respect to Ceylon references, I have not quoted my paper on the “ Distribution of the Birds in the Asiatic Society’s Museum,” contained in the local journal for 1874, as it was printed in mistake during my temporary absence from the island, and contained many errors in distribution, which, owing to the result of subsequent experience, 1 had intended to correct. In regard to the local names for the birds of the island preference has been given to those used in Asiatic and Malayan countries, and, in the case of Waders and Water-birds, Heuglin’s Egyptian names have been quoted. Sinhalese names have been supplied from Layard’s catalogue and from a list furnished me by Mr. MacVicar, of the Survey Office, as well as from information obtained myself from the natives. This gentleman also supplied me with a list of Tamil and ( ’eylon-Portuguese names, which I have used throughout the work. The measurements of specimens, with regard to which I have been particular, all relate to Ceylonese specimens in the flesh, except when the contrary is stated (as in the case of Waders and sea-birds particularly) in brackets. My system of wing-measurement, it is well to remark, consisted in straightening the metacarpal joint by pressure in the hand, or on the table in the case of large birds, and then measuring on the upperside of the wing. The dimensions attained in this manner exceed those taken of dried specimens, when the metacarpal joint has stiffened in the usual convex form, by from OT to 0'3 of an inch. Contrary to the usage of most writers, I have placed the measurements before the description, simply because it is in accordance with the practice of field-naturalists to measure their specimens first. In the description of the plumage I have endeavoured to follow a uniform system throughout: beginning with the head and back, the wings and tail are then described, thus completing the upper surface ; the lores and face are then mentioned, and ensuite the under surface, the under wing coming last. It is hoped that the figure of a bird which has been engraved to show the various portions of the plumage in terms of scientific nomenclature will be of service to those who are not ornithologists, should they have occasion to peruse the description of the plumage of any species in which they may be interested. The observation (Obs.) on each species has been given for the benefit of the local student, in order to furnish him with as much information as possible of allied species inhabiting India, and, in fact, the entire Oriental Region. Many of my observations on kindred species and genera may seem superfluous to the ornithologist in England, with numerous libraries at his command ; but it is to be hoped that, as far as the naturalist in Ceylon is concerned, they will be of some use. Eikewise with a view of assisting the local student, an outline of the entire geograjiliical distribution of each species has been sketched out ; this matter, again, may seem, to European ] eaders, superfluous in a work of local nature. INTRODUCTION. xxvii As the system of spelling has recently been changed, I have followed, to the best of my knowledge, the new method, but which, however, I am bound to remark, is subject to variation* at the hands of those who conform to it. For instance, the names of some -places are spelt differently in the road-maps of the Surveyor-General and in that published by the editor of the ‘ Observer ’ ; for example, the name of a celebrated tank is spelt “ Kantalay ” in the one and “ Kantaleyi ” in the other, whereas, after the old spelling “ Kandelay was abolished, the word used to be spelt by some civil servants “ Kanthelai,” and as such it appears in this work. My readers will therefore, I trust, bear with the somewhat variable orthography of Ceylonese names in the ‘ Birds of Ceylon.’ In the early part of the work the name of the territorial division “Pattuwa” will be found, in some instances, incorrectly spelt “ Pattu but in the map, compiled from road-maps of Provinces, kindly furnished me by Col. Fyers, R.E., I have followed in all instances the new method of spelling. The figures indicating the rainfall are taken from tables likewise furnished me by the Surveyor-General . As regards the nidiji cation paragraph, I regret to say, as far as local students are concerned, that I have been compelled largely to quote from Mr. Hume’s ‘ Nests and Eggs,’ owing to the difficulty in obtaining information about, or finding one’s self, the nests of birds in Ceylon. Yet the admirable notes contained in that work are perhaps better than those which I could have obtained in the island. If, however, the Appendix be consulted much interesting additional information will be found supplied by my valued correspondent Mr. Parker, who has done more in Ceylonese oology than any recent collector. It now remains for me to return my grateful thanks to the many ornithologists, naturalists, and collectors who have furnished me with assistance and information, and placed their valuable collections at my disposal during the time I have been compiling this work. I am much indebted, first and foremost, to Dr. Gunther, Director of the Zoological Department of the British Museum, and to Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, Senior Assistant of the same ; for, through the kind permission of the former, the vast collections, both mounted and in the skin, were placed at my disposal for purposes of comparison with my own ; while the latter, under whose care these collections are placed, rendered me every assistance in the procuring and examination of the large series of specimens that it was necessary to examine, and was always ready and willing to impart information on difficult points with which his great experience and unexcep- tionally central position enabled him successfully to deal. Again, to Mr. Seebohm I am highly indebted for having placed at my disposal his large collections, the extensive Chinese series of skins collected by the late Mr. Swinhoe being of great service for purposes of comparison ; also to Mr. Howard Saunders, who, as regards his particular group (the Laridae), furnished me with much assistance. To Messrs. Gurney, Harting, Dresser, Sclater, Salvin, and Godman my thanks are likewise Letters sent me from Mannar^ spelt thus correctly by the writer, are impressed with the post-mark Manaar ! xxviii INTEODIJCTIOX. due for aid rendered as regards the several groups which they have made their study. I must not forget to acknowledge the assistance rendered to me by Mr. F. II. Waterhouse, Librarian of the Zoological Society, in answering my frequent queries as to references and data from the many scientific Avorks required to be consulted, and which, from time to time, I omitted to collect while prosecuting my studies in London. Mr. Lloldsworth’s kindness in giving me access to his valuable collection of Ceylon birds, and also benefiting me by his opinion on matters connected with island distribution &c., has been of much service to me. The premature death of the late Marquis of Tweeddale, and the consequent closing to the scientific world for the time being of his collection, was no small loss to the author, who was at the time just entering on the study of the Passerine birds, and reaping the advantage of that correspondence which this distinguished ornithologist was always ready to enter into with his brother naturalists. By this untoward event an anticipated visit to the magnificent collection at Yester, which, on a former trip I had only time to glance at, was also put aside. On his return to England from Afghanistan, Captain Wardlaw Barnsay, into whose possession the collection passed, kindly lent me such specimens connected with the Third Part of the work as I required. To Canon Tristram, also, I am indebted for the loan of eggs and skins of several interesting species. I have likewise to acknowledge, with thanks, the receipt of information on various points from Herr Meyer, of the Royal Museum at Dresden, Herr Von Pelzeln of the Imperial Museum at Vienna, and Mr. Edward Nolan, Secretary of the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia. From a still more distant region, New Caledonia, I have had the advantage of correspondence with my enthusiastic forerunner in the field of Ceylon ornithology, Edgar Layard, who from time to time supplied me Avith details of his old experiences in the island. Last, but not least, I must acknoAvledge Avith gratitude the aid I have received from my correspondents in India and Ceylon. Of the former I must mention particularly Mr. Allan Hume, C.B., and likeAvise not omit the names of Mr. Blanford, F.R.S., President of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Captain Butler, 83rd Regt., and Dr. Edie, of the Madras Museum. In Ceylon my A^alued correspondents Messrs. Bligh and Parker, Ceylon Public Works Department, kej)t me constantly supplied Avith ncAv material concerning the habits and nidification of many species : the former furnished me Avith copious notes on hill-birds, Avhile the latter Avorked hard on the little-knoAvn districts of the north-vA^est, and, being a most enthusiastic loA'er of birds and a close observer of Nature, the information supplied by him has been most valuable. In point of fact the better part of the Appendices is made up of material supplied by this gentleman from the Manaar district, Avhere he has recently gone to be stationed. To Messrs. H. MacVicar, Forbes Laurie, R. Wickham, L. Holden, E. Cobbold, Captain Wade-Dalton, and other gentlemen noAv or formerly resident in the island, I am indebted for notes on the habits and local distribution of several interesting species. In conclusion, I am constrained to remark that had others among my Subscribers corresponded as vigorously Avith me during the progress of the Avork as iMessrs. Bligh, Parker, and MacVicar, much more local information AAOuld haA'e been contained in it. . W. V. L. SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Order ACCIPITRES. Suborder FALCONES. Family VULTURIDA] (1 species). App. Page Page Subfam. VULTUEINXE Neopl iron gingiuianus, Lath 2 Family FALCONIDtE (30 species — 2 doubtfully identified). Subfani. ACGIPITRINEE Sublam. BUTEONIN.E Subfani. AQUILINXE ( Circus airuginosus, Linn o Circus melanoleucus, Forster 1) Circus cineraceus, Mont 12 / Circus macrurus, S. G. Gmelin 17 1209 Astur trivirgatus, Temm 20 Astur badius, Gmelin 23 Accipiter virgatus, Temm 20 '..Accipiter nisus, TAnn 27 Buteo plumipes, Hodgson 31 f Xisaetus fasciatus, Vieill 36 Nisaetus pemiatus, Gmelin 40 Lophotriorcbis kieueri, G. Sparre 43 Neopus inalayensis, Temm 47 1209 Spizaetus kelaarti, Legge 51 1209 Spizaetus ceyloneusis, Gmelin 55 1209 <( Spilornis spilogaster, Blyth 61 Haliaetus leucogaster, Gm 67 120!) Polioaetus ichthyaetus, Ilorsf. 72 1209 Haliastur indus, Bodd 76 Milvus govinda, SyJees 80 120!) Elamis cseruleus, Besf. . 85 I^Pernis ptiloiiorhynchus, Temm 89 e XXX SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Family FALCONID^E {continued). Arr. Page Page [ Baza ceylonensis, Legge 94 1209 1 Baza lophotes, Temm 98 1209 j Falco peregrinus, Tunstall 101 1209 Subfam. FALCONING Falco peregrinator, W 100 1210 Falco severus, Ilorsf. 110 Falco cliicquera, Band 110 Cerchneis tinnunculus, Linn 114 V Cerchneis amurensis, Radde 119 Suborder PANDIONES (1 species). Pandioii haliaetus, Linn 122 Suborder STRIGES. Family BUBONIDAl (11 species — 1 doubtfully occurring). Siibfam. BUBONIN.E Subl'aiu. SYRNIIN.1E Ketupa ceylonensis, Gm 127 Bubo nipalensis, Hodgs 131 1210 Scops bakkamuna, Forster 135 1210 ? Scops malabaricus, Jerdon 1210 <( Scops sunia, Hodgs 139 Scops minutus, Legge 142 Ninox scutulata, Baffl 145 Glauciclium castanonotum, Blgth 149 L Glaucidium radiatum, Tide 152 . J Syrnium iudrani, Blgth 155 1 Phodilus asshnilis, //itjae 161 1210 Family STRIGIDdE (1 species). Strix flammea, Linn 164 Order PSITTACI. Family PSITTACIDtE (5 species — 1 doubtfully occurring). ^ Palocornis eupatrius, Linn 168 1210 I Palaeoruis torquatus, Bodd I7l Subfain. PAL^EORNINAl <( Palajornis cyanocepbalus, AOui 174 1211 1 Pabcornis caltliropa), Lagard 177 1211 ?Pala3orms columboides, 1211 Family TRICHOGLOSSIDA] (1 species). Loriculus indicus, Om 180 1212 Subfain. .Siibfain. Subfam. Subfain. Sulifam. SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Order FIGAB;I.ZB. Family PICID^ (lO species — 1 doubtfully determined). PICIN.E GECININ.E r Picus luahrattensis, Lath J Yungipicus gymnophthalmus, Bhjth . . . . ] Chrysocolapte.s stricklaudi, Layard . . . . I Chrysocolaptes festivus, Bodd f' Gociuus striolatus, Blyth Clirysopldeyma xanthoderus^ Malh.* 1 Chrysopblegma cblorigaster, Jerdon J ^ IMicropternus gularis, Jerdon Braclyypternus ceylonus, Forster Brachypfernus puncticollis, Malh '■ ? Bracbypternus intermedius t, Leyye .... Page 184 186 188 191 194 197 200 202 205 205 .4i>r. Page 1212 1212 1212 1212 1211 1211 1212 1212 1212 1212, 1224 Family CAPITONID^dil (4 species). {Megalteina zeylanica, Gm 208 MegalfEina flavifrons, Cuv 212 1218 Xaulliolaema rubricapilla, Gm 215 Xautholjema bsemacephala, Mull 218 Family CUCULIDJi] (16 species). ^ Cuculus canorus, Linn 221 Cuculiis micropterus, Gould, 228 Cuculus poliocephalus, Lath 231 Cuculus sounerati, Lath 233 Cuculus passeriuus, Vahl 235 CUCULIN^E ^ Cuculus inaculatus, Gm 238 j Hiei’ococcyx varius, Vahl 240 Suraiculus lugubris, Horsf. . . 243 Coccystes jacobinus, Bodd 246 Coccj^stes coroinandus, Linn 249 Eudyiiamys boiiorata, Linn 251 ^ Phoeuicopbaes pyrrbocepbalus, Forster . . 255 Zauclostoraus viridirostris, Jerd 258 1213 PIKENICOPHAINXE <( Ceutropus rufipeuuis, Illiyer 260 1213 I Ceutropus chlororbyncbus, Blyth 263 Taccocua lescbeuaulti, Lesson 266 Family TROGONID.E (1 species). Ilarpactes fasciatus, Forster 269 x.x.xi * Incorrect title at bead of article. t Vide description of “ Eed Eace.” e 2 XXXll SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Family BUCEROTIDiE (2 species). Anthracoceros corouatus, Bodd. Tockus gingalensis, Bhaw . . . . Ai-p. Page Page 272 1224 275 1213, 1224 Family UPUPIDJi] (1 species). Upupa nigripennis, Gould.* \ 278 1213 Upu2)a ceylouensis, Reich, j 1213 Family CORACIID^E (2 species). Subfam. CORACIIN.E | Coracias indica, Zmn 281 I Eurystomus orientalis, Linn 285 1213 Family ALCEDINID^ (6 species). Snbfam. ALCEDININ.E Subfain. HALCYONIN.E Family MEROPID^E (3 species) . Mei’ops philippinus, Linn 306 1213 Merops viridis, Linn 309 1213 Merops swiiilioii, Hume 312 1213 Family CYPSELID^E (6 species). Cbsetura gigantea, Temm 314 1214 Cypseliis melba, Linn 317 Cypselus affinis, J. E. Gray 319 Cypseliis batassiensis, Gray 322 CollocaUa francica, Gni 324 1214 Dendrochelidon coronatus, Ticlcell 328 1214, 1224 Ceryle rudis, Linn Alcedo bengalensis, Gm 292 Pelargopsis gurial, Pearson 295 Halcyon suiyrnensis, Linn 298 Halcyon pileata, Bodd 301 Ceyx tridactyla, Pcdl 303 Family CAPRIMULGID/E (4 species). Subfain. steatorninh: . . . . Batracliostomus moniliger, Layard .... . . 331 r Caprimulgus kelaarti, Blytli . . 337 Subfain. CAPRIMULGIN.E . . . s Caprimulgus atripenuis, Jerd . . 340 1 Caprimulgus asiaticus, Lath . . 343 * Incorrect title at head of article. SYSTEMATIC INDEX. xxxiii Order PASSEK^BS. Family CORVIDAE (3 species). Al'P. Page Page C Corone macrorhyncha, Waller 340 Subfain. t'OKViiy^'E •< Corone splendens, Vieill 3R) 1 Cissa oruata, Wcyler 353 Family ORIOLIDiE (2 species). Oriolus diffasus, Sharpe* 1 355 1214 Oriolus indicus, Jerd. J 1214 Oriolus melauocephalus, Linn 357 Family CAMPOPHAGID.E (4 species). Graucalus macii, Lesson 360 1214 Pericrocotus flammeus, Forster 363 1224 Pericrocotus peregrinus, Linn 366 1214, 1224 Lalage sykesi, StricM 369 1214 Family PRIONOPID/E (2 species). Subfam. PKIONOPIN.E . f Tephrodornis pondicerianus, Gm 372 1214, 1225 1 Hemipus picatus, ISi/kes 375 Family LANIIDyE (3 species — 1 doubtfully occurring) Lanius cristatus, Linn 377 Lanins lucionensis, Linn 378 Lanius caniceps, Bhjth 383 1215, 1225 Family DICRURIDJ]] (5 species). Buchanga atra, Hermann 386 1215 Buchanga longicaudata, Hay 390 Buchanga leucopygialis, Bhitli 392 1215 Dissemurus lophorhinus, Vieill 396 Dissemurus paradiseus, Linn 399 1215 Family MUSCICAPID^E (11 species— 1 doubtfully occurring). Terpsiphone paradisi, Linn 404 1215 Hvpothymis ceylonensis, Sharpe 408 Culicicapa ceylonensis, Swains 410 * Incorrect title at head of article. xxxiv Siibfain. Sul)rani. Subfani. Siil)}’a)ii. SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Family MUSCICAPIDiE {continued). Page Rhipidura albifroutata, Franld 412 Alseonax latirostris, llaffl 41.5 Alseonax inuttui, Layurd 417 Stoparola sordida, Wcdd 4D) Sipliia tickelliiB, BlytJi 421 Siphia rubeculoides, Vigors 424 Sipliia nigrorufa, Jerdon 425 Muscicapa hyperytbra, Cahanis 428 Family SAXICOLID/E (5 species) . Pratiucola bicolor, Bylces 430 Copsychus saiilaris, Linn 433 Cittocincla macrura, Gm 437 Thamnobia fulicata, Linn 440 Cyanecula suecica, Linn 443 Family TURDIDjE (8 species). Larvivora bruiiuea, Hodgson 446 Turdus kinuisi, Kelaart 449 Turdus spiloptera, Blytli 451 Tardus wardi, Jerd 453 Oreociucla imbricata, Layard 455 Geocicbla citrina, Lath 457 Montieola cyana, Linn 460 Myiophoneus bliglii, Holdsv 463 Family BRACHYPODID^ (lO species) . irexixa: Ireua paella, Lath .... 466 ( llvpsipefces ganeesa, Syhes .... 469 Criniger ictericus, StricJd .... 472 PYTXOXGTIX.E . . . • • Ixos lateolus. Less . . . . 475 Rabigula melanictera, Gm . . . . 477 Kelaartia peiiicillata, Blgth .... 480 ( Pycnonotus liaimorrboiis, Gm 482 j'Pbvllomis jerdoui, Blyth 00 PHVLI.ORXITinX.E . •< Plivllornis mnlnhnripns Qm . . . . 488 . lora tipbia, lAnn .... 490 Family TIMALTIDyE (17 species — 1 doubtfully determined) . TI.MALllN.E ('Malacocercus striatus, Swains 494 Malacocercus rufescens, Blgth 497 Garrulax cinereifrons, Blgth 499 Poinatorhinus inelauurus, Blgth 501 Dimietia albogularis, Blyth 505 Alcippe nigrifrons, Blyth 507 I’ellorneuin fuscicapillum, Blyth 509 P^^ctorhis uasalis, Ltgge 512 LElaphrornis palliseri, Blgth 514 An-. Pagi- 1215 1215 121.5, 1 1215 1216 1216 1216 1216 1216 STSTE^MATIC INDEX. x.xxv Ai>r. Page Page ''Ortbotomus sutorius, Forster 517 Prinia socialis, Sykes* . . 1 520 1216 I’riiiia brevicauda, Ler/r/e j 1216 Priiiia bodgsoni, Blyth 525 Subl'ain. DKVMlECIX'.E <( Drymoeca valida, Blyth 525 Drymoeca jerdoni, Blyth 527 Dryinccca insularis, Leyye 529 1216 Cisticola cursitans, Franld 531 I Schoenicola platyura, Jerd 532 1216 Family SYLVIID^ (7 species). Sylvia affinis, Blyth 538 Acrocepbalus stentorius, Hemp. ^ Ehr.. . 541 1216 Acrocepbalus dumetorum, Blyth 545 Locustella certbiola, Pall 548 Phylloscopus nitidus, Blyth 551 Phylloscopus magiiirostris, Blyth 553 Phylloscopus viridanus, Blyth 555 1216 Family PARIDiE (1 species) . Parus atriceps, Horsf. 557 Family CERTHIID^ (1 species) . Subfaiu. SITTIN.E Dendrophila frontalis, Horsf. 560 Family CINNYRIDJ]] (4 species). Subfaiu. NECTARINIIN.E ' Cinuyris lotenius, Linn 563 Cinuyris asiaticus, Lath 566 1217 Cinuyris zeylonicus, Linn 569 . Cinuyris minimus, 572 1217 Family DICJ2IDiE (5 species). Dicaum miyiimnm, Tick.* 1 574 1217 Dicaeum erytbrorhyuchum. Lath. J 1217, 1 225 Pachyglossa vincens, Sclater . . . 577 Piprisoma agile, Ticlcell . . . 579 1217 Zosterops palpebrosa, Temm . . . 582 Zosterops ceylonensis, Holdsw . . . 585 Family HIRUNDINID^ (5 species — 1 doubtfully identified). Hirundo rustica, Linn 587 Hirimdo hyperythra, Layard 592 Hirundo erytbropygia, Syhes 594 Hirundo javanica, Sparrm 597 ?Cotyle obsoleta, Cahanis . 598 1217 Incorrect title at bead of article. xxxvi SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Family FRINGILLID^E (2 species). app. Page Page Passer domesticus, Linn 600 Passer flavicollis, FranJd 605 Family MOTACILLIDJi: (7 species). Motacilla maderaspatensis, Gm 607 Motacilla melanope, Pall 610 Limonidromus iudicus, Gm 614 Budytes viridis, Gm 617 Corydalla richardi, Vieill 621 Corydalla rufula, Vieill 625 Corydalla striolata, Blyth 628 Family ALAUDIDvE (4 species — 1 doubtfully determined). Alauda gulgula, Franld 630 ‘I Alatida parlceri, Legge 1217, 1225 Mirafra affiuis, Jerdon 634 Pyrrhulauda grisea, Scopoli 637 Family PLOCEID^Fl (lO species — 2 introduced, 1 doubtfully occurring). Ploceus philippinus, Linn. Ploceus mauyar, Ilorsf. . Padda oryzivora, Linn. Munia kelaarti, Blyth . . . Mimia malacca, Linn. . . . Muuia rubrouigra, Hodys. Munia piiuctulata, Linn. . Munia striata, Linn. Munia malabarica, Linn. . Estrelda ainaudava, Linn. 641 646 1218 646 650 652 6.52 656 660 662 662 Family ARTAMID/E (1 species). Artamus fuscus, Vieill. . . . 666 Family STURNIDiE (6 species). Acridotheres melanosternus, Leyye 670 Pastor roseus, Linn 673 1218 Sturnia pagodaruin, Gm 677 Sturuornis seuex, Bonap 680 Eulabes religiosa, Linn 682 Eulabes ptilogenys, Blyth 685 Family PITTIDJil (1 species). Pitta coronata, P. L. S. Muller 687 1218 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. XXWll Order C0LTJMB-®. Family COLUMBIDiE (7 species). app. Page Page Palumbus torringtonia), Kelaart 693 Alsocoinus puniceus, Ticlcell 696 Coluiuba intermedia, Strickland 698 Turtur risorius, Linn 702 1218 Turtur suratensis, Gm 705 Turtur tranquebaricus, Herm 708 Turtur pulchratus, Hodgson 711 1218 Family GOURID^E (1 species) . Chalcophaps indica, Linn 714 Family TRERONID^E (4 species). Carpophaga a;nea, Linn 718 1218, 1225 Crocopus chlorigaster, Bhjth 722 Osmotreron bicincta, Jerdon 725 1218 Osmotrerou pompadora, Orn 728 1218, 1225 Order GALLIIT.^. Family PHASIANID^ (3 species). Pavo cristatus, Linn 731 Gallus lat’ayettii. Lesson 736 1218 Galloperdix bicalcarata, Forster 741 Family TETRAONID^ (5 species — 1 doubtfully identified). Francolinus pictus, Jard. Selby 744 Ortygornis pondiceriaua, Gm 748 Perdicula asiatica. Lath 752 Coturnix chinensis, Linn 755 1218 Coturnix communis, Bonnaterre 756 Family TINAMID^ (1 species). Turnix taigoor, Sykes 761 1218 f XXXVlll SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Older GKALL.^. Family RALLIDJj] (9 species). ' Ai'P. Page Page Porzana bailloni, Vieill 766 Porzana fusca, Linn 769 Eallina euryzonoides, Lnfresn 772 Ilypoti'euidia striata, Linn 775 Eallus indicus, Blijth 778 Galliimla chloropus, Amn 781 1218 Erythra plicenicura, Forster 786 Gallicrex ciuerea, Gm 791 Porphyrio poliocephalus, Lath 795 Family SCOLOPACID^ (23 species). Rhynchasa capensis, Linn 800 1218 Scolopax rusticula, Linn 806 Galliuago nemoricola, Hodgs 814 Gallinago stenura, Horsf. 816 Gallinago scolopacina, Linn 821 1218 Gallinago galliuula, Linn 828 1219 Limosa segocephala, Linn 832 Terekia cinerea, Giild 836 Totanus glottis, Linn 840 Totauus stagnatilis, Bechst 844 Totanus fuscus, Linn 848 Totanus calidris, Linn 852 Totauus glareola, Linn 857 Totanus ochropus, Linn 862 Tringoides hypoleucus, Linn 867 Machetes pugnax, Linn 873 Tringa suharquata, Giild 879 Tringa minuta, Leisler 884 Tringa subminuta, Midd 889 Tringa temmincki, Leisler 892 Limicola platyrhyncba, Temm 896 Calidris arenaria, Linn 1220 Strepsilas interpres, Linn 900 1 222 Numenius lineatus, Cuv 906 Numeuius ph®opus, Linn 910 Family PARRID^E (1 species) . llydrophasianus chirurgus, Scopoli 914 Family CHARADRIIDriE (12 species). S ubfain . 1 1 1 M AN IT P( ) I ) I NrE. I Ilimautopus Candidas, Bonnat. I Retnirvirostra avocetta, Linn. . 919 925 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Family CIIARADRIID^E {continued) Subfam. CHARADRIIN.E ^Squatarola Helvetica, Linn. . . Charadriiis fulvus, Gm ^Egialitis geoffroyi, Wcujl. . . < Aigialitis mongolica, Fallas. . Aigialitis cantiana, Lath Aigialitis curonica, Gm l^jEgialitis jerdoui, Leg(je . . . . A 1*1’. Page Pago 929 934 1222 939 943 947 952 956 j^Chettusia gregaria, Pallas 959 Subfam. VANELLIN^E Lobivanellus indicus, Rodd 962 '^Lobipluvia malabarica, Bodd 966 Family OiDICNEMID^E (3 species). Subfam. (EDICNEMIN.E Subfam. CURSORIN^ . . Q'idicnemus scolopax, Gm. . .. Esacus recurvirostris, Guv. . . . Cursorius coromandelicus, G^n 969 974 977 Family GLAREOLID.® (2 species). Glareola orientalis, Leach 980 Glareola lactea, Temm 984 Family H^MATOPODID^ (1 species). Hacmatopus ostralegus, Linn. . . . 987 Family DROMADIDJ]] (1 species). Dromas ardeola, PayTcull 991 Order GAVIiE. Family LARID^ (18 species — 1 doubtful). "'Ilydrochelidon hybrida, Pcdl 996 Hydrochelidon leucoptera,il/mn. Page Page 1046 1049 Subfam. STERCORARIINAi Stercorarius antarcticus, Less 1050 Family PROCELLARIID^ (3 species — 1 doubtfully identified). Puffinus cblororhynchus, Lesson 1054 Daption capensis, Linn 1056 Oceanites oceanicus, Kuhl 1056 Order PYGOPODES (1 species). Podiceps fluviatilis, Tunst 1059 1222 Order AESERES. Family ANATID^ (lO species — 1 doubtfully identified). rSarcidiornis melanouotus, Forst . . . 1063 Subfam. ANSERIN^E Nettapus coromandeliauus, Gm . . . 1066 1222 Dendrocygna javanica, Horsf, . . . 1069 Tadorna casarca, Linn . . . 1070 1222 rAnas poecilorhyucha, Forst . . . 1073 1222 Anas acuta, Linn . . . 1076 Subfam. ANATIN.E -< Anas circia, Linn . . . 1080 Anas crecca, Linn . , . 1083 LSpatula clypeata, Linn . . . 1086 Subfam. FULIGULIN^ Fuligula rufina, Pall . . . 1087 Family PHCENICOPTERID^ (1 species). Phoenicopterus roseus . , . 1092 1222 Order HERODIONES. Family PLATALEIDtE (3 species). Platalea leucorodia, Linn 1096 1223 Tantalus leucocephalus, Forst 1100 Anastomus oscitans, Bodd 1103 1223 Ibis melanocephala, Lath 1106 Plegadis falciuellus, Linn 1109 1223 SYSTEMATIC INDEX. Family CICONIID/E (4 species). Al'p. Page Leptoptilus javanicus, //o)-.'?/. 1113 Xenorhyncluis asiaticus, Lath 1116 Dissura episcopa, Bodd 1119 Ciconia alba, Linn 1119 Family ARDEIDyE (15 species). Arclea goliath, liiipp Ardea cinerea, Linn Ardea purpurea, Linn Ardea gularis, Bose Herodias alba, Linn Herodias intermedia, Wayl. . Herodias garzetta, Linn Bubulcus coromandus, Bodd. . . Ardeola grayi, Syhes Butorides javanica, llorsf. .... Ardetta sinensis, Gm Ardeiralla flavicollis, Lath Ardeiralla cinnamoinea, Gm. . . Nycticorax griseus, Linn Gorsachius melanolophus, llaff. Order STEGANOPODES. Family PHAETHONTIDiE (2 species— 1 doubtfully identified). Phaethon flavirostris, Brandt 1172 Phaethon iudicus, Hume 1173 Family PELECANID..di] (8 species — 2 doubtfully occurring). Sula leucogastra, Bodd. 1177 Sula cyanops, Sand 1180 Phalacrocorax carbo, Linn 1182 1223 Phalacrocorax fuscicollis, Steph 1182 Plot us melanogaster, Forst 1194 Pelecanus philippinensis, Grn 1198 Fregata minor, Gm 1203 Fregata aquila, Linn 1204 1124 1127 1132 1136 1138 1141 1144 1147 1223 1150 1153 1223 1156 1159 1162 1223 1165 1169 xlii LIST OF PLATES. AIap of Distribution to face Titlepage. 1. II. III. IV. V. A^I. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. To face page Spizaetus eelaarti 2 et juv. tS ... . 51 Spizaetus cetlonensis 55 Baza cetlonensis 94 Glaucidium castanonotum 1 \ 142 Scops minutus J Strnium indrani 1 r Phodilus assimilis J PaljEornis calthrop^ ) I 177 Loriculus indices ) Chrtsocolaptes stricklandi .... 188 Brachypternus ceylonus 202 Brachypternus puncticollis .... 205 MEGAL.EMA ZEYLANICA | AIeOALjEMA FLAYIFRONS J XaNTHOLIEMA RUBRICAPILLA 1 1 21o Loriculus indices juv J PlICENICOPIIAES PYRRnOCEPHALUS . . 255 CeNTROPUS ClILORORIIYNCnUS 203 Tockus gingalensis 275 CiSSA ORNATA 353 Buchanoa leucopygialis 392 Dissemurus PARADISEUS 1 1396 Dissemurus LOPnoRiiiNus J Alseonax muttui 1 IIypotiiyjiis ceylonensis I 417 Stoparola soedida J To face page XIX. OrEOCINCLA IMBRICATA 1 Turdus spiloptera J XX. AIyiopiioneus blighi i Eubigula melanicteea 1 XXI. Kelaartia penicillata i Malacocercus rufescens J XXII. PoMATORHINUS MELANURUS . ) I 501 Garrulax cinereifrons J XXIII. PeLLORNEUM FUSCICAPILLUM 1 f Alcippe nigrifrons J XXIV. Pyctorhis nasalis . i \ 514 Elaphrornis palliseri J XXV. Drymieca yalida i I 529 Drymceca insularis J XXVI. Pachyglossa yincens i ZOSTEROPS CEYLONENSIS J XXVII. Hirundo hyperythra i \ 650 MuNIA EELAARTI J XXVIII. Sturnornis senex 680 XXIX. AcRIDOTHERES MELANOSTERNUS .... 1 I 685 Eulabes ptilogenys J XXX. Palumbus torringtoni^ 693 XXXI. Gallus lafayettii d pall 736 XXXII. Gallus lafayettii $ juv 736 XXXIII. Galloperdix bicalcarata 741 XXXIV. Plate of Eggs of 17 peculiar species 1209 xliii LIST OF WOODCUTS. Page 1. Foot of Neopus malayensis 50 2. Breast-feathers of Spizaetus helaarti and S. nipalensis 54 3. Young Cuckoo and Pipits in nest 227 4. Heads and tails of Dissemurus pcwadiseus 402 5. Bill, wing, and tail of Schcenicola platyura 535 6. Head, wing, and foot of Hirundo rustica and Cypselus affinis 591 7. Wings of Turdus spiloptera, Hirundo rustica, Sternus vulgaris, and Pitta coronatu 092 8. Leg and foot of Scolop>ax rusticula and Gallinago nemoricola 815 9 . Tail of Gallinago stenura ; axillary feathers of G. stenura and G. scolopacina 827 10. Foot of Sterna fuliginosa and Sterna ancestheta 1042 Sternum of Gorsachius melanolophus xxv Explanatory drawing of Crow To face Titlepage xliv ERRATA ET CORRIGENDA. Page 85, 2nd line of synonymy, for vocifercms read vociferus. 119, line 21 from bottom, after cere, eliminate hrachets, and read cere, all but the tip of bill. 174, 2nd line of synonymy, /or 1786 read 1788. 186, at head of article, /or GTMNOPHTnALMOS read gtmis’ophthalmus. 224, 5th line of Nidijication, for it is read they are. 273, line 8 from bottom, for ISTikerawettiya 7'ead Nikaweratiya. 319, in 4th line of Observation, the semicolon should precede “ in.” 463, at head of article, Mtiophoxtis should be moi’e correctly Myiophoxevs. 647, line 18, for H. hypoxanthus read P. hypoxanthus. 674, line 25 from bottom, /or 1856 read 1866. DATES OF PUBLICATION and CONTENTS OF PAKTS. PART I. — November 1878. Text, pp. 1 to 345 ; Plates CnRrSOCOLAPTES SXKICKLANDI. f Megal.ema zetlanica. 1 MeGAL-EMA flavifrons. f Xantdol^ma rubricapilla. I Loriculus indices Ph(ENICOPHAES pyrrhocephalus. Tockus gingalensis. PART II. — September 1879. Text, pp. 345 to 730; Plates {Alseonax muttui. Htpothymis ceylonensis. Stoparola sordida. J Oreocincla imbricata. 1 Turdus spiloptera. f Kelaartia peniclllata. I Malacocerces refescens. f PoMATORHINES MELANERES. I Garrelax cinereifrons. Spizaeies ceylonensis. Brachypternes ceylones. Brachypternes pencticollis. Centropes chlororhynches. CiSSA ORNATA. BeCHANGA LEECOPYGIALIS. Dissemeres paradisees. Dissemeres lophorhines. Spizaeies kelaarii 5 et juv. . Baza ceylonensis. 1. Glaecidiem castanonoieji. 2. Scops minetes. Strniem indrani. Phodiles assimilis. PALaiORNIS CALTHROPIE. Loriceles indices. xlvi DATES OF PUBLICATION AND CONTENTS OF PARTS. PART III. — September 1880. Text, pp. 731 to 1237 ; Titlepage, Dedication, Preface, Introduction, Systematic Index, List of Plates, List of Woodcuts, Errata, Dates of Publication ; Plates J JIyiophoneus blighi. 1 Rubxgula mel.anictee.\. J Pellokneum fuscic.apillum. I Alcippe nigrifeons. f Pyctorhis nasalis. I Elaphrornis paeliseri. f Dryikeca valida. I Dryikeca insularis. J Pachyglossa vincens. I Zosterops ceylonensis. r Hirundo hyperythra. I Munia kelaarti. Stuenornis senex. AcRIDOTHERES MEEANOSTERNirs, Eulabes ptilogeny.s. PaLUMBUS TOERINGTONiai. (jALLtrS LAFAYETTII (J puV. Callus lafayettii 2 jvv. CaLLOPERDIX BICALCARATA. Map of Distribution. Outline of Crow. Extra Egg-Plate. E R R A T U M. (ioLDEN Plovee. — At page 937 of the ‘ Birds of Ceylon ’ there is a printer’s error (notice- able from the context), in which “ south-eastern ” should read south -weatern. — (Footnote, Australian Limicolae,” Biological Section, Aust. Assoc. Advt. Science, Hobart, 1892.) u fd CS 0 cq ^ M P P o o o 02 P pH c3 O 02 5 ^ ^ P p P pH P 'P P o Ph p u* ci *2 pH P P- P p p p p d P <3 p m d P P BIRDS OF CEYLON. Order ACCIPITRES. Bill short, strong, stout at the base, the upper mandible longer than the lower, the culmen strongly curved, the direction of the tip perpendicular ; nostrils placed in a cere or soft mem- brane. Wings with ten primaries. Feet strong, armed with powerful talons of an elongated conical shape, curved, sharp, and rather smooth. Talons capable of being bent under the feet, . the inner one stronger than the others. {Sundevall in part.) Suborder FALCONES. Eyes placed laterally in the head ; no facial disk. Tail generally with twelve feathers, in some with fourteen. Outer toe not reversible ; toes bare. Plumage compact. Fam. VULTURID^. “ Head naked, or clothed with down ; no true feathers on crown of head ; nostrils not perfo- rated, rounded, perpendicular, or horizontal.” {Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 2.) B 4 NEOPHRON GINGINIANUS. human dwellings. Mr. Hume mentions having found nests entirely lined vvitli human hair, while others had nothing but green leaves to protect the eggs. These are nsually two in number, but sometimes three, broaud Jerdon). Akhash-Sd, Turkestan, lit. “ White-headed Kite.” Kurula-goya, Sinhalese ; Prdndu, Tam. Adult male and female. Length to fi’ont of cere 20'0 to 21-25 inches ; culmen from cere 1-0 to 1-21 ; wing 15-5 to Iti'G : tail S'O to 9-5 ; tarsus 3-2 to 3-9 ; mid toe 1-9 to 2-0, claw (straight) 0-8 to 0'9 ; height of bill at cere 0-43 to U-45. Ohs. There is no constant difference in the size of males and females, some of the former equalling if not e.xcecding the largest of the latter. Iris golden yellow, cere yellow; bill black ; base of under mandible, legs, and feet yellow; claws black. CIRCUS ^RUGINOSUS. {) FiiUy matured plumage. Head and nape buff-white, deepening into rutescent buffi on the hind neck ; the feathers of the head with clear, blackish-brown mesial stripes, increasing in width on the hind neck, on the lower part of which they spread over the feather into the deep glossy brown of the back, scapulars, median wing-coverts, and longer tertials ; in some examples, probably the oldest, the head-streaks are reduced to narrow shaft-lines ; least wing-coverts above the flexure and along the ulna, in the female, buff, with dark central streaks overcoming the feathers on the lower series ; the median wing-coverts and the scapulars margined with indistinct rufous ; upper tail-coverts pale grey, often shaded with tawny patches, and the basal portion of the feathers white ; greater wing- coverts, secondaries, primaries (with the exception of the four longer quills), their coverts, and the winglet dull silver-grey, with dark shafts ; longer primaries black ; basal portion of the inner webs of all the qnills, edge of the wing, and under wing-coverts pure white ; tail paler grey than the wings, with a whitish tip and a brownish hue near it ; the shafts white. J.ores and round the eye slaty blackish, with the bases of the feathers white ; ear-coverts brownish, edged with tawny ; ruff blackisli brown, margined broadly with buffi; throat, chest, and breast buff ; the chin with narrow dark shaft- lines, and the remainder regularly marked witli broad, pointed, sepia-brown streaks, paling on the lower parts into dull rufous, and spreading over the feathers, which are often pale-margined, or with buff bases showing here and there on the surface ; under surface of tail whitish. In such fully matured birds the lower parts vary much, the feathers in some being as pale-margined as the breast. A younger stage, but one in which the bird is adult, and which is more frequently met with than the above, has the head and hind neck rufescent buff, the feathers with broad mesial brown stripes ; the forehead is not so pale as the crown, and the ear-coverts are coTispicuously brown ; the shorter primaries are dusky, or not so grey as the coverts ; the fore neck and chest, and sometimes the better part of the breast, are rufous-buff, with rufous-brown stripes, while the whole of the lower parts, including the under tail-coverts, are dark rufous, with dark stripes on the breast ; under wing-coverts rufescent. Young. Iris brown ; cere, legs, and feet greenish yellow, the bill sometimes greenish about the base of lower mandible. Whole upper surface, wings, and tail uniform dark brown, while the entire under surface from the throat down is chocolate- brown ; the forehead, crown, and chin buff, with narrow’ brown shaft-stripes; the tail is tipped mth buff, and the feathers of the lower ])arts, in some examples, very bnelv margined with the same. Occasionally the forehead and crown are both brown and the buff confined to the nape, while very rarely the entire bird is a very dark brown. Progress with age. The brown iris becomes mottled with yellow, and the cere becomes yellowish above, the legs losing at the same time their greenish hue. The buff of the head spreads down the hind neck, increases on the throat, and a patch of the same appears on the chest : in females the lesser u ing-coverts become rufescent buff, with dark central streaks ; the under M'ing-coverts pale into rufous, but the quills remain as in the nestling plumage. Examples killed at the end of the season in Ceylon are usually in Ibis dress, which is probably acquired by a change in the feather itself. At the next moult, the buff continues to spread chielly on the fore neck, uiiiling in some cases with the pale space on the chest ; the lower parts become dark rufous ; the primary-coverts, secondaries, and their coverts are pervaded with grey ; the upper tail-covei'ts are rufous, the lower feathers tipped with ashy, and the tail is brownish ashy. Ohs. The amount of yellow on the up])er surface varies much in all these adolescent stages, some examples having the feathers of the lower back even broadly margined with it ; it varies, in females, on the wing-coverts, and in all males I have ever examined is absent from that part. Distribution.— i'his, large Harrier (or the Moor-Buzzard, as it is sometimes eallcd in England) arrives in Ceylon on its annual migration southwards through India in November, and remains in the island until the usual month of departure, the following April. It confines itself chiefly to the sea-coast, and is even there somewhat local in its distribution. Although tolerably numerous on the open plains of the Jaffna peninsula and about the vast rush-beds at the lower end of the great Jaffna lagoon, as well as on the coasts of both sides of the island as far as Alanaar and the delta of the Mahawelliganga, it is equally so, during some seasons, in the extreme south of the island, and makes its a])pcarancc there as early, if not earlier, than in the north. There can, 1 think, be no doubt tluit our seasonal migrants arrive from the north in two separate streams — the one from the north-cast driven across the Bay of Bengal from Burmah and the eastward-trending coast to the north of the Oodavery ; the other rnaking its way down witliAvhat is called the “long-shore wind'’’’ of October and November from the southernmost point of the Carnatic or the region about Cape Comorin, and landing CIKCUS .^niUGlNOSUS. I its components on the soutli-wcstern shores of Ceylon. In tlie case of more species tlian one, to be hereaftei- noticed, I liave observed migrants in the extreme south at an earlier date than in the very north of the island. The Marsh-Harrier is more numerous some seasons than others ; and this irregularity in its numbers u a> particularly noticeable at Galle in 1871 and 1872, in the first of which years it was so common that it now and then frequented, one or two at a time, the open and public esplanade w'ithout the fort walls, coming into the “ camp ” and sitting on the ground near the barracks ; it was at the same time to be found in the marshes all through the district. In the following year, how'ever, 1 noticed very few' examples anywhere iu that part of the island. It frequents the paddy-lauds and swamps far up the Gindurah, and is likcw'isc found iu the interioi- of the eountry to the north of Ilambantota, as well as iu swampy districts along the south-east coast as far as the irrigated plains below the Battiealoa lake, the largest tract of paddy-land in the island and a favourite locality for all marsh-loving birds. I have not uiifreciucntly seen it on the swamps between Colombo and Kotte. As regards its geographical range, the Marsh-Harrier is one of the most w'idely diffused of its genus. It may be said to have its permanent headquarters in Europe and Siberia, south of 60° N. lat., and iu Western Asia as far as the region immediately north of the Himalayas. In the non-breeding season, however, its wandering propensities carry it over an immense portion of the Old World. It migrates through all India and into China and Japan, spreading southward eveu into the rhilipi)ines. In Africa it spreads over Egypt and Abyssinia, Algiers, and Eastern Morocco, and reaches the Canary Islands, where Professor Newton, in his edition of Yarrell, says that Ledru obtained it in the island of Teneriffe. It occurs likewise in South Africa, where Mr. Ayres procured it in the Transvaal Republic. It is most abundant in the marshy districts of Europe, being very common in Turkey, and swarming, according to Mr. Howard Saunders, in the marshes of the Guadilquivir. Since the draining of the feus and marshes iu England, it has become, according to Professor Newton, almost entirely banished. Habits. — The Marsh-Harrier, as its name implies, is a denizen of swamps, fens, damp moor-laud, marshes, w'et pasture-lands, and, in the East, of tracts of rice or “ paddy ” cultivation, which supply it wdtli the same kind of food as the first-named localities. It is a bird of pow'erful but heavy flight, traversing cousiderable distances with a few strokes of its long wings, followed by onward sweeps, in the course of which it guides itself along just above the ground, ready to drop on the first prey which it espies. It is by no means a shy bird, either w'hen seated or on the wing, and in the course of its beating round or crossing a piece of ground will fly close to the sportsman. It is the most predatory of all the Harriers, not contenting itself with living on reptiles, frogs, i-ats, and other small mammals, but seizing wounded Snipe and other birds without fear of the guu, and capturing fish with as much skill as the Eish-IIawk. I have killed it with a large Lulu*, weighing nearly two pounds, in its talons, and have likewise detected the remains of young Pipits in the stomach of one shot in the marshes of Jaffna. On seizing a lizard or snake, these birds usually devour it there and then, fixing it to the ground with the talons, in the same manner that any ordinary Hawk pins its prey to a branch. The Moor-Buzzard sometimes soars to a great height, circling round and round above swamps and marshes, and on account of its large size has much the appearance of an Eagle in the distance, until its long tail be observed, this feature at once ensuring its identification. It perches on the ground like its congeners, but not unfrequently rests on dead_ trees at the borders of marshes, and is the only Harrier I have seen thus perched iu Ceylon. In his interesting paper on the birds of Turkestan, Dr. Scully remarks that besides feeding on frogs, rats, and lizards, the Marsh-Harrier kills the Reedliug {^Calamopbilus biarmicus) , this little bird no doubt coming constantly beneath its notice as it hovers round the reed-beds of swamps iu that country. Nidijication. — This species, it appears, has been known to breed in India, Mr. Hume having received a pair of eggs taken near the Kistna river. The natives of Oudh have also informed that gentleman that it breeds in their province ; and as it has been shot in other parts of the country during the breeding-season, it seems certain that a few birds bi’eed within the Indian limits. The nest is said to be placed on the ground, among sedge or reeds, and to be made of sticks, rushes, or coarse grass. * A common freshwater fish iu Cevlon. s CIECUS ^RUGTNOSUS. Mr. A. B. Brooke, in his notes on the ornithology of Sardinia (Mbis,^ 1873, p. 154), writes as follows eoncerning a nest in the neighboui’hood of Oristano, where these Harriers swarm : — “ A nest I found in the end of April was built in the middle of a reedy, marshy lake, placed halfway up the stems of the reeds, just dear of the uwter ; the bottom was formed of rough coarse sticks, and the interior of dried matted rushes, in some cases with their roots attached, the egg lying carelessly in the middle.” “ The eggs are usually three in uumber, white, with a pale greenish tinge, and sometimes slightly spotted with bright reddish brown. They measure from 2'()8 to T84 inch in length, by T58 to 1' 14 inch in breadth”*. Mr. Hume describes some eggs in his collection as having a good number of markings, consisting, in one instance, of specks and spots chiefly at one end, and in another of large blotches and smears of pale brown. Mr, Hewitson remarks that the eggs are “ most commonly white,^^ though they are sometimes spotted. This variation in their character accounts for the difference of opinion expressed by Montagu, Latham, and Selby on the subject. The flgui’e in Mr. Hewitson’s plate represents a slightly-marked egg, there being a few small spots of pale reddish scattered pretty evenly over the surface and intermingled with some pale blotches of bluish grey. As many as five eggs are sometimes laid, though four is the ixsual number. * Xewton’s ed. Yarr. Brit. Birds, p. 13(<. CIRCUS MELANOLEUCUS. (THE PIED HARRIER.) Falco melanoleucus, Forster, Ind. Zool. p. 12, pi. 11 (1781). Circus melanoleucus, Vieill. N. Diet. d’Hist. Nat. iv, p. 465 (1816); Gray, Gen. Birds, i. p. 32 ; Kelaart’s Prodromus, Cat. p. 115; Layard, Ann. Sc Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 105; Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 98 ; Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p, 307 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 414 ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 61 (1874) ; Hume, Stray Feath. vol. iii. p. 33 ; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1874, p. 266, pi. 10; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, pp. 226-7, and 1876, p. 130; Hume, Str. Feath. vol. v. p. 11 (1877). The BlacJc-and-White Falcon, Pennant, Ind. Zool. p. 33, pi. 2 (1790); Kelaart, Prodromus. Pahatai, Hind. .; Ablak Petaha, Nepalese {a})iul Jerdon). Kurula-goya, Sinhalese. Adult male. Length to front of cei-e 10-5 to 18 inches ; culmen from cere 0’75; wing, of 5 examples from different parts of India, 13-7, 13-9, 14‘2, 14-2, 14-5 : tail 8-2 to 9; tarsus 2-9 to 3-25; mid toe 1-2 to 1-4, claw (straight) 0'55 ; height of bill at cere 0-35. Ohs. In Mr. Hume’s table of measuremeuts of 34 old males (Str. Feath. vol. v. p. 12) the wings range from 13'2 to 14-34 inches, and the tarsi from 2-8 to 3-25. Iris bright golden yellow ; cere varying from grey to greenish yellow ; bill black, paling into leaden at the base ; legs and feet chrome-yellow. Entire head, neck, chest, back, upper scapular feathers, and median wing-coverts black, glossy on the upper parts and dull on the fore neck and chest ; least aud greater wing-coverts, point of the wing, shorter primaries, secondaries, rump, and upper tail-coverts pale silvery grey, the quills brownish at the tips ; longer primaries blackish on the terminal half, with the bases of the inner webs white ; tertials brownish near the tips, much darker in some examples than in others ; tail light sullied grey, paler on the lateral feathers ; shafts of all but the latter feathers brownish ; beneath from the chest, together .with the under wing, pure unmarked white. Youmj. Iris “ ochreous yellow” (Swinhoe); cere greenish grey or greenish yellow ; gape and loreal skin yellowish; bill pale at the base. I subjoin here the description of Mr. Swinhoe’s specimen, figured in ‘ The Ibis,’ 1874, inasmuch as it appears, according to Mr. Gurney’s judgment (‘Ibis,’ 1875, p. 22(5), to be, in all probability, the first plumage of the bird : — “Upper parts light brown, the feathers on the back dark-stemmed. Crown, nape, and scapulars blackish brown in centre of feathers, with broad yellowish-red margins. Underparts light buff, with yellowish-brown streaks, broad aud darker on the breast ; tibials and vent chestnut-butt’, with darker stems to feathers. Quills brown, tipped light, with lightish stems, and barred across inner webs, more obscurely towards their tips ; axUlaries reddish cream, with reddish-brown sjmts ; under w-ing whitish cream, with conspicuous bars. Upper tail-coverts greyish white ; tail whitish brown, with three broad bars ; a fourth, indistinct bar crosses near base of tail.” Ohs. This example appears to be a male, as it has a wing of 13-0 inches only, although it is worthy of remark that in some Harriers immature females are sometimes smaller than the other sex. The plumage of the specimen, as described, is much like that of an adult female to be noticed hereafter ; and the presence of three “ broad bars ” on the tail instead of a greater number of narrow ones, as ought to be the case in a young bird, is singular. Mr. Gurney remarks, in the same article, that “ the progress towards maturity is marked in all cases by the spreathng of a conspicuous grey tint over the greater and middle wing-coverts, and over the outer webs of the secondaries aud of the upper portion of the primaries.” This is doubtless the case up to a certain point in the bird’s change of plumage ; but it appears evident that the entire adult plumage, as is only to be expected in an attire so marked in C 10 CIECUS MELANOLEUCUS. its character, is put on at one final moult. Adult males are always to be found in the perfect pied dress without any intermingling of immature characteristics pointing to a gradual assumption of the black-and-white livery. There is, however, much to be learnt concerning the plumage of this species, particularly in respect to the females, and a thorough knowledge of it can only be attained by means of the acquisition of a large series of carefully sexed and dated specimens. Adult female. The wing, in JO examples measured by Mr. llume, varied from 13'7 to 15T inches*', and the tarsus from 3'05 to 3'3. It is a matter of difficulty to determine in this species which type reall_y represents the fully adult female. The following are the dimensions and description of a female shot by myself near Trincomalie, which 1 have compared with examples in the British Museum, and which Mr. Sharpe considers to be fully mature : — a. Length to front of cere 17’8 inches ; culmen from cere 0'8 ; wing 14 ; tail O'o ; tarsus 3T ; mid toe I’O, claw (straight) 0-67. Iris citron-yellow; cere gamboge-yellow; bill dark horn, bluish at the gape and the base beneath; legs and feet gamboge-yellow. Head and upper surface, with the wing-coverts and tertials, a subdued though glossy sepia-brown ; the longer scapulars with a greyish bloom ; the crowm-feathers margined with rufous, and the hind neck with dull whitish, not extending to the tips ; edge of forehead, above the eye, and the face wdiitish ; the lesser coverts, from the shoulder along the flexure of the wing, pure w hite, with hrowm mesial stripes, gradually extending over the feathers on the succeeding series ; winglet, primary and greater coverts, shorter primaries, and the secondaries silvery grey, barred W'ith brown, the subterminal baud broad, and the tips of the feathers dull white; longer primaries darker brown, barred with the hue of the tips, and the interspaces of the outer wmbs greyish ; inner edge of all the quills towards the base white: upper tail-coverts almost unmarked white; tail above greyish, with four dark bars, the subtermiual one some distance from the tip, which is pale ; the interspaces of the two outer feathers towards the base white, and the bars on that part rufous. Chiu and gorge whitish, striped from the gape round to the ear-coverts with rufous brown ; ruff wdiite, with broad brown central stripes ; under surface and under wing white, the fore neck and chest with bold dashes of brown, almost confluent on the sides of the neck, and diminishing to mesial stripes of a more rufescent hue on the breast, the lower parts having shaft-lines of the same ; lower series of the under wing-coverts with rufescent brown bars, the rest with rufous shaft-lines ; lower surface of tail dull w'hitish, the bars showing indistinctly. It. An example in the British Museum, from the collection of Capt. Pinwell, is marked as a female and is in the following plumage : — ^lantle glossy dark clove-brown, much deeper than in the above ; centres of frontal, occipital, and hind-neck feathers blackish brown, those of the first-named parts edged with rufous, of the latter with a paler or fulvesceut hue ; the outermost series of greater wing-coverts silvery white, crossed with broad bands of dark clove-brown ; secondaries, shorter primaries, and their coverts of the same ground-colour, with blackish bars ; 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quills with the terminal portions browm, barred with a darker hue on both webs ; internal portion of the inner webs of all the quills white ; tail dusky silvery grey, crossed with five clove-brown bars, those on the lateral feathers gradually changing into rufous. .Sides of the throat, together with the posterior part of face and ear-coverts, rufescent, with dark shaft-stripes ; ruff' whitish, striped with dark brown ; chest fulvescent whitish, the feathers with broad rufous-brown centres ; beneath, from the chest pnre white, the breast with light rufous-brown stripes, decreasing in width to lines on the abdomen, lower flanks, and under tail-coverts. Ohs. This example differs from the Tamblegam bird in being darker as regards the brown plumage, and paler as regards the grey colouring of the wing-coverts ; while the rufous edgings of the head and throat-feathers are more brought out, which latter characteristic savours of youth, in spite of the apparently more adult coloration of the back and wing-coverts. 1 1 is in much the same dress as an “ adult ” female described by Mr. Hume in his excellent and exhaustive article already referred to. Another obtained by Gol. Godwin-Austin in Assam, and described by Mr. Gurney (Ibis, 187d, p. 130), is darker tlian either of these— “the entire mantle being blackish brown, increasing in intensity as it approaches (he tips of tlie lower scapulars, which are almost black ; the wings show a remarkable approach to the jrlumage of the adult male, but the band which extends across the wing-coverts, instead of being black, is dark chocolate-brown, varied by some of the bi’own feathers passing, in part, into a decided black.” It is probable that each of the above examples were sufficiently mature to breed ; but it does not follow that the darkest birds were the oldest. My bird had the ova developing, and would have bred in the succeeding June, and * Colonel Godwin-Austeu’s bird measures, according to Mr. Gurney, 15'8 (‘Ibis,’ 1870, p. 131). CIRCUS MELANOLEUCUS. ]1 was in a paler phase than any of the otliers. It follows, however, from what has been made known by various writers of late, that, as in other Harriers, the female of this species has no lixed character of adult j)lumage, but that as the bird gradually grows older it inclines towards the melanistic dress of the male, never actually acquiring it, and always retaining the striped under surface 2)eculiar to the sex. The length of tarsus will likewise serve to distinguish an adult female from an immature brown-plumaged male. Yoxing. Iris “light brownish 3'ellow ; cere slaty greenish grey” (Annstrony). Nestling plumage as in young male. Distribution. — This handsome Harrier, which, in common witli the other three species in our list, is a migrant to Ceylon in the cool season, is undoubtedly a rare species in the island. On the few occasions on which it has occurred it has been a straggler no doubt, from the numbers which visit, during the N.E. mon- soon, parts of the eastern coast of India and Burmah. Layard, with his usual good fortune, while investi- gating the ornithology of the island, shot a specimen on the north-west coast near Mantotte, an excellent district for Harriers ; he also mentions having seen a drawing of another example made by IMr. Mitford, District Judge at Ratnapura, from a bird brought to him by a native, and captured near that place. In the early part of 1809, I observed a bird in the black-and-white plumage in the cinnamon-gardens at Colombo, and in IMarch 1875 I shot the female above described on the shores of Tamblcgam Bay. It is possible that immature birds, in a dress in which they may be mistaken at a distance for other members of the genus, mav visit the northern shores of Ceylon ; but the old, pied birds can very rarely do so, for during an interval of more than eight years’ collecting, always on the look-out for Raptores of all kinds, and two of which were passed in the north of the island, I never succeeded in detecting but the one adult bird above mentioned. The Pied Harrier is, during the season of its wanderings, more abundant in Assam and Burmah than elsewhere, and radiates outwards from that region down the easteni parts of the Indian peninsula to Ceylon. Mr. James Inglis records it in 'Stray Feathers’ (vol. v. p. 11) as extremely common, from September until April, in North-eastern Cachar. Dr. Jerdon writes that it is found in abundance in districts where rice- cultivation is carried on, '' as on the Malabar coast, in parts of the Carnatic, and in IMysore,” but that it is rare; in the Deccan and Central India, though common in Bengal. To the east it spreads from its head quarters, which are evidently the jMongolian territory to the nortli of Burmah, into China and the Amoor Land, from which regions IMr. Swinhoe records it. Habits. — The Pied Harrier is said to prefer grassy jungles to swampy land. I have seen it both in marshy places and low scrubby jungle ; and the district in wdiich Layard obtained his specimen is one of open plains, studded here and there with clumps of low bushy growth, or dotted with scattered trees. Jerdon says that, in India, it is common in districts which are cultivated with rice ; and it therefore does not appear to confine itself to one particular description of country, but, like its congeners, to traverse such open tracts as abound in the food on which it subsists. Being a bird of slender frame and long wing, its flight is particularly easy and graceful : it glides over wide fields impelled by a few slow, though powerful strokes of its ample pinions ; and when hunting for its prey it " quarters ” a tract of ground with the greatest regularity ; starting at one end, it sweeps across from side to side, backwards and forwards, with a graceful turn at the end of its course, and while rising and falling, so as to skim just above the top of the long grass, it is enabled to drop like a stone on its prey. Its diet consists of small reptiles, lizards, and no doubt small birds, or young ones taken from the nest when its more favourite food is not procurable. It alights and rests on small eminences on the ground, banks, or stones, and roosts, like its congeners, on terra firma, thus falling a prey not unfrequently to nocturnal animals. Mr. Oates writes that near Poungday, in Pegu, it is often found on the large plains of mixed jungle and paddy-land, and that it prefers inundated i)addy-land to any other. Nidification. — AYliere this Harrier breeds is still a matter of conjecture with Indian writers, and conse- quently nothing is known of its nidification. The late Mr. Swinhoe could obtain no information concerning its nesting in China ; and the inference therefore is, that it retires in the breeding-season to the region between the Himalaya and the east of China. Mr. Hume is of opinion that it breeds in part of this district, namely Assam; and Dr. Jerdon remarks that he saw several birds at Purncah in July, at which time they ought to have been nesting somewhere. In the female I killed in March the ova were commencing to develop largely, and she was evidently about to breed at no great date from that time. c2 CIRCUS CINERACEUS. (MONTAGUES HARRIER.) Falco cincraceiis, Mont. Orn. Diet. vol. i. (1802); Temm. Man. i. p. 76 (1820). Circus cinerarius, Leach, Syst. Cat. Mamm. &c. Brit. Mus. p. 9 (1810). Circus montagui, Vieill. N. Diet. xxxi. p. 411 (1819). Circus cmerascens, Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii. p. 41 (1825); Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 115; Layard, Ann. Mag. N. H. 1853, xii. p. 105 ; Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. pis. 18, 19 (1854). Circus cineraceus, Cuv. Beg. An. i. p. 338 (1829); Gould, B. of Europe, i. pi. 35 (1837); Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 97 ; Gould, B. of Gt. Britain, pt. xii. ; Hume, Bough Notes, ii. p. 303 ; Newt. ed. Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 138 ; lloldsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 413 ; Shelley, B. of Egypt, p. 184; Legge, Ibis, 1875, p. 278. Circus pijgargus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 64 (1874). The Ash-coloured Harrier, Montagu ; The Ashy Falcon of Kelaart ; Sw amp- Hawk, Sports- men in Ceylon. Beta ulu, Transylvania. Cenizo, Spanish. Pilli-gedda, Tel. ; Funa-Prdndu, Tam. Kurula-goya, Rajaliya, Sinhalese. Adult male (from European, Indian, and Ceylonese examples). Length to front of cere 16-o to 17’5 inches ; culmen from cere 0’69 to 0’71 ; wing ] .3'6 to 15‘5 (sometimes reaching to the tip or even be_yond the tip of tail) ; tail 8'6 to 10 ; tarsus 2*2 to 2'3 ; mid toe I'l, claw (straight) 0-45 ; height of bill at cere 0‘32 to 0-34. 'the following are some measurements of old birds from examples in the British Museum exemplifying the above variation : — Wing. Tail. Tarsus, in. in. in. S . Bengal 14’9 9'9 2'2 d . N. Bengal 15-5 10-0 2-3 d . Seville 13-6 8-6 2-2 d . Seville 14-2 9-1 2-3 N.B. In this species the second primary-covert does not reach within | inch of the notch in the second primary, falling short of it, in females, by as much as 2| inches. Iris bright yellow ; cere, loreal sldn, and base of lower mandible yellow, top of cere tinged with greenish ; bill blackish at the tip, paling into bluish horn-colour at the base ; legs and feet chrome-yellow, claws black. Head, upper snrface, and wing-coverts dark bluish ashen, amalgamating with the paler bluish of the throat, fore neck, and chest, a darkish tint usually prevailing across the back and scapulars ; 1st to the 5th primary blackish slate-colour, the rest, together with their coverts, silver greyish with black shafts ; secondaries duller silver-grey, crossed by two dark brown bands ; upper tail-coverts white, banded broadly with slate-grey ; two central tail- feathers slate-grey, the next two paler grey, barred with browm, the remainder with the ground-colour white, more or less tinged with rufous towards the base and barred with dark-edged rufous bands. Beneath, from the chest, wliite, striped with narrow streaks of rufous down to the under tail-coverts ; axillary plume and under wing-coverts barred with rufous, but not extending to the wing-lining beneath the ulna and carpus. In some examples the ashen hue extends much further down the breast than in others. Ohs. A very remarkable melanistic variety of the adult form exists, some fine examples of which, from Mr. Howard Saunders’s collection, are in the British Museum. The whole bird is dark sooty brown, with the cheeks, back. CIRCUS CINERACEUS. 18 belly, and lower flanlts blackish brown ; tail brownish grey ; quills and secondaries blackish brown, and the under surface of the tail pale greyish. Young. The chick is first clothed with white down, which changes in about ten days to fawn-colour on the upper surface ; in a fortnight more, according to iMr. II. Saunders’s observations, the breast and flanks become clothed with chestnut feathers, and the quills come out blackish brown with a rich rufous border. Male bird of the year. AViug from 13 to 14 inches; females not exceeding the males at that age. Iris brownish yellow ; cere, bill, and legs much as in the adult. Above sepia-brown ; nape and upper tail-coverts white, the former with the centres of the feathers brown, and the latter with terminal spots and occasionally bars of the same ; occiput and hind neck edged with rufous ; wing- coverts margined with fulvous ; primaries blackish brown, the longer feathers washed on the outer webs with greyish, and the inner webs white towards the base and inottled with brown ; tail with the six central feathers brownish grey, barred with brown, the latter becoming broader than the grey ground on the outer of these feathers ; the remainder brown, barred with rufescent white. Cheeks and a broad eye-streak whitish ; a gular band of dark rufous-brown, and below it a ruff of paler, dark-centred feathers, not contrasting, however, with the band, or setting it off, as in C. macrnrus ; chin and gorge rufescent whitish ; throat and chest dull brownish rufous, with distinct dark shafts to the feathers, and gradually melting into the yellowish rufous of the breast and lower parts, which are striated with broad stripes of rufous ; axillary plume dark rufous, wdth light marginal spots ; median under wing-coverts rufous, with pale margins, the major series brownish. Ohs. The above is a description of one example, as presenting a fair type of the young male. The under surface, however, varies much, though it is always darker than that of C. macrurus, and differs from that species in the more conspicuously streaked lower parts, as well as in the duller gular baud and less conspicuous ruff below it. Progress towards maturity. The change from this to the adult phase is gradual but systematic. The upper surface becomes cinereous brown, the upper tail-coverts sometimes coming out in the adult form (white, with blue-grey bands) ; the tail becomes grey, the bars vanishing on the central tail-feathers, and the interspaces on the laterals are white in some and rufons-white in others ; the chest and fore neck are rufescent, mingled frequently with ashen feathers, and the breast and lower parts pale fulvescent, streaked with rufous stripes ; the lower surface of the primaries and the bases of the inner webs are white ; under wing-coverts wdth more white than in the first stage. After the next moult the lower parts become w’hite with tawny streaks, as in the adult, and the chest is often ashy with cinereous-brown stria} ; at the same time the head usually retains its brown dress, and the tail has the lateral feathers as darkly barred and as much tinged with rufous as in the younger stage. The gular band is usually dark brownish, contrasting with the pale whitish ruff assumed at this age. Young femcde* . In the first year, females do not exceed males in size, measuring sometimes quite as low in the wing as the smallest of the latter. Iris, in some brown, in others yellow, mottled with brown ; bill, legs, and feet as in male. Much resembles the male in plumage, but usiqilly not so dark a rufous beneath, and with the strife not so strongly pronounced ; these are, however, variable in extent, being mostly confined to the chest in some, and extending in others to the lower parts ; the primaries are barred on both webs with narrow bauds of brown, and the secondaries are crossed on their inner webs with broader bars of the same ; the wing-coverts vary, being sometimes almost uniform, and occasionally very deeply edged with rufous, the brown hue being confined to the centre of the feather. In the next stage the rufous ground-colour of the under surface disappears from the edges of the feathers, and the mesial stripes contrast markedly with the lighter hue of the rest of the web ; the head continues to be edged with rufous as before, and the margins of the hind-neck feathers are the same as in the yearling plumage : the upper tail-coverts are scantily barred or pointed with rufous, and the quills more pervaded with ashy than in the first plumage. * The adult plumage in this sex varying so much, I have considered it advisable to commence with the young, and follow the changes to the old bird. 14 CIECUS CINEKACEUS. The under surface continues to alter until the bird is fully matured ; but the adult dress, after it is acquired, varies not a little in different individuals. The following is a description of an example in the British Museum, which, judging by the regular alteration of character diu'ing adolescence, appears to be a fully matured bird. Adult female. Above sepia-brown, pervaded on tlie back with greyish; the head margined with rufous, and the hind neck with fulvous, the centres of the feathers being blackish brown ; median wing-coverts broadly margined with rufous-buff as in the younger bird ; terminal portion of primaries and the secondaries deep brown, with a purple lusti’e ; the outer webs of the longer primaries greyish, and both webs barred with narrow bands of blackish brown ; inner webs near the base isabelline grey ; upper tail-coverts white, with greyish-brown bars near the tips of the longer feathers ; central tail-feathers drab-grey, with four narrow bars and a broad subterminal band of deep brown, the remainder crossed with the same number of wider bauds, the interspaces paling to white on the lateral feathers, where the bars are narrower again, and tinged with rufous at the base. Face and a small space above the ears white ; the gular band deep brown, margined with rufous and tinged with ashy : ruff blending with the throat and fore neck, which are rufescent, with broad cijiereous-brown stripes ; beneath, from the chest downwards, fulvescent whitish, with bold central stripes of rufous-brown on the chest, and of rufous on the lower parts ; under wing-coverts rufescent white, boldly dashed with rufous ; edge of wing-lining whitish. Soft parts as in the adult male. Length* to front of cere 18'5 inches, culmen 0’7 ; wing 14-0 to 15‘3 ; tail lO'O ; tarsus 2-3 ; mid toe 1T5, claw (straight) 0'58 ; expause 43'U. The following are measurements of several European and Indian examples of adult females, which are all exceeded by those of a male from N. Bengal ; — Wing. Tail. Tarsus. in. in. in. 14-3 9T 2-5 14-3 9-0 2-4 14-6 9-0 2-4 14-G 9-5 2-3 Distribution. — This widely dispersed Harrier is, as might be expected, a winter or cool-weather visitant to India and Ceylon, arriving in the latter place about October and departing again in April. After concen- trating itself in considerable force in the Jaffna peninsula, the adjacent isles, and on the coast of the Northern Province, it spreads down both sides of the island, but does not apparently w'andcr into the interior after the manner of the last species. On the west coast it is chiefly confined to siich open localities as the cinnamon- gardens of Negomho, Colombo, Morotuwa, &c., and likewise affects the almost inpenetrable swamp called the Muttiirajawella. In the Galle district it never came under my notice as an identified bird, but may have figured among the many observed on the wing between the port and Baddegama ; in the south-east, however, it occurs, but not so frequently as in the north. During a visit, in March 1876, to Jaffna and the neighbour- hood, I found it at several islands in Palk^s Straits, among wdiich were the tw in islets of Erinativoe, on which several were seen in the course of a day’s excursion. In the island of Manaar and at Aripu I likewise observed and procured it. Montagu’s Harrier has a very similar geographical range to the next species. In Europe it is perhaps more generally distributed, as it extends in the summer to the British Isles, and is also common in Spain, but chiefly during the w'iutcr, whereas the Pale Harrier does not move w'estw'ard of 8° E. long. It does not confine itself to the south of the continent alone, for it has been recorded from both Heligoland and Sardinia. It is found in Scandinavia, but does not appear to range into Northern Russia, although it inhabits the south of that country. From the Caucasus it extends, like the last bird, through Palestine, to the elevated region of 'I’urkestan, from which Severtzoff records it. It is abundant in India in the cool season ; but though Jerdon remarks that he found it in all [)arts of the empire, the experience of recent observers, as appearing in ‘ Stray l‘'eathcrs,’ tends to show' that it is more local than either the Alarsh- or the Pale Harrier. Mr. Hume does not record it from Sindh, and AIi-. Ball states that it is not common in Chota Nagpur. In the Deccan, Air. Fairbank says it is common; and it occurs, but not abundantly, in the Khandala district. It is found in Burrnah, and has been obtained as far east as the Yangtszc river in China. * From the flesh in Ceylonese exam])les. CIRCUS CINERACEUS. 15 Habits. — jSIontagii^s Harrier delights in swamps, marslies, and open country, more or less studded with low jungle and copse, over which it sweeps at a considerable height, rising and falling in its rapid progress, and appearing to take in a more extended view of its ground than the Pale Harrier can do in its low-directed flight. I have seen it, however, in the great swamp of Mutturajawella, flying steadily from end to end, with a slow beating of its long wings, keeping just above the tangled vegetation, and now and then dropping out of sight in the sudden manner peculiar to its family. It is crepuscular in its habits, flying about its hunting-grounds so late that it cannot be discerned when a little way off ; and sharp indeed must be its eyesight to enable it to capture the small prey that it lives on, among grass and herbage, with so little light. Layard, whose observations tended to show that it fed much upon snakes, has the following well-written description of its flight in the Ann. & ]\Iag. Nat. Hist. : — ‘^Nothing can exceed in gracefulness the flight of this bird when beating over the, ground in search of its quarry. Its long pointed wings smoothly and silently cut the air ; now raised high over its back, as the bird glides along the furrows ; now drawn to its sides, as it darts I’apidly between the rows of standing paddy ; now' the w ings beat the air with long and even strokes, and now extended, they sujjport their possessor in his survey of the marsh over w'hich he is passing. Suddenly he drops, and after a momentary halt speeds away, with a snake dangling in his talons, to some well-remembered stone or clod of earth, and commences his repast.” I have found the bones of small mammals, probably mice, as well as grasshoppers in this Harrier’s stomach ; but in Ceylon, according to my experience, its chief food consists of lizards. In countries where reptiles do not abound, such as England and other parts of Europe, it preys to a certain extent on small birds ; and Air. How ard Saunders, in his very interesting account of the nesting of this Harrier in the Isle of Wight, published in the Field ’ of the 2nd September, 1875, found amongst the food brought to the young in the nest, “ the remains of several small birds — skylark, titlark, stonechat, and yellow hammer.” It will also kill snakes, as appears from the above extract from Layard’s writings, and no doubt very frequently preys on them in the fetid swamps of the East. Professor Newton, in his edition of Yarrell, speaks of one “ which was observed to hover about a trap, baited with a rabbit, without pouncing, but on a viper being substituted for the rabbit, the bird was immediately caught.” The same writer likewise speaks of its swallow'ing birds’ eggs whole. Alontagu’s Harrier, like the AIoor-Euzzard, seems to prefer perching on level ground to settling on little knolls and elevations. It roosts also on the ground, and is probably often captured in the East by the stealthy jackal, or in northern climes by the still more clever fox. This Harrier does not appear to have strong powers of vision, w'hen they are subjected to the force of the sun’s rays. I once observed three birds alight, one after the other, on the bare soil, and stand with erect carriage, all looking in the same direction, after the manner of Gulls ; and being between their position and the rays of the setting sun, I appeared not to be noticed by them, for I was enabled to creep steadily forward towards them in the open, and thus secured, from among the trio, one of the finest female specimens in my collection. I have heard this Harrier make a w'cak squealing note, but can say nothing further as to its voice ; in fact the Harriers, as a group, seem to be among the most silent of raptorial birds, little or nothing concerning their notes having been placed on record by the numerous observers of their otherwise interesting habits. When viewed on a glorious ti'opical morning, there is something very striking in the noiseless course of this and other Harriers as they glide silently over the misty paddy-swamps of the interior, while the luxuriant forest surrounding these, to the lover of nature, most interesting spots re-echoes with the voice of hundreds of the smaller bird creation. This species thrives in confinement; and Mr. Saunders, in his article above referred to, records that the young bird in question, when it had acquired the free use of its wings, flew “ round the lumher-room in which it had been placed in a buoyant manner, and took great pleasure in a bath, in w'hich it w'ould stand knee deep, enjoying being sprinkled with water, after which it would spread its wings and bask in the sun.” Nidification. — The Ashy Harrier does not breed w'ithin the Indian limits, but in northern climes, where it propagates its species, it nests in May and June. In Europe and Great Britain its nest is built, as elscwdierc, on the ground, and is made of small sticks, rushes, grass, roots, &c., the latter composing the interior or lining. It is more slightly built, as a rule, than the nests of other Harriers ; but its size must necessarily depend on the IG CIECUS CINEEACEUS. situation in which it is placed, for if this should be in damp ground, where the water is liable to rise, instinct teaches the bird to raise the body of the nest until above the level at which its eggs might be destroyed. In ^The Ibis,’ 1875, Messrs. Danford and Harvie Brown remark that at Mezoseg, in Transylvania, they “found tliem nesting among reeds, the nest being sometimes considerably above the ground.” The nest found by Mr. Saunders in the Isle of Wight was a “ mere bottom, lined with dry grass, with an outside border of fine heather-twigs.” The eggs are four to six in number, generally white and unspotted, but sometimes bluish wliite ; the specimen figured by Mr. Hewitson is of a very pale blue : they measure 1’72 to 1'51 inch in length by 1'39 to 1'25 in breadth. While sitting, the female is said by some writers to be attended by the male, who brings food to her ; but I note that Mr. Saunders writes that, in the eourse of many hours’ watching at different times, he “ never observed the male approach the nest as if to bring food or take his turn at incubation.” It is possible, how'ever, that some birds display different propensities to others. I eonclude this article with quoting still fui’ther from the interesting aceount of the nesting of this species in the Isle of Wight, as touching one of the most interesting features in a bird’s economy, viz. its manner of returning to its nest in order not to betray its whereabouts. The writer remarks as follows ; — “ It was most interesting to watch the movements of the Harrier when returning to her nest ; the wide eircles w'hich enabled her to take in the position of any large object on the downs gradually narrowed; then quartering would begin again, to be suceeeded by more circles, till every one might be expected to be the last. Then, perhaps, she would change her mind, and go off for another series of wdde flights ; but when the moment came there w'as no hesitation or hovering, but a sudden closing of the wings as she swept over the spot, and she was down in so stealthy a manner, that if the eye were taken off her for a second, it was impossible to say whether she had settled or merely gone over the brow of the hill again.” CIRCUS MACRURUS. (THE PALE HARRIER.) Accipiier macroums, S. G. Graelin, N. Comm. Petrop. xv. p. 439, pis. viii. & ix. (1771). Circus swainsonii, Smith, S. Afr. Q. Jourii. i. p. 384 (1830) ; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 32 ; Kelaart’s Prodromus, Cat. p. 114 ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1853, xii. p. 104 ; Jerdon, Birds of Ind. i. p. 96 ; Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 298 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 413 ; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p, 10, et 1875, p. 278; Dresser, Ibis, 1875, p. 109 (Severtzoff’s Fauna of Turkestan). Falco herhcccola, Tickell, J. A. S. B. 1833, p, 570. Circus pallidus, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 80; Gould, B. of Europe, i. pi. 34; Hume, Stray Feath. i. p. 160. Circus macrurus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 67 (1874). The FaUid Harrier of some writers; Sicainsons Harrier of others. Fale-chested Harrier in India. White Hawk, Paddy-field Hawk, in Ceylon. Hastmal, Hind.; Puna-Frdndu, Tam., lit. “Cat-Kite;” Pilli-gedda, Tel., also “Cat-Kite.” Boz-Sd, Turkestan, lit. “ Grey Kite.” Kurula-yoya, Ukussa, Sinhalese. Adult male. Length to front of cere 17‘0 to 17‘8 inches; culmen from cere 0‘72 ; wing 13 to 14, averaging about 13-7 ; expanse 42 ; tail 9-0 to 9-5, exceeding the closed wings from 1‘5 to 3‘0 ; tarsus 2-5 to 2’8 ; middle toe 1‘2 to 1'3, claw (straight) 0'6 to 0’65 ; height of biU at cere 0‘38. Female. Wing from 14-2 to 14‘9 inches, averaging about 14'G. Male. Lis golden yellow, very rich in the oldest birds ; cere yellow, tinged with green above ; gape greenish yellow ; bill blackish at top, paling to blue at cere : legs and feet chrome-yellow ; claws black. Head and entire upper surface, including the wing-coverts, bluish ashy, the upper tail-coverts barred with white ; in most examples, except the very oldest, there is a brownish wash on the nape and mantle ; primaries ashy grey, the 3rd, 4th, and oth more or less black, according to age, from the notch to the tip, and white from that part along the inner web to the base ; secondaries ashy grey, tipped pale, and with then inner edges white ; tail pale grey, the three lateral feathers white, and all but the central pair banded with narrow grey bars ; forehead and an ill-defined supercilium, chin, throat, under surface of body, and wings pure white : throat, sides of neck, and chest very pale bluish grey, blending into the white of the lower parts, and with the shafts darker than the webs ; cheeks famtly striated with grey. Young male. Wing in the first year varying from 12’8 to 14-0 inches, quite equal to the adult. Iris greenish, or less bright yellow than in the adult ; cere and eyelid greenish yellow ; bill blackish horn-colour, bluish near the cere ; legs and feet citron-yellow. Above chocolate-brown, with an angular white nuchal patch, and with the upper tail-coverts white, with terminal rufous-brown spots ; the entire upper surface edged with rufous, narrowly on the head, more broadly on the hind neck and lesser wing-coverts, and on the back and scapulars confined chiefly to the tips of the feathers ; quills brown, the iuner webs barred with darker colour, and the interspaces from the notch vqju’ards buff ; a grey wash on the outer webs of the primaries, and the tips, as well as those of the secondaries, pale fulvous ; tail drab-brown on the centre feathers, changing on the three laterals to buff, the tip huffy white, and the whole, with the exception D 18 CIRCUS MACRURUS. of the outer feather, crossed by 4 or 5 bars of dark brown ; a narrow supercilium and a patch below the eye whitish ; lores brown ; a broad brown gular band succeeded by a fulvous, dark-striped ruff ; under surface with the under wing pale uniform rufescent, the shafts of the feathers slightly darker rufous. Between this and the adult grey stage birds are found in great variety of change to the pale plumage ; after the first moult they become ashen brown above, with generally some rufous feathers about the nape ; the up^jer tail- coverts become barred with greyish brown, the central tail-feathers ashy, the three lateral ones whitish, barred with rufous-brown; the quills pale ashy browm at the base; the long primaries black on the terminal half, with their inner edges whitish ; the facial markings become very pale, the throat, fore neck, and chest bluish ashy, the ruff with darkish streaks, and the chest striated with pale brown ; beneath, very pale bluish ashy in some, quite white in others, many specimens, likewise, having rufous shaft-stripes, while others are completely unmarked ; the under tail-coverts pure white. It is in the chest and under surface that the greatest variation takes place. In an example from the Deccan in the British Museum, in the ashen-brov^ n upper ]iluinage of the second year, the entire under surface from the chin, including the under wing-coverts, is pure ivhite, with a few shaft-lines of rufous on the chest and throat ; the tail almost as pale as in the oldest specimens ; the basal part of the web of the inner primary webs partakes of the same albescent character as the under surface, being quite white. Young female. Wing in the first year averaging about l'3-5 inches, but frequently no longer than that of young males. Differs from the young male in being usually of a deeper brown, the wing-coverts very broadly edged with rufous, the upper tail-coverts with browm mesial stripes, and the under surface much darker, of a rich uniform rufous tawny ; the gular band of a very dark brown, contrasting strongly with the whitish cheek-patch. The white nuchal patch varies, but is, I think, stronger, as a rule, than in the young male. Progress towards maturity. In the next stage, the upper surface loses the conspicuous character of the edgings ; the head and hind neck contrast with the back, the latter becoming paler ; the cheeks and gular band remain the same ; but the under surface undergoes a gradual change, commencing with the fading out of the rufous, parti- cularly on the lower parts, leaving this colour confined to the centre of the feather, the fore neck and chest being heavily streaked, and the lower breast and flanks lightly so. The lower parts continue to pale wdth age until, in the oldest birds I have been able to examine in a large series, they become fulvescent white, and are, wdth the under tail- coverts, unmarked, save wdth a few light streaks of pale rufescent ; the throat is marked w ith brownish mesial lines in such examples, and the fore neck and chest with dark browniish streaks on a rufescent ground ; the ruff is greyish, with darker longitudinal spots ; the upper parts are glossy cinereous brown, and the wing-coverts rather darker brown, the broad fulvescent yellow edgings showing more conspicuously even than in young birds ; the nape is light, and the feathers of the head and hind neck edged wdth rufous ; the scapulars and tertials are tipped with a paler hue ; the central tail-feathers are ashen grey, wdth six browm bars, the ground-colour of the three lateral feathers remaining buff ; the forehead and eye- streak are w'hitish, and the gular patch greyish brown. Ohs. This species may be distinguished at all ages from C. cinerarias by'^ its having the tip of the second primary- covert reaching to, or even overlapping, the notch on the second primary, by its closed wdngs not reaching within 1'3 inch of the tip of the tad, and sometimes falling short of it by 3 inches, and by its longer middle toe, this latter not exceeding !•! inch in the last species. In addition to these characteristics, the young, in wliicli alone mistakes are likely to be made, may be recognized at a glance from C. cinerarias by the lighter-coloured ruff contrasting wdth the dark cheek- and ear-patch. Distribution. — This handsome Harrier visits Ceylon, on its southward migration through India, about the commencement of October, and spreads in eonsiderable numbers over tlie whole island, including the mountain-zone to its highest parts. Unlike its congeners, however, it remains behind in the island to a limited extent, those which do not leave being young birds, and they confine themselves in the wet season to the upper regions and the north coasts. Mr. Iloldsw'orth has seen them in Nuwara Elliya in July and August, and I have met with specimens shot at the Elephant plains about the same time. I eannot but think, how'ever, that such occurrences arc rare exceptions, its remaining in Ceylon at this season being a most remarkable feature in this Harrier’s economy. Mr. Holdsworth is an authority for its existence, out of season, in the north, as he observed it at Aripo throughout the year. On the opposite side of the island it is not seen during the S.W. monsoon ; and 1 imagine that it is limited at that time to the north-west coast, on the plains of w'hich, both si)ccics, this and the last, abound, attracted thither, no doubt, by the myriads of lizards wdiich overrun these open wastes. CIRCUS MACEURUS. 19 Besides the above locality, in the north, I have found the Pale Harrier nnnicrons in the Jaffna peninsula and adjacent islands, at Manaar in the open pasture-lands and plains, in the great delta of the Mahawclliganga, and on the south bank of the Virgel, along the seaboard of the Eastern Province, and about the salt lakes or “leways’’^* of the Ilambantota district. In the Western Province it is mostly confined to the paddy-lands and the marshes, round the large brackish lakes on the sea-coast, but in the northern half of the island it is found at all the large tanks of the interior. In the Kandyan Province it frequents the patna-hills and ‘‘ plains ” of the upper ranges, wanders over the open country in the coffee-districts, and is not unfreqncntly foixnd in Dumbara. The Pale Harrier is a bird of wide geographical range during the cold season of the northern hemisphere ; and though it perhaps does not cover as much ground as its near ally the Hen-Harrier, its southern limits are more extended. It is common in some parts of Europe, and absciit from other portions of that continent, not visiting, for instance, the British Isles. Lord Lilford does not seem to have noticed it in Spain, and Messrs. Harvie Brown and Hanford found it rare in 'I’l-ausylvania. In the small island of Heligoland Mr. Giitke records its occurrence. From Europe it extends southw'ards through Egypt and Eastern Africa to Cape; Colony, and eastwards through Palestine, where Canon Tristram found it common, to Persia and Turkestan, in which latter highland Mr. Severtzoff and Dr. Scully observed it. Throughout India it is more or less abundant in the cold season, extending into Burmah and thence into China, where it has been procured on the Yangtsze river. In the peninsula of India it docs not appear to remain in the breeding-season, Messrs. Adam, Butler, Ball, and others recording it only during the cool weather ; and this makes its occurrence in Ceylon, the most southerly limit of its range, all the more strange during the south-west monsoon. Habits. — Swainson^s Harrier does not frequent openly-timbered plains or scrubby land, the favourite haunts of the last species, so much as swamps, marshes, rice-fields, and pasture-land, more particularly those in the vicinity of water. It passes most of its time on the wing, and rarely perches on any thing higher than a fence, preferring to rest from its labours on terra firma. Few, if any, of the Harriers exceed it in grace and ease of movement, and none are so skilful in sailing along close to the ground, or gliding with motionless wings just above the tops of the reeds or long swamp-grass. On espying its prey it suddenly closes its wings, or makes a cpiick turn, and drops like a stone upon the ground. By the margin of the extensive salt lakes on the Magam Pattu I have witnessed its powers of flight to great advantage. It would suddenly come into view above the top of the surrounding jungle, and sweep instantly down to the sui’face of the plain, along which it would skim for several hundred yards without any movement of its wings, and as easily rise over ati intervening strip of wood, again to descend with rapid swoop, and glide along the shore of the glistening salt-pan, until, with a sudden but easy turn, it would commence to quarter backwards and forwards in search of food. Its favourite diet consists of the lizards {Calotes) which sAvarm on the open land in Ceylon; but it likewise captures mice in long grass, and frogs or beetles in the marshes which it frequents. I once shot one at Jaffna in the act of swooping down on a wounded Gull-billed Tern ; but its movement was most likely one of curiosity, as it would have had some difficulty in disposing of such large qiiarry. It must nevertheless frequently have the opportunity of picking up wounded or sickly birds of small size. It roosts on the ground; and Jerdon remarks that it is sometimes surprised at night by a jackal or fox. It has the same silent habit as other Harriers. Nidif cation. — It has been clearly ascertained that this species does not breed within the limits of the Indian empire, in which very few specimens are seen after the month of April ; and this fact renders its remaining in Ceylon during its regular nesting-season all the more singnlar. The birds that frequent the Indian region may no doubt breed in Kasgharia or in the steppes of Siberia; but I do not observe any account of its nidifi- cation in the writings of those who have visited the Central-Asian region. Its only known breeding-haunts are the steppes of South-eastern Russia, whence Dr. Brce figures two interesting specimens of its eggs in his 'Birds of Europe.'’ These are : — (I) pure Avhite, unspotted; (2) white, with a fcAv pale reddish blotches of moderate size, some of which are confluent round the small end. They measure I’75 by i’3 inch, and I’8 by I '35 inch. The nest is placed most likely on the ground among bushes and the stunted growth dotting the barren Russian steppes. D 9 * iSballow lagoons in which the annual salt formations take place. ACCIPITRES. FALCONIDA^. accipitrina:. Genus AkSTUR. Bill stouter than in the last genus, with the culmen not descending so suddenly from the base ; festoon tolerably pronounced ; cere large ; nostrils oval, unprotected by bristles ; lores scantily plumed. Wings short and rounded, the 4th and 5th quills subequal and longest, the first a little longer than half the fifth. Tarsus short, moderately stout, covered in front and behind with large transverse scutse, or with a smooth plate in front as in the subgenus Scelospizias. Toes short, the inner toe reaching to the last joint of the middle one, the outer one slightly longer ; claws well curved and acute. ASTUR TRIVIRGATUS. (THE CRESTED GOSHAWK.) Falco trivirgatns, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 303 (1824). Astur trivirgatus, Cuv. Reg. An. i. p. 332 (1829) ; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 27 ; Kelaart’s Prodromus, Cat. p. 105 ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1853, xii. p. 104 ; Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 47 ; Schl. Mus. P.-B. Astiires, p. 22; id. Vog. Nederl. Ind., Valkv. pp. 18, 57, pi. 10; Holdsworth, P. Z. vS. 1872, p. 410; Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 105 (1874). Astur palumhar his ^ Jerd. Madr. Journ. x. p. 85 (1839). Lophospizia trivirgatus, Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 116; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 35. Lophospiza trivirgata^ David & Oustalet, Ois. de la Chine, p. 22 (1877). SparroiD-IIawk, Europeans in Ceylon. Three-streaked Kestrel, Kelaart. Gor-Besra, H., lit. “ Mountain Besra ; ” Kokila dega, Tel., lit. “ Cuckoo Hawk ” {apud Jerdon). Ukussa, Sinhalese. Adult male. Length to front of cere 14-25 to 14-8 inches; cnlineu from cere 0-7 to 0-78; wing 7-5 to 8-3; tail 0-25 to 7-0 ; tarsus 2-0 to 2-2 ; mid toe 1-1 to 1-2, its claw (straight) 0-5 to 0-58 ; hind claw (straight) 0-77 ; height of bill at cere 0‘45. Adult female. Length to front of cere 14-8 to 15-0 inches; culmen from cere 0'8; wing 8-0 to 8-5; tail 6-5 to 7'2 ; tarsus 2'2 to 2’4 ; mid toe’ 1-35, claw (straight) 0-6 ; hind claw 0'85. Ohs. The above measurements are from a series of Ceylonese and Indian birds, including several examples from Malacca. Some birds from Malaya (Borneo, for instance) have the wing more than 9 inches in the female. ASTUR TRIYIEGATUS. 21 Iris golden yellow, in some examples beautifully pencilled with brown at the exterior edge ; cere, gape, and eyelid greenish yellow, in some yellow ; bill dark bluish brown, pale at the base, and with the tip blackish ; legs and feet sickly or, sometimes, gamboge-yellow. Hind neck, back, and wings glossy brown, in some old specimens with an ashen hue pervading these parts; forehead, crown, nape, crest, and face cinereous brown, generally with an ashen hue, particularly above and behind the eye ; the crest, which is usually from 1 1 to 1 J inch in length, springs from the nape ; upper tail-coverts deep brown, with the longer feathers broadly tipped with white ; primaries and secondaries barred with dark brown, the under surface of the brown interspaces whitish ; tail light drab-brown above and pale grey below, with a pale tip and four dark-brown bars ; in tbe female there is usually a fifth bar concealed beneath the coverts. Chin, throat, and under surface, from the chest downwards, white ; a bold dark-brown chin-stripe, and the longer edge of the cheeks equally dark, generally forming a gular stripe ; chest brownish rufous, the centres of many of the feathers darker than the edges ; breast and Hanks rather closely barred with deep brown ; the thighs more closely barred with narrower bands of the same ; under tail-coverts, in the female, with a few terminal bars of brown ; under wing-coverts white, spotted with brown. In a younger but still mature phase (in which I have found birds paired) the feathers of the lower part of the throat and centre of chest have broad white edges and bold central drops of dark brown, which pale off into rufous towards the sides of the chest, and there spread over the entire feather ; the breast and flanks openly barred with broad bands of sepia-brown, and the thighs narrowly barred, generally, with a darker hue. This appears to be the commonest phase of what may be called the mature dress, the uniform-chested birds being rarely met with. Youncf. Iris greenish yellow, sometimes mottled with brown ; cere and eyelid greener than in the adult ; legs and feet greenish yellow. The nestling in first plumage is light smoky brown above, the bases and edges of the feathers very pale ; head and crest very dark, the bases of the feathers tawny; quills barred much as in the adidt, but the inner edges and interspaces white, shaded with tawny grey ; tips of the secondaries and their coverts and those of the upper tail- coverts pale ; tail light drab-brown, with either three or four visible bars across the centre, and an additional one at the base of the two lateral feathers ; beneath white (some examples are much coloured with a rufous hue), the fore neck and chest boldly streaked with dark brown, and the rest marked with oval, lighter brown spots ; thigh- coverts barred with darker brown than the breast-spots. The change towards the adult dress takes place by the darkening of the upper surface and the tips of the upper tail- coverts gradually becoming whiter ; the sides of the chest at the same time become uniform rufous-brown, this colour spreading by degrees over the entire feather, except at the inner edge ; the breast and flank-markings turn into bars, at first broad and far between, and then narrower, darker, and closer together. Ohs. Tbe larger Nepal race, originally described as Spizaetus rufitinctus by M‘Clelland, has the wing varying, according to Mr. Hume, from 9‘3 to lO-O inches, while Jerdon gives that of a female as 11‘5. Several examples I have measured in the British Museum exceed 10, and differ in the character of their plumage as well. Mr. Sharpe now considers this a good species, and Mr. Hume has always accepted it as such. Above, these birds are a more ruddy brown than the smaller species ; there is no ashy tint ; the upper tail-coverts and tail are tipped with a more subdued colour ; the neck and chest are marked with very broad rufescent brown drops on a buff-white ground, and the markings of the under surface have a more rufescent character than in the small bird. Some Malayan specimens of the latter race which I have examined exhibit a marked similitude to these Himalayan birds in their coloration ; and on the whole the South-Indian and Ceylonese races are the darkest, and more nearly resemble each other than those from any other two localities. The Tormosan bird is evidently a larger race than ours, as Mr. Swinhoe records a female with a wing of 9-0 (Ibis, 1866, p. 395). Distribution.— -Y\\e Crested Goshawk is widely dispersed tliroiigli the low country, inhabiting those parts which are covered with forest or heavy jungle. It is found pretty generally all through the jungles to the north of the Deduru Oya ; but I do not think it occurs in the Jaffna peninsula. In the wilds of the Eastern Province, and the thickly wooded country to the south of Ilaputale, it is tolerably frequent, hut difficult of observation on account of its sylvan propensities. It is liable to be met with in most of the isolated forests or reserves in the Western Province, such as the Ambepussa Hills, the Ikkade Barawe forest near Ilanwella, but chiefly, according to my own observations, during the north-east monsoon ; the same may be said of the south-western corner of the island, where, from November until May, I have known it to occur about Amhlangoda, Baddegama, and as near Galle as the Government reserve at Kottowe. Further inland, in 90 ASTUR TEIVIEGATUS. the jungles of the Pasdun Korale and the district of Saffragam, it is doubtless resident and breeds. In the Peak Forests it is likewise not uncoinmon. As regards its range into the mountain-zone I do not know of its having been found above 3500 feet. About the neighbourhood of Kandy, and at Nilambc and Deltota, it is frequently shot, there being in general one or two examples in Messrs. Whyte and Co.’s establishment. The Gor-Besra, as it is called in India, is spread over the peninsular portion of the empire, inhabiting the Nilghiris perhaps more commonly than other wooded regions. It docs not appear to be an abundant species, as but few instances of its occurrence arc recorded in ‘ Stray Feathers,’ wdiercas frequent mention is made of its northern ally from the Himalayas, Nepal, Kumaon, and Assam. Our bird appears to be found in Pegu, as it is included in Mr. Oates’s list, and to the south-east of Bui-mah it seems to have a very extended I’ange, inhabiting Malacca, Java, Sumatra, portions of Borneo and the Philippine Islands, together with Formosa. From the island of Sumatra it seems to have been first knowm, Cuvier giving that island as its sole habitat. It does not extend eastwards from Burmah towards China, which is a singular feature in its distri- bution, seeing that it has such an extensive south-easterly range. Pere David did not meet with it anywhere in the latter country •, nor did Mr. Swinhoe in all his experience on the coast of the Celestial Empire. Habits. — This bold bird is almost entirely a denizen of the forest, in the tallest trees of which I have usually met with it, giving out its shrill monosyllabic scream (or, more properly speaking, whistle) as a call-note, perhaps, to its mate, or in defiance of the group of small birds which veiy frequently are found haranguing it at a respectful distance. In this latter respect it much resembles its smaller cousin, the Besra [Accipiter virgatus) ; for I have more than once found it surrounded by a host of angry White-eyebrowed and Forest Bulbuls*, accompanied by one or two equally energetic Kingcrows, darting and flying round in the highest state of excitement, while the Goshawk, with an air of injured innocence, sat stolidly on the capacious limb of some enormous Koombook tree, screaming at its tormentors to the utmost of its powers. This habit of the small birds, I must here state, carries with it some amount of injustice ; for though this hawk is frequently given a bad character for not respecting tbe life of his feathered friends, and appropriating for his larder sundry small chickens, pigeons, and that ilk, I have invariably found his food to consist of lizards, to none of which is he so partial as to the Green Calotes {Calotes viridis). I have shot him in the forests of the ^’anni, sereaming with delight over a brilliantly green Lizard which hung, pinned by his talons, to a branch, while his stomach was crammed Avith just such another. Layard, in his ‘ Notes on Ceylon Ornithology,’ says that it SAvoops down to the poultry-yard from “ some toAvering tree or butting rock, and, despite the fury and resistance of the faithful mother, rendered fiercer by despair, the foe generally carries off one, if not tAvo, of her family.” Jerdon also remarks, in the 'Birds of India,’ that "it is not very rare in the Neilgherries, and occa- sionally commits depredations on pigeons and chickens, making a pounee on them from a considerable height. It generally keeps to the woods or their skirts, dashing on birds sometimes from a percli on a tree, but generally circling over the Avoods, aiid making a sudden pounce on any suitable prey that offers itself.” Layard says that they are used by native falconers in Ceylon for hunting, and mentions that he saAv one at Anaradjapura, which had been hoodwinked by having its eyelids scAvn up, " the thread running through tliem so as to draAV the edges together at pleasure.” I have seldom seen it fly any distance, nor observed it far away from the outskirts of Avoods ; but its progression from point to point in the forest is swift and performed Avith quick beatings of the Avings. It Avas formerly, according to Jerdon, used for falconry in India, and Avas taught to strike Partridges. Nulijication. — The nest of the Crested Goshawk does not appear to have ever been found. j\Ir. Hume has not succeeded in eliciting any information from his numerous correspondents concerning its nidification ; and all avc knoAV concerning its breeding is AA'hat Layard tells us — that it nests in the " holes and crevices of j)rccij)itous rocks.” * Ixus luteolas and Criniger ictericus. ASTUR RADIUS. (THE INDIAN GOSHAWK.) Falco badius, Gm. S. N. i. p. 280 (1788). Accipiter duJchunensis^ Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 79. Accipiter badiiis, Strickl. Ann. N. H. xiii. p. 33 (1844); Kelaart’s Prodromus, Cat. p. 115; Layard, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1853, xii. p. 104. Micronisus badius, Bp. Consp. i. p. 33; Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 48; Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 117; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411; Hume, Nests and Eggs, i. p. 24; Legge, Ibis, 1875, p. 276. Astur badius, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 109 (1874) ; David and Oustalet, Ois. de la Chine, p. 24. Scelospizias badius, Gurney, Ibis, 1875, p. 360. The Brown Hawk, Brown, 111. Zool. p. 6, pi. 3 (1776). The Shikra, Jerdon. Indian Sparrow-Hawk, popularly in India. Shikra (female), Chipka (male). Hind. ; Chinna-Wallur, Tam. [apud Jerdon). Broims Sparrow-Hawk, Kelaart. Ukussa, Sinhalese south of Ceylon ; Kurula-goija in north. Adult male. Length to front of cere 11'5 to 12-8 inches ; culmen from cere 0*6 to 0‘63 ; wing 6‘9 to 7'9 ; tail 5-.5 to 6’2; tarsns Iwo to 1’9 ; middle toe I'O to 1‘12, its claw (straight) 0'4 to 0'45 ; hind toe O’fi, its claw (straight) 0'6 ; height of bill at cere 0'34 to 0‘36. The largest examples do not equal those from Northern India ; the average length of wing of Ceylonese birds is about 7'3. Iris usually light crimson or orange-red, in very old examples fine crimson ; cere and orbitar skin greenish yellow, the top of the generally greenish bill bluish, darkening at the tip ; tarsi and feet yellow, the front of the tarsus streaked with greenish. Above bluish ashy, palest on the rump and upper tail-coverts ; top of the head and the nape shaded with brownish, and a ruddy tinge generally on the hind neck ; quills ashy brown, the inner webs for two thirds of their length from the base edged and barred with white, the brown interspaces being darker than the rest of the feather ; beyond the notch there are indications of darkish bars ; tertials and scapidars with a large concealed w'hite patch down their centres : tail bluish grey, tipped with whitish ; central feathers unbarred, but slightly darker towards the tip ; the outer feathers with faint brown bars towards the base of the inner web, the next with five bars on the same web ; the two adjacent with four, which sometimes extend to the outer web ; the barring of the outer tad -feathers varies in extent even in birds which are similarly pale throughout their plumage ; lores greyish ; chin and gorge white ; cheeks, ear-coverts, and a narrow chin-stripe cinereous grey ; chest, breast, and flanks pale sienna-colour, narrowly barred with white, which in no two specimens is alike*, being in some open and in others very close, particularly on the chest ; belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts, with the sides of the upper coverts, white, the bars gradually fading out on the lower breast ; under wing and lower surface of quills rufesceut white. In a slightly younger stage of the adult plumage the upper surface is darker and pervaded w ith a cinereous hue ; the bars on the inner web of the outer tail-feather extend nearly to the tip, and on the adjacent one there are as many as in the young bird. Adult female. Length to front of cere 12'6 to 13'8 ; culmen from cere 0’C3 to 0'65 ; wing 7*7 to 8'2 ; tail 6’5 to 6‘8 ; tarsus 2-0 to 2-2 ; mid toe 1-25. lemales, except perhaps those that are very old, are browner on the upper surface than males ; the barring of the under * Li one remarkable specimen from Uva the entire under surface, from the throat to the lower breast, is openly barred, the width of the white bands being the same throughout. 24 ASTUE BADIUS. surface is bolder, and the brown bands have a more perceptible dark edging ; tliey are also variable in hue, and are continued more to the lower parts than in the other sex, some examples liaving the thigh-coverts barred like the flanks ; the outer tail-feathers, as demonstrated by Ceylonese examples at any rate, are seldom without very narrow bars on the inner webs. Ohs. A very marked difference exists between fully-aged birds and those that have just assumed the barred phase ; in the latter the upper surface is very browm, and the bands of the lower surface are far a])art and conspicuously edged w ith browm, giving the wdiole an umber rather than a sienna appearance. In this stage Ceylonese examples of this Hawk resemble, on their under surface, the race characterized by Mr. Hume, in ‘ Stray Feathers ’ (vol. ii. p. 325), under the name of Micronisus poliopsis, and to which he contends the Pegu birds belong. The diagnosis of this species is, “Very similar to M. hadius, Gmel., but larger, the adult males a paler and purer grey, wanting the nuchal rufescent collar and the central throat-stripe, and with the cheeks and ear-coverts unicolorous wdth the crowm.” The young birds are also described as having no more than four bauds on the central tail-feathers, instead of five or six as in M. hadius, and “ in both sexes the barring of the lower surface seems on the whole broader and more strongly marked than in any specimens of true haditis.” As regards the latter feature Mr. Sharpe remarks (Cat. Birds, i. p. 110) that it is “ banded with broader and brighter vinous bands than its near ally.” The absence of the throat-stripe and the few caudal bars are valuable characteristics in differentiating it from Ceylonese M. hadius, but not so the vinous bauds ; in this respect M. hadius ajjpears to vary to a considerable extent, particularly as regards birds not fully aged ; and this inclined Mr. Gurney to consider the Ceylonese example spoken of (he.) to belong to the ptoliopsis race. I have, however, showm him specimens in my collection exhibiting this peculiarity, aud he now considers it to be of no specific value. Young. These attain the full dimensions in the first year. Iris, at first greenish j'ellow, changing to saffron-yellow w'ith age, and passing then through various shades of orange to the red hue of old birds ; cere aud orbitar skin greenish, changing to yellow ; legs and feet greenish yellow, the feet changing first to the adult yellow, and then the posterior part of the tarsus ; bill, dark brown, wdth the base only bluish. Head, upper surface, with the wdng-coverts rich browm, pervaded with an ashy hue, and conspicuously edged with brow'uish rufous, which, on the scapulars aud tertials, is fulvesceut, and across the hind neck often pales into whitish ; the basal portion of tlie feathers is wdiite, which shows more on the latter part than elsewhere ; forehead, face, aud above the eye buff-wFite, striated with browm, wFich coalesces on the ear-coverts with the rufous-browm of the sides of the head ; quills brown, crossed by narrow dark bars (faint towards the tips), which show as blackish brown on the buff uuder-wdug. Tail brownish grey, crossed on both w'ebs of all but the lateral feathers with brown bars ; these are usually five in number on the central feathers in the male, and six in the female, the basal bar lying beneath the coverts ; on the remaining feathers the number varies, the penultimate in some examples having no more than the central feather, while others have six or seven according to sex. Throat, fore neck, and under surface buff-wFite, the first-named part wdth a browm centre-stripe, aud the rest of the feathers down to the belly with large umber-brown “ drops ” and dark shafts ; these vary much in individuals — pale and narrow in some, dark and heavy in others, particularly on the chest ; on the thighs and lower parts they narrow almost into stripes ; under tail-coverts, in pale examples pure wdiite, in dark, heavily-marked birds wdth narrow mesial stripes of browm. In the younger stages the drops have a constant tendency to turn into bars, these latter being most prevalent on the flanks ; many birds, I believe, have a tendency to the bar-like form of marking from the first, although this does not lead to any quicker or more gradual assumption of the sienna barring, [leculiar to the adult plumage ; for this is put on by a moult at once throughout the wdiole under surface, wdiich takes place in some birds wdiile the upper surface is still in the immature dress, and is sometimes mingled with the chest-drops aud bold dark bars of the flanks. At this fii'st moult to the adult dress the cheeks are generally streaked wdth brown on a pale ground. Distribution. — The Sliikra is distributed throughout the island, extending iijto and resident in most parts of the Kandyan Provinee. On the Nnwara Elliya plateau I have not observed it ; but it is no doubt a visitant to that elevated region during the dry season. It is not uncommon on the Fort MacDonald patnas, and I have procured it on Naniooni-Kuli Mountain, near Badnlla, which has an elevation of more than 0000 feet; it is also met with in Dimbnlla and the Knuckles district, so that it may be said generally to affect the mountain- zone. In the interior of the lowlands it is resident ; and during the north-cast monsoon it is common in the cultivated districts round the sea-coast, taking up its abode in the vicinity of human habitations. It is fond of e^stablishiug itself" on clilfs, such as those at Triucomalie, and is frequently seen about the ramparts at Gallc and ASTUR RADIUS. 25 Jaffna. In tlie early part of ^lay it retires into the interior to breed, and is not seen about its maritime haunts until October. In spite of this local migration to the sea-coast, the Sliikra may be found throughout the year, in spots suitable to its habits, in most of the inland districts. In the Eastern Province I found it tolerably frequent in October, hut scarcely met with it at all during two trips to the south-eastern forest districts. In the Western Province it is an inhabitant of the cocoa-nut districts bordering the sea-coast, retiring for the most part into the interior, as is the case on the east coast, during the south-west monsoon. The Shikra is found pretty well all over the plains of India from the extreme south to the Himalayas, into which it ascends to an elevation of 5000 feet. It is a hiz’d of local distrihiztion, notwithstanding its extensive habitat. IMr. Hume speaks of it in Sindh as being not uncommon in the cultivated portions, hut not found in the “ desert or rocky tracts.” Mr. V. Ball, again, says that it has a somewhat local distribution “ in the large district of Chota Nagpur.” It extends into Burraah and Malayana, and thence, according to Pere David, into China, that is, if all the birds found in these regions belong to the true hadius I’ace ; westward of Sindh it is found as far as Afghaizistan ; hut this, I believe, is its furthest limit. Habits. — This intei’esting little Hawk may be observed iiz eveiy variety of situation but heavy forest. Cliffs on the sea-coast, I’ocky eminences in the intei’ioi', isolated gi’oves of trees, cocoa-nut compounds suiTounding native villages, the boi’dei’s of paddy-fields and cinnamon-plantations dotted with large ti’ees, arc aiuong the localities Avhich it frequents. In the wilder parts of the country it is pai’tial to “ cheenas”* and new clearings in the forest, where it may be seen flying rapidly from tree to tree, or seated on a blackened stump discussing the remains of some lusty lizai’d. It afiects coftee-plaiztations in the hills and bushy patnas, and is often seen in the vicinity of the bungaloAvs, on the look-out, pei’haps, for stray chickeizs. Its favourite diet is the ubi- quitous lizard [Calotes], the I’emains of which I have found in every example dissected. It feeds also on mice and large beetles ; and I once shot one on the Fort-MacDonald patnas in the act of darting at a Bullzul. It no doubt captui’cs bii’ds when pi’essed with hungci’, but small reptiles and insects form the better part of its sustenance. It is commonly trained in India, and is taught to catch small game-bii’ds ; but its courageous disposition pi’ompts it to attack (according to Jei’don) even young Pea-fowl and small Herons.” It is a pei’sistent tormentor of both the Common and the Carrion-CroAV in Ceylon, and may be often seen pui’suing them high in the air, darting at them fi’om above and beneath, much to the discomfitzzi'e of the “ Corbies,” Avho usually escape by a sudden swoop into the trees below. Its flight is a steady, sti’aight-on-cnd movement, performed Avith ([uick beatings of the Avings j but it sometimes soai’s to a considerable height, making quick cii’cles, and then suddenly SAVoops dowui, alighting in an adjacent ti’ee. It is a vei’y noisy bird, making its shi’ill tAvo-note whistle or scream heai’d for some distance, and fui’nishing a capital sound for the clever imitative poAvei’S of the Green Bulbul {Phyllornis jerdoni) . IMr. Ball I’emai’ks of it, in his avifauna of Chota Nagpur Sti’ay Eeathei’s,'’ 1874), ‘^Ghat at the season of the jungle-fii’cs numbers of these bii’ds assemble to hunt the grasshoppers and other orthoptei’ous insects Avhich ai’e compelled to take flight befoi’e the advancing flames.” Another Avritei’, IMr. Thompson, says that they are very fond of fi’ogs. Nidification. — I have never succeeded in getting the eggs of this Hawk in Ceylon, though it must breed freely in tbe interior and not vei’y far from the sea-coast. The nesting-season, I have ascertained from dissection of many examples, is from April to June; and it retires to sequestered jungles to rear its young, as I haA’e met Avith it in the Avilds of the interior at this season in a state of breeding. In India it breeds in April and May, and, in some parts, in June. The nest, writes Mr. Hume, ‘Ms usually placed in a fork high up and near the top of the tree. It is but loosely built of twigs and smaller sticks, lined Avith fine grass-roots, and averages about 10 inches in diameter.” As architects he does not attribute to them much talent, remarking that they take “ a full month in iirepariug their nest, only putting in two or three tAvigs a day, which they place and replace as if they were very particular and had a great eye for a handsome nest ; whereas, after all their fuss and bother, the nest is a loose ragged-looking affair, that no respectable croAv Avould condescend to lay in!” The eggs are usually three, but sometimes four; they are oval in shape and smooth in texture ; they are delicate, pale bluish Avhite, either devoid of markings or sprinkled openly througliout with faint greyish specks and spots. They average 1’55 by 1’22 inch. Laud cleared by the natives for the purposes of cultiA ation. E ACCIPITRES. FALCONIDiE. ACCIPITRIN/E. Genus ACCIPITER. Bill slightly shorter and more feeble than in festoon equally prominent. Nostrils large, oval, protected by the loral plumes. Wings similar to Astur, but the first quill longer ; tail longer. Tarsi long, slender, the scutee less pronounced ; middle toe long, the inner reaching only to the first joint. Structurally of slender form. ACCiriTEE VIEGATUS. (THE JUNGLE SPARROW-HAWK.) Falco virgatus, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 109 (1823). Accignter virgatus, Vig. Zool. Journ. i. p. 338 (1824); Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 22 (1849); Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 52; Hume, Eough Notes, i. p. 132; Jerd. Ibis, 1871, p. 243; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411 (first record from Ceylon); Hume, Stray Feathers, 1874, p. 141 ; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 10, and 1875, p. 276 ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 150; Gurney, Ibis, 1875, pp. 480-83; David and Oustalet, Ois. de la Chine, p. 26 (1877). ^isus virgatus. Less. Man. d’Orn. i. p. 97 (1828); Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. Ind., Valkv. pp. 20, 59, pi. 12. figs. 1-4 (1866). Accipiter stevensoni, Gurney, Ibis, 1863, p. 447, pi. xi. Accipiter hesra, Jerd. Madr. Journal, x. p. 84 (1839); id. 111. Ind. Orn. pi. 4 (1847). The Besra Sparrow-Ilauilc, Jerdon; Besra, popularly in India. Besra (female), Bhoti (male). Hind, {cipud Jerdon). Jungle- II aivJc, Europeans in Ceylon. Yao, Chinese at Pekin (Pere David). llhissa, Sinhalese. Adult male (Ceylon). Length to front of cere 10-0 to 10'3 ; ciilmen from cere 0*5 ; wing 6'0 to 6‘4 ; tail 4'6 to o'O ; tarsus 1’9 to 2-0.5 ; middle toe 1-2 to 1-25, its claw (straight) 0-35 to 0-4 ; height of bill at cere 0-27. Iris yellow ; cere, loral skin, and eyelid yellow ; the top of the cere sometimes greenish ; bill dark horn, base and near the gape bluish ; front of tarsus greenish yellow ; posterior part with the sides of the toes and the soles lemon- yellow. In the fully ayed bird the head, hind neck, back, and wings are very dark ashen, the head deeper than the rest and concolorous \vdth the cheeks and ear-coverts ; frequently a brownish wash is perceptible on the back ; the hind neck ACCIPITER VIEGATUS. 27 often with a rufous hue ; quills brown, with a series of faint lighter bars, which show whitish beneath on the terminal half and buff towards the base; secondaries and tertials barred near the inner edge with white ; tail brownish ashy above, tipped pale and crossed with four dark bands, the terminal one at the tip and the basal sometimes concealed beneath the coverts ; on the inner web of the lateral feathers there are five indistinct bands, which fade out entirel}' in very old birds. Chin and throat buff-white, with a broad central stripe of dark slate-colour ; chest, sides of breast, and flanks uniform rufous, or sometimes with a few white streaks, caused by the edges of underlying broun-centred feathers ; centre of the breast and the belly barred \^ ith rufous on a white ground ; thighs rufous, barred slightly vith pale grey : under tail-coverts pure white ; lower surface of the tail grey; under wing-coverts buff-white, spotted with brown. Ohs. The under surface varies considerably in birds which have not quite reached the above fullj^-matured dress ; these have usually an ashen hue on the sides of chest, the edges of centre chest-feathers white, and the middle of the lower breast and belly plainly barred with rufous ashen. Other examples have the white barring continued across the whole breast to the flanks, and in these the thighs are boldly barred. Adult female. Length to front of cere 13‘0 to 13’3 ; culmen from cere 0-52 : wing 7'5 to 8-0; tail G'O to G‘5 ; tarsus 2‘2 to 2‘4 ; extent of wing 24'0 to 25‘5. Ceylon females do not often exceed 7‘G in the wing, the above limit applying to a fine specimen from N’orthern India in the British Museum. Iris yellow, in some orange-yellow, with a dark outer rim occasionally ; bill, legs, and feet as in male. Hind neck, back, and wings smoky brown, but the head and nape similar to those of the male ; the cheeks and ear-coverts paler than the crown ; the light portions of the tail have the same smoky hue instead of being ashy as in the male : throat, fore neck, and centre of the chest white, the latter part boldly dashed with dark brown, running into the broad chin-stripe above ; sides of the fore neck and chest rufous, the latter, together with the breast, flanks, and lower parts, boldly barred with white, the interspaces being rufous on the upper parts, and rufous ashen on the belly and thighs ; under tail-coverts white, in some with terminal streaks of brown ; under v'ing-coverts as in the male. The female appears never to acquire the uniform rufous breast of the male ; and the above description i*epresents, I ACCIPITER NISUS. (the SrAEROW-HAWK.) Falco nisus, Linn. S. X. i. p. 130 (17G6). Acci^nter nisus, Pall. Zoogr. Rosso-As. i. p. 370 ; Gray, Gen. Birds, i. p. 29, pi. 10. fig. 4; Kelaart’s Prodromus, Cat. p. 115 ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 104 ; Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 51 ; Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 124 ; Sharpe and Dresser, B. of Europe, pt. ix. ; Sljar])e, Cat. Birds, i. p. 132 (1874). Baslia (female), Bashin (male). Hind., Jerdon ; Karyhai, Turki (Scully). Adult female (India). Length to front of cere 14-0 to lG-0 inches ; culmen 0-55; wing 8-0 to 10-0 ; tail 7'5 to 8-0 ; tarsus 2-3 to 2‘5 ; middle toe I'G to 1-8, claw (straight) 0-5 ; height of bill at cere 0‘3. Adult male (India). Length to front of cere 11’8 to 12-2; culmen from cere 0-5; wing 8’0 to 8-3; tail G'O to G-4 ; tarsus 2-2 to 2-3 ; middle toe 1‘35. Iris varying from saffron-yellow to orange-yellow ; cere yellow ; bill dark horn, bluish at the base ; legs and feet gamboge-yellow ; claws black. Male. Above dusky slate-colour, darkest on the head, and more so on the upper back than on the rump ; the feathers at the sides of the hind neck edged with rufous, and those at the back with white bases ; quills ashy brown, the terminal portions of the primary outer webs greyish, the inner webs barred widely with brown and white internally towards the base ; tail greyish brown, with four or five brown bars, the subtcrminal one the broadest. A lightish space just above the lores ; cheeks and ear-coverts more or less rufous ; throat w'hitish, washed with rufous E 2 28 ACCIPITEE VIEGATUS. think, the limit of this coloration. It is taken from a bird shot near Trincomalie, containing an egg ready for expulsion ; and Mr. Sharpe, with his wide experience of the Accipitrinse, remarked of this specimen that it was one of the oldest he had ever seen. Young. Iris greenish yellow, sometimes mottled with brown specks ; cere dull brownish green or greenish yellow ; eyelid yellowish green ; legs and feet greener in front than in adults ; bill duskier. lilt bird of the year has the head and nape deep brown, tinged with ashen ; a whitish eye- stripe or supercilium ; the bases of the nape-feathers white, showing on the surface more or less ; the U2)per surface is chocolate-brown, edged wdth Imownish rufous, brightest on the hind neck (and deeper throughout in the female) ; tips of the secondaries and tertials paler than those of the back feathers ; quills barred with dark brown, the interspaces whitish at the inner edges ; tail pale smoky, crossed by four bands, as broad as the interspaces, the terminal one at the tip ; the inner web of the lateral feathers with 5 or 6 narrow light bars. Throat and entire under surface buff-white, the chest and upper breast-feathers edged with rufescent buff or yellowish buff (in the female) ; a broad throat-stripe and long oval drops on tlie necli and chest of sepia-brown ; the sides of the latter part brownish rufous ; the lower parts with rounder spots of a lighter hue ; flanks barred with rufous- brown ; thighs with bold spots of brown ; under tail-coverts narrowly streaked with the same ; under wing-coverts buff, handsomely spotted with dark brown. Ohs. In this species a great variety of coloration in the plumage of the male is met with between the youngest phase and that noticed above of moderately mature birds, but notwithstanding the rufous character of the chest commences directly to assert itself, and serves to distinguish it from the opposite sex. By a change of feather in the first year the sides of the chest become rufous, the centre of the breast assumes a bar-like form of markbig, while the flanks and thigh-coverts become regularly banded with rufous-brown. After the next moult the white centre of the chest becomes dashed with rufous and ashen streaks, and the flanks and sides of the breast assume their rufous covering, and present the appearance described above in not fully matured males ; this is accompanied by the assumption of the cinereous upper surface and the consequent disappearance of the rufous edgings. In some birds of the second year the chest is striped with rufous, and the surrounding white portions of the feathers washed with the same. 3Ialabar specimens are identical in size and character with Ceylonese ; and an example from Chefoo in the British Museum corresponds as regards size with birds from Ceylon. Distribution. — The Besra was first recorded as a Ceylonese bird by Mr. Holdsworth (/. c.). It is, however, a common species in the island, and, as Mr. Holdsworth remarks, may have been the bird referred to by and with the shafts dusky; chest, breast, flanks, and lower parts whitish, barred somewhat narrovdy with rufous- brown bars edged with rufous ; on the sides of the chest the bars are broadest, and on the abdomen they are wide apart; thighs narrowly barred, the insides more or less tinged with rufous, and a patch of the same on the lower part of each flank ; under tail-coverts whitish or rufescent white, banded with narrow pointed bars of brown. Examples with marked rufous cheeks have the rufous portions of the lower parts and the under wing-coverts of a coiresponding intensity. Female. Less ashy above, the head and hind neck dark as in the male, and the latter part much edged with rufous in some examples ; tail with an additional bar, there being always five on the central feathers ; the markings of the under surface are browner, the darker hue predominating on the bars, which are only edged with rufous, and which are likewise more pointed than in the male ; the chin and throat fulvous, with dark shafts to the feathers ; under wdng-coverts white, barred with dark brown. Young (nestling). “ Clothed with white down ; the feathers of the back deep sepia-brown, with rufous margins ; breast fulvous fawm, the chest longitudinally streaked with brown, inclining to arrow-head markings on the abdomen and to bars on the flanks.” {Sharpe, Cat. Birds.) Bird of the year. Iris paler yellow than in the adult ; bill paler and yellowish at the base beneath. Above brown, the feathers edged with rufous, and the nape marked with wdiite, arising from the exposed basal portions of the webs ; crown darker than the hind neck ; quills rufescent white on the inner webs from the notch to base, botli webs conspicuously barred with dark brown ; tail brown, with five or six broadish bands of a darker hue, the lateral feathers with an additional bar and the inner webs pale. Cheeks and ear-coveids brown, striated with whitish; throat white, with broad mesial brownish stripes; under surface ACCIPITEE VIRGATUS. 29 Kelaart as the European Sparrow-Hawk. It is possible, nevertheless, that the Doctor’s identification may have been correct ; and in support of the idea that tlic European Sparrow-Hawk may have occuiTcd in Ceylon, I would here remark that I have lately received a specimen of the European Hobby from Ramisserum, augurin{< favourably for the occurrence of other northern Hawks in the latitude of Ceylon. As to the present species it is widely distributed in the low country and a frequent bird on the hills, ranging into the jungles of the main range, whence I possess an example killed at Nuwara Elliya. It is not uncommon in the northern forests, in the Eastern Province, and in the south-western hill district. I have obtained it at Baddegama and in Salfragam, and have met with it in other forests on the w'est side of the island. It is frequently obtained in the Kandy district and in the surrounding ranges, whence it figures now and then in the collections of Messrs. Mliyte and Co., of Kandy. This species is, according to Jerdon, found in all the large forests of India, inhabiting the Nilghiris, the Eastern Ghats in places, the Malabar and Central-Indian forests, and the slopes of the Himalayas. It is like- wise an inhabitant of Burmah, the Malaccan peninsula, the Andaman Islands, Java, Borneo, Timor, and the Philippine Islands, and to the eastward of Burmah extends into China, Siberia, and Japan, if the birds from the latter country do not all belong to Mr. Gurney’s larger, short-legged race A. stevensoni. It is not a very common bird in India, for most of the writers in ‘ Stray Feathers ’ speak of it as being local in the regions they treat of. Captain Feilden appears to be the only one who has procured it of late years in Burmah ; and in tlie north-east of India, in the Mount Aboo district, but few specimens have been obtained. In China, however, Pere David says it arrives in the spring at Pekin in great numbers, and breeds in the mountains of the provinces. Habits. — This little Sparrow-Hawk is a denizen of the jungle, rarely coming into the open country at any distance from its sylvan haunts. I have frequently met with it in pairs, both old and young, and have always found it a noisy bird, haranguing its feathered companions of the woods, who oftentimes collect in excited mobs and annoy it with their incessant chatterings. It generally perches on the large limbs of trees and flies from one to another, uttering its loud and shrill squeal, which somewhat resembles that of the little Goshawk [Astur badius). Its cries must often lead to its discovery in the jungles which it frequents, as on all occasions on which I have either met with it or shot it I have traced it by its note, which can be heard at some distance in the stillness of the primeval forest. It is shy, as a rule; but on one occasion, finding three immature birds white, boldly banded with spear-shaped broadish bands of brown and rufous, the latter hue mostly confined to tlie centre of the bar ; the markings of the flanks darker than the rest ; thighs barred with brown ; under wdng-coverts buff, with arrow-headed spots of brown ; under tail-coverts whitish, unmarked. Ohs. This plumage is acquired by the dissolving of the longitudinal streaks of brown into the bold bar-shaped marlcings : this is well shown in the series of feathers given by Mr. Sharpe in an article on the subject (P. Z. S. 1873, pi. 39), and from which it can be observed that the longitudinal “ drop ” in the process of its dissolution expands at various points into bars, the white jjortion of the web advancing as an interspace to the shaft, leaving, however, at this first stage, pointed projections at the low’er side of the bar, these being in reality the remains of the stripe. Note. — I can neither include this, nor one or two other species to be noticed further on, as undoubted Ceylonese birds, as their occurrence in the island is, as in the present case, matter of uncertainty, or has been accepted from mere visual testimony. It appears advisable, however, to include them in footnotes, in order that sufficient information may be ay^eu to enable my Ceylon readers to identify the species should they occur hereafter in the island. Distribution. — The evidence as to the occurrence of this species in Ceylon is summed up in the following sentence (Kelaart, Prodromus, p. 9G) : — Accipiter nisus is very rare; we have only seen one live specimen.” It is possible, as I have remarked in my article on Accipiter virgatus, that Kelaart may have been correct in his identification ; but it must be remembered that, though a naturalist, he did not make ornithology his study, and those birds which were collected for him (he never used a gun himself) were identified by others, chiefly by Blyth, I believe. In the case of this bird, the specimen was a living one, so that I incline to tlie belief that it was a Jungle Sparrow- Haw'k and not the European species. The latter is a cold-w'eather visitant to India, and is spread during that season, sparingly, over the whole of the empire. It is always to be found in the Nilghiris, on the Eastern Ghauts, and other hilly portions of Central India. It 30 ACCIPITEE VIEGATUS. together, I shot one, and the others were so tame as to fly out of the tree and immediately return to it again, one of them thereby following his companion into my collection. The diet of the Eesra consists of small reptiles, coleoptera, and other large insects, the lizard [Catotes] being its favourite food in Ceylon. In India it is, says Jerdon, highly esteemed among native falconers, and is caught l)y means of a tmp called there “ Do Guz.^’ This is a small, dark-coloured net, fixed to two thin bamboos lightly stuck in the ground, and which give way on the bird striking the net while it is dashing at a decoy picketed in front of it. On this happening the meshes instantly fold round the liaAvk and effectually prevent its escape. It is flown at partridges, snipes, and doves, and “ is jiarticularly active and clever in the jungle. ’■’ The male is, however, according to the same writer, rarely trained. I do not think it is in the habit of soaring as mucb as its European ally. I have on one occasion seen it taking a few small circles in the air; but they w’ere quickly over, and it again dashed off to its sylvan haunts. Nidification. — In Ceylon this Hawk breeds about the month of May, during Avhich I once procured a female containing an egg almost ready for expulsion, but which was unfortunately broken by my shot. It was of a pale green colour and unspotted, but Avould have most likely received some markings had the bird lived to lay it. In India nothing seems to be known concerning its nidification, and I never heard of its nest being found in Ceylon. is common on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, where also Mr. Hume's larger race (A. melanochistus) has its home. It is doubtfully recorded from Teuasserim ; and in 1876 Mr. Hume received a specimen from the Andamans, which is its most south-easterly limit. Hr. Jerdon remarks that “ it comes in very regularly about the beginning of October, and leaves again about the end of February or March according to the locality.” It is spread over the whole of Europe, including Great Britain, and e.vtends through Central Asia to China, and southwards from the Mediterranean into Algeria and north-east Africa. Habits. — The Sparrow-Hawk frequents w’ooded country, and preys on small birds and quadrupeds. It is a bird of powerful flight, but not so active as its Indian congener, the Besra ; but it is nevertheless trained for falconry in some parts of India. It is a bird of predatory disposition, and consequently it is under a ban in a game-preserving country like England. It is described in Tarrell’s ‘ British Birds ’ as being so “ daring during the season in vdiich its own nestlings require to be provided with food as frequently to venture among the out-buildings of the farmhouse, where it has been observed to rapidly skim over the poultry-yard, snatch up a chick, and get off with it in an instant.” Nidification.- — This species breeds sparingly in the Himalayas up to 8000 feet, building, as it does in Europe, in trees. In England it often takes possession of the nest of a crow, and repairs the lining for the reception of its own eggs. These are four or five in number, of a bluish-white or greenish-white ground, handsomely blotched and spotted with rich reddish brown or brownish crimson, the marldugs being sometimes collected in a zone near one end. Dimensions 1'7 by 1-3 inch. The beautiful specimens figured by Mr. Hewitson (plate vii. figs. 2 & 3) represent in a very uiteresting manner the variety in the eggs of the Sparrow-Hawk. The first is openly and handsomely blotched throughout with rich sepia, softened at the edges over other markings of light brownish, while the second has the obtuse end covered vdth cojifluent clouds of sepia-brown, overlying rather small and somewhat lineated blots, which are scattered rather thickly over the entire surface. A C C I P I T R E S. FALCONID.E. BUTEONIN.E. Bill weak, the festoon usually less developed than in the last subfamily ; wings longer ; tail moderate; tibia longer in proportion to the tarsus than in Accipitrince^ the difference being “more than the length of the hind claw outer and middle toe connected at the base as in Accipitriim. Genus BUTEO. Bill small and short, sloping from the base, the cere considerably advanced, and the comis- sure nearly straight, the festoon being only slightly developed. Wings long, pointed, the 4th quill the longest, or subequal with the 3rd. Tail compact, moderate in length, the feathers rigid ; tip reaching beyond the closed wings and cuneate in shape. Tarsus moderately stout, the upper portion plumed more or less below the knee, the rest protected by broad transverse scales in front and behmd. Toes shortish, the inner reaching to the last joint of the middle ; claws short and moderately curved. BUTEO PLUMIPES. (THE INDIAN BUZZARD.) Circus plimiipes, Hodgson, Gray’s Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844). Buteo plumipes, Hodgs. P. Z. S. 1845, p. 37 ; Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 91 ; Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 285 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 340 ; Hume, Str. Feath. vol. hi. p. 358, et vol. v. p. 347 ; Gurney, Str. Feath. vol. v. p. 65; Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 180, pi. vii. fig. 1 (1874). Buteo vulgaris japonicus, Temm. and Schlegel, Faun. Jap. pis. vi. & vi. b. Buteo japonicus^ Bp. Consp. i. p. 18(1850) ; Schl. Mus. P.-B. Buteones, p. 7 (1862); Blakist. Ibis, 1862, p. 314; Swinhoe, Ibis, 1870, p. 87 ; Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 337 ; David and Oustalet, Ois. de la Chine, p. 19 (1877). Buteo desertorum, Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 338. La Buse commune da Japon, Schl. Faun. Jap. p. 16. The Harrier-Buzzard, Jerdon, B. of Ind. Kara-Sd (in common with other Buzzards), Turkestan (Dr. Scully). Kurula-goya, Sinhalese. * Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i, p. 1.58. 32 BUTEO PLUMIPES. Adult female. Length to front of cere 18'5 to 19'0 inches ; cnlinen from cereO'85 ; wing lo'O to lO-o ; tail 7'5 to O'O ; tarsus 2-6 to 3-2, bare front of tarsus 0-9 to 1-35 ; mid toe 1’5, its claw (straight) 0'7 ; height of bill at cere 0-4. Adult male. Length to front of cere 18'0 to 18'5 inches ; wing 13’5 to 15-G ; tarsus 2‘7 to 2-9, bare front of tarsus 0-9 to 1-5. Ohs. In the series from which the latter measurements are taken is included what appears to be an immature though not a very young bird in my own collection, from the south of Ceylon. Its detailed dimensions are : — Length to tip of bill 18'25 inches ; wing 13‘5 ; tail 7'25 ; tarsus 3-0, bare portion of front of tarsus 1'5 ; mid toe 1-.5. Iris dull yellowish mingled with browm or light hazel ; cere varying from greenish yellow to yellow ; gape yellow ; bill blackish ; legs and feet citron-yellow, claws black. .Above sepia-brown, dark and uniform on the forehead and back, and pale on the hind neck and greater wing-coverts, the feathers more or less margined with rufous mostly on the hind neck, scapulars, and wing-coverts, on the first of which the white bases of the feathers show considerably, and there is a dark nuchal patch ; primaries and their coverts dark brown, the outer webs of the longer quills washed with greyish, the ijiner webs white internally and crossed with narrow bars of brown ; secondaries paler, dark near the tips and with both webs baiTed, the white portions of the inner webs w'ashed, in some, with nifous ; the lateral feathers of the upper tail-coverts broadly margined with rufous and some barred with the same ; tail rufous or brownish rufous, more or less shaded with brown, and washed at the margins of the rectrices with greyish, tipped with dull buff, and with a softened subterminal baud and a number of narrow bars (incomplete in old birds towards the base) of brown ; lateral feathers white internally. Lores and a superciliary line blackish, a postorbital and moustachial streak dark bromi, the feathers, as on the ear- coverts, pale-edged ; throat whitish striped with brown : sides of the neck and chest rufous, in some brown, the shafts dai'k, and the margins of the feathers indented with rufescent whitish, which in some examples is conspi- cuous on the centre of the chest ; breast and belly vdiitish or rufescent white, the feathers dark-shafted and barred with bron u, in some on the lower breast, while other examples have the breast crossed with a wash of dark brown ; lower flanks cinereous brown, greyish in old birds ; thighs rufous, more or less cross-marked with brown ; under tail-coverts fulvous, barred with rufous-brown ; under wing whitish, painted down the centre with rufous and barred with brown. Ohs. The above description is taken from a number of examples in the British Museum, and is intended to embody as much as possible the characteristics of the very variable plumage in this species. Scarcely any two specimens are alilve on the under surface ; the older the bird the more covered with rufous-brown are the lower parts, and the less conspicuously barred is the tail. Many individuals exhibit a fuliginous phase, which is thought to be the result of old age, and which I will notice here as such, remai’king, first of all, that such an example formed the type of Hodgson’s species, which has been figured in Mr. Sharpe’s admirable catalogue of the Accipitres. JJarl- phase in old bird. In this the head, hind neck, and back, together with the wings, are uniform brown ; tail dark broN^ n, with the bands crossing the feathers completely, the subtermiual one much marked ; beneath, almost uniform brown, the centre of tlie breast alone being crossed with paler bands. In an example from Eta\^ ah the under surface is very dark, but the feathers have paler lateral margins, and the under tail-coverts are brownish buff, lianded like ordinary adult- birds, showing tlius a remnant of the usual mature plumage, and demonstrating the fact that the fuliginous coloration has been a further advance beyond that stage and is the result of old age. Yoinuj. Similar to mature birds described above, although scarcely any two specimens are alike. The primaries are paler l)rown, and have not the outer webs washed with ashy ; the ground-colour of the upper tail-coverts not so jiervaded with ashy ; tail very A ariable, sandy brown, brownish grey, or greyish rufous, plainly barred on the ceiitral feathers witli rather v^ avy bands of brown, uniting with the darker margins of the feathers, and the inner n ebs of the lateral featliers not so wliite as in adults. Edge of foreh(“ad whitish ; clieeks whitish striped with brown, the moustachial stripe streaked with white ; throat and all beneath n hite or whitish buff ; the chest and fore neck more or less broadly striped with brown, tlie markings coalescing down Ihe sides of the fore neck in some ; sides of tlie lower breast generally brown, uniting with the dark flanks ; thighs fulvous, with brownish-rufous markings, in some showing indications of bars ; abdomen and under tail-coverts buff, spotted with rufous ; under wing whiter than in the adult, and the primary under-coverts with less brown on the terminal portions ; basal half of primaries beneath pure white. BUTEO PLUMIPES. With age the tliighs and flanks commence first to darken and the central rcctrices lose their plainly defined bars, the brown hue gradually diminishing at the edge of the feather. The following is a description of the Southern Ceylon example above alluded to: — Head, hind neck, back, and wings sepia-brown ; the mantle, wing-coverts, and rump with moderately deep rufous margins ; the concealed edges of the scapulars and wing-coverts indented with whitish bars ; the margins of the head and hind-neck feathers fulvescent whitish ; the nuchal feathers dark brown at the tips, elongated as a rudi- mentary crest and showing much white at the base ; primaries very dark brown, washed with grey on the outer webs, particularly about the notch ; the inner webs almost entirely white from the notch upwards ; secondaries paler brown, the internal portions white, crossed with narrow incomplete bars of dark brown ; lateral upper tail- coverts rufous at the edges, and the concealed portions barred with rufescent white ; general hue of tail rufous ashy, crossed with numerous narrow bars of dark brown, tipped with fulvous, the subterminal bar broader than the rest, the internal portions of all the lateral feathers white ; inner webs of the central pair paling into white near the shaft. Loral plumes dark with white bases ; a narrow' blackish line beneath the eye and a brownish postorbital stripe, beneath n hich the ear-coverts are whitish, narrowly lineated with rufous-brown ; chin and throat buff-white, openly striated with narrow lines of brown and bounded on either side by a plainly marked brown moustacbial streak ; chest and under surface whitish buff, the former with large rufous-brown terminal patches almost covering the feather ; the breast with smaller and indented central patches of the same ; lower flanks well covered with brown, and the sides of the abdomen marked with pointed bars of rufous-brown ; thighs in front and at the sides brown, with indistinct bars of rufous ; interiorly fulvous, patched with brown ; under tail-coverts with a few terminal spots of brown ; under v^ ing-coverts rufous, tipped paler and centred with brown ; greater series uniform dark brown. Ohs. The African Buzzard (Buteo desertorum), with which Indian examples of the present species have until lately been confounded, is a smaller bird, the limit of the length of wing in the male being, according to Mr. Gurney’s investi- gations, 13-5 to 15-4 inches, and in the female 14-3 to 15-85 inches. In their plumage, however, some specimens of this species so closely resemble the Indian bird that it is difficult to define the differences which exist by a mere description. It is not my province here to go into this matter, as the African bird is not likely to find its way to Ceylon. I will remark, however, that the dimensions of my bird from Southern Ceylon are low enough to relegate it to the ranks of the African species ; but the locality in w-hich it was shot, coupled with the fact of Lord Tweeddale possessing an unmistakable example from Ceylon, makes it necessary to refer my bird (in spite of its diminutive size and comparative large amount of bare tarsi) to the Asiatic form. Mr. Gurney, who carefully examined the specimen, supports this view, and informs me that he has never heard of a true B. desertorum having been procured to the eastward of Erzeroom. Eurthermore Mr. Hume, in his exhaustive notice of the various Indian Buzzards (‘ Stray Leathers,’ vol. iii. p. 58), removes B. desertorum from the Indian avifauna, assigning the specimens from the Nilghiris, formerly referred by him to this species, to the subject of the present article. Distribution. — This interesting Buzzard, the Asiatic representative of the European B. vuhjaris, is a very rare visitor to Ceylon, which island forms the most southerly limit of its wanderings in the cool season. Not more than two instances of its capture are known to me — the first of w'hich is that of a large female in the museum of the Marquis of Tweeddale, and the second that of the example above alluded to in my own collection. The former was procured about the year 1865 by Mr. Spencer Chapman, but from what exact locality his Lordship is unable to inform me. I understand that the major portion of JVIr. Chapman^s collections was made in the west and north-west of the island, in one of which districts the Buzzard was probably met w'ith in its passage from the Malabar coast to Ceylon. The specimen in my possession was shot in October 1871 at Maha Modera, a few miles to the north of the port of Gallc, by Mr. Wylde, a gentleman for some time resident at the latter place. It had been haunting the vicinity of the bungalow for several days, having made its appearance there after the prevalence of high northerly winds, which usually bring down many of the Ceylonese migrants from the coast of India*. Dr. Jerdon (' Ibis,^ 1871, p. 338) writes, under the head of Buteo desortorum, that this species has been sent from Ceylon ; but he probably refers to the specimen above mentioned as proeured by Mr. Chapman, and which Mr. Iloldsworth alludes to in his catalogue {toe. cit.). * This bird was referred to by me (‘ Stray Feathers,’ vol. i. p. 488) as Butastur teesa : this, however, was a mistake, as the latter is a much smaller bird, and is now removed to a different subfamily, chiefly on account of the character of the scales on the hinder part of the tarsus. F 34 BUTEO PLUMIPES. Ill the south of the Indian peninsula the Harrier-Buzzard is found, during the cool season, in the Travan- core and Nilghiri hills. With regard to the former locality, Mr. Bourdillon, as quoted by Mr. Hume in his “ First List of the Birds from the Travancore Hills Stray Feathers,^ 187G), says: — ‘'This bird, a winter visitor, seems not to be uncommon during December, January, and February.” From the Xilghiris Mr. Hume himself records it. In the north of India it is found in I\epal, whence Mr. Hodgson’s original specimen of Buteo jjIu- uiipes came, along the southern slopes of the Himalayas to Sikhim, and thence into British Burmah, where Captain Feilden procured it in the province of Upper Pegu. On the north of the Snowy range it is found as a winter visitor in Kashgar, though Dr. Stoliezka, during his excursion to that remote region, met wdth it but rarely. Another observer, however. Dr. Scully, in his valuable “ Contribution to the Ornithology of Eastern Turkestan” (‘Stray Feathers,’ 187G), mentions, at p. 125, the shooting of three examples at Yarkand in Januaiy, and this locality appears to form the westernmost limit of its range. He further remarks that it is common there during the winter, but was never met with in the plains after that season was fairly over, having moved away northw'ards about the 20th of April. It is remarkable that when a movement of these birds does take place southw'ards in wdnter so many remain in the great upland of Turkestan, which, one would think, must possess quite as rigid a climate as the more northerly lower-lying regions, where they no doubt breed, and wdiich may very likely be the mountainous country bounding the vast Mongolian empire on the north. Jerdon, however, in his note on B. japonicus (‘Ibis,’ 1871, p. 337), writes that he procured it “ at Darjeeling, in Kumaon, and in Kashmir in summer, at a height of from 9000 to 10,000 feet,” which savours much of its breeding in the higher parts of the outlying Himalayas. The vast territory lying between the Himalayas and Eastern China has been but little explored, and there- foi’e this Buzzard has not yet been recorded from it, though it doubtless inhabits, at one season or other of the year, the whole of this region. Pere David, in his work on the ‘ Birds of China,’ says that, although it is found in w'inter in the provinces of the S.E. of China, it penetrates rarely into the interior, and that he only got one examjde in the neighbourhood of Pekin. He remarks that IMiddendorf and Dybowski found it in East Siberia; so that its range would seem to lie in a more northerly track from Turkestan, probably through the north of Mongolia to Siberia and Japan, in which latter country it is the common Buzzard, and styled as such in the ‘ Fauna Japouica.’ In the winter it moves in a southerly direction down the coast of China, where Mr. Swinhoe found it as far south as the island of Hainan. Captain Blakiston procured it in the island of Yesso, the most northerly of the Japanese group, and Col. Prejevalsky observed it during a voyage from Kiachta to Pekin. Habits. — This species seems to prefer open country to forests and jungle, in which it exhibits much of the nature of a Harrier, hunting for its food over marshes and bare land with a steady flight. My specimen, Mr. Wylde informed me, took up its quarters in the cocoa-nut compounds and paddy-fields near his bungalow, about which it appeared to prowl as if intent on the capture of some of the poultry. MTien dissected, however, its stomach contained the remains of lizards. Its manners, however, on this occasion were evidently those of a new arrival by no means at home in its quarters ; and after a few days it would evidently have betaken itself to some open ujiland district in^the interior. Captain Feilden remarks (‘ Stray Feathers,’ 1875, p. 30) : — “ I found this bird at the edge of the parade- ground in tolerably thick tree-jungle with j)artially cleared underwood.” In Turkestan, Dr. Scully observed it, in company wdth Buteo vulgaris and B. ferox, hunting everywhere over the rush-grown frozen marshes, these birds being “ so intent on the w'ork they had in hand that they often seemed to disregard one’s presence and approached so close as to be easily shot.” Further testimony as to its Harrier-like habits is afforded by Mr. Bourdillon’s observations of it in the Travancore hills, “ where tw'o or three might be seen steadily quartering the ground, and occasionally pouncing on some mouse or lizard,” ajul were noticed “ to perch both on trees and on stones, and beat backwards and forwards over a field of young coffee.” Mr. Swinhoe wu'ites : — “ I fell in with this bird on the islaiid of Naochow. He was resting at noon, after a meal off Passer montanus, in one of the bushy trees of a small grove. My appearance disturbed him, and he flew across heavily, when I secured him.” (‘ Ibis,’ 1870, p. 87.) BUTEO PLUxAIlPES. 35 The testimony of various observers therefore goes to prove that this Buzzard is a bird of solitary habit, straying about alone, and usually so intent on securing the various prey on u liich it exists, that it is any thing but a shy bird. Nidijication. — I am unable to give my readers any information on the breeding of this Buzzard. In these days of ornithological research the day is doubtless not far distant when it will be discovered nesting in the Himalayas, or its breeding-haunts in the comparatively unknown regions of Central Asia penetrated by some adventurous explorer. Subfam. AQUILINiE. Bill variable, usually lengthened and straight at the base ; but in some (smaller genera) more curved and shorter, the margin festooned. Wings generally long ; the 4th quill usually the longest, in some the 3rd and 4th, and in others the 4th and 5th. Tarsus less than the tibia by more than the length of the hind claw, but more than half its length ; in some feathered entirely to the toes, in others partially, with the hinder portion always reticulate. ACCIPITEES. FAI.CONID^. aquilina:. Genus NISAETUS. Bill strong, moderately lengthened, but not so much so as in Aq^uila, the culmen curving from the cere, its length not exceeding the hind toe ; tip much hooked ; the margin prominently festooned. Nostrils large, oval, and directed downwards. Wings with the 5th quill the longest, of moderate length, shorter than in Aquila. Tail moderate, even at the tip. Tarsus shorter than the tibia, stout, clothed with feathers to the toes, which are large and covered with three large scales at the tip. Claws large, much curved, the inner claw much larger than the middle. NISAETUS FASCIATUS. (BONELLFS EAGLE.) Aquila fasciata, Vieill. Mem. Linn. Soc. Paris, 1822, p. 152. Falco honellii, Temm. PL Col. i. pi. 288 (1824). Aquila honellii. Less. Man. Orn. i. p. 83 (1828); Gould, B. of Europe, i. pi. 7 (1837); Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 114 (1852); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 98; Tristram, Ibis, 1865, p. 252; Shelley, B. of Egypt, p. 206. Eutolmaetus hoiiellii, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv. p. 74 (1845); Hume, Eough Notes, i. p. 189. Nisaetus grandis, Jerd. 111. Ind. Orn. pi. 1 (1847). Pseudaetus honellii, Hume, Nests and Eggs, i. p. 33. Nisaetus honellii, Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 67 (1862); Holdsw. P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411. Nisaetus fasdatus, Sharpe, Cat. of Birds, i. p. 250 (1874); Dresser, B. Eur. part xxxiv. (1874). The Crestless Hawk-Eagle, Jerdon; The Genoese Eagle, Kelaart. P er dicer 0 ; Aguila hlanca, Spanish. Mhorungi, lit. “Peacock-killer,” Hind, ; Bajali, Tam. (aq)ud Jerdon). Adult male. Length to front of cere 2o'0 to 2G’5 inches ; culmen from cere 1'6 ; wing 18‘5 to 19‘o, expanse 62'0 ; tail 1 1-.5 ; tarsns 3-5 to 3-7 ; mid toe 2-3 to 2-5, claw (straight) 1-2 ; hind toe 1-5 to 1-6, claw (straight) 1-6 ; height of bill at cere 0-7. Female. Length to front of cere 2G'0 to 27'0 ; culmen from cere I'G to 1’7 ; wing 18'G to 20'3 ; tail 11‘2 to 12’0 ; , tarsus 3'G to 4-0 ; mid toe 2'G, claw (straight) 1'3 ; hind toe I'G. Ohs. Some adult females are quite as small as males. In Hume’s ‘Rough Notes ’ the dimensions of the wings of three females are given at 20-0, 19-63, and 19-G5, and the expanse of the largest 67-0. Iris bright yellow, in some brownish yellow ; cere yellowish ; bill blackish brown, paling into bluish horn about the cere, the gape yellowish ; feet yellowish or whitish brown. NISAETUS FASCIATUS. o I Above deep brown, very dark on the rump ; the feathers of the head, neck, upper back, and wing-coverts with pale margins, and the concealed portions white ; longer scapular feathers almost black near the tips ; feathers of the nape elongated ; edge of the wing from the flexure to the front white ; median coverts paler brown than lesser, with a dark patch near the tips and the bases mottled ; primaries and secondaries black-brown, the outer webs ot the longer quills washed with grey, the inner webs of all w hitish towards the base and crossed by narrow bars ; inner webs of secondaries mottled with white ; upper tail-coverts tipped with greyish white ; tail brownish grey or cinereous brown, with a broad terminal hand of blackish brown, and the basal part of the central feathers marked transversely near the shaft with wavy brown rays, which, on the more lateral feathers, develop into narrow irregular bars. Loral plumes blackish ; a blackish-brown moustachial patch ; ear-coverts and the sides of the neck below them tawny brown, striped with a darker hue, aud the space above them at the posterior corner of the eye whitish ; under surface from the chin to the belly white ; the throat with fine mesial lines, and the fore neck, chest, and breast with blackish-browm central stripes, generally broadest at the sides of the breast aud flanks, aud iu some specimeus very wide ou the chest ; thighs variable, iu some specimeus dark brown with pale iudentatious, iu others much paler, but with the same character of marking ; abdomen and under tail-coverts lighter brown than the thighs, barred with whitish ; axillary plumes browm, spotted with w'hite ; under wing-coverts blackish brow'u, much marked with white along the edge ; tarsal feathers pale brownish. Ohs. Some examples incline from their youth to be darker on the thighs and abdomen than others, and consequently a considerable variation exists iu these parts iu adults. As a rule the older the bird (a sure characteristic being the tail) the narrower are the stripes of the under surface. Occasionally it would appear that the tawny hue, to be noticed presently, continues to remain on the under surface, the stripes and the dark colouring of the underparts being as in the normally white birds. There is a beautiful example in this plumage in the British Museum, from Mr. Howard Saunders’s Spanish collection. Young. The bird of the year has the upper surface and wdng-coverts of a medium or sandy brown, the feathers with dark shafts ; the head and hind neck tawny, with the feathers dark-centred ; primaries lighter than in the adult, and the outer webs similarly pervaded with grey ; the bars of the inner webs more extensive ; secondaries broadly tipped with dull white ; these and the greater coverts have iu some examples a strong purplish lustre ; upper tail- coverts brownish, paling into white at the tips, and with dark shafts ; tail light sandy brown, mottled on the central feathers, and with a deep pale tip, the whole crossed wuth seven or eight narrow’ wavy bars of dark brown, w’ithout any broad terminal baud ; in many examples the bars are undefined, aud run into the mottliugs of the interspaces ; no broad hand at the tip. Face, ear-coverts, and sides of head concolorous with the adjacent brown parts ; the ear-coverts striated with a darker hue ; throat and entire under surface uniform browmish rufous, paler on the chin and with clearly defined shaft- lines, diminishing towards the lower parts ; abdomen, thigh -coverts, and under tail-coverts uustriated, but with the centres of the concealed portions of the feathers browm, showing the tendency of these parts to become dark with age ; under wing-coverts rufescent like the breast aud striped with brown, the lower series dark browm. With age the rufous of the under surface becomes w’hite, the mesial lines expand at the tip into “ drops,” and thence into broadish stripes ; the thighs and legs become brown wuth darker stripes, while the belly and under tad-coverts are heavily dashed with the same ; the under wing-coverts become blackish browm at the same time. Distribution. — This powerful Eagle, the finest of the short, eurved-hilled genus Nisaetus, and so wmll known iu Southern Europe and Northern India, has been onee procured in Ceylon. It can therefore only be looked upon as a straggler to the island, and takes its place in our lists as such, in common with the Scavenger- Vulture and the Amurian Kestrel. Layard writes, in his notes on Ceylon ornithology (/. c.) : — “ This Eagle was procured by R. Templeton, Esq., R.A., several years ago, and I do not know’ from what part of the island it was obtained. It has not fallen under my notice*, nor has Dr. Kclaart enumerated it amongst his acquisitions at Nuwara Elliya.'’^ Man}’ * There, notwithstanding, is a faded specimen of this Eagle in the Poole collection. It has the wing 19’5, tail lO’U, tarsus 4’0 inches ; the pecuhar brown coloration of the exterior of tlie thighs is still visible, although the head and all the under surface are bleached. Mr. Layard wu’ites me that he does not remember any thing about this specimen, and its presence, evidently as a Ceylon bird, iu this collection is somewhat puzzling. Can it be that this is Dr. Templeton's specimen, afterwards presented to the collection while at Sir Ivor Guest’s. 38 NISAETUS FASCIATUS. years have elapsed since this occurrence, wliich was prior to 1858 ; and since then I am unable to find any record of its having been met with in Ceylon. The specimen referred to was identified by Mr. Blyth, when he was Curator of the Calcutta Museum, so that there is no chance of the species having been mistaken for any other Eagle. Bonellks Eagle is, as far as the Indian peninsida is concerned, chiefly eonfined to the northern part of it. It is not uncommon in portions of Bengal, hut not so in the lower districts of the Province. In Aladras and the south generally, it is rarer ; and I notice that it is not included in the “ First List of Birds from the Travaneorc Hills Stray Feathers,^ vol. iv.) even as a rare visitor. Dr. Jerdon, however, records it from the Nilghiris, whence it no doubt visited Ceylon when procured by Templeton. It is an inhabitant of the slopes of the Himalayas ; Mr. Brooks records it among the birds he observed between Mussoori and Gangaotri. In the north-east of India it is more common than elsewhere; for in Sindh, Mr. Hume says, “ one, two, or more pairs are to be met with about every large lake, making terrible havoc amongst the smaller water-birds, and carrying off wounded fowl before one’s eyes with the greatest impudenee.” In Southern Europe, Bonelli’s Eagle is a well-known bird. Lord Lilford and Mr. Howard Saunders speak of its common occurrence in Spain, and on the northern coasts of Africa it is also pretty freely distributed. IMr. Brooke has met with it in Sardinia; and Canon Tristram remarks that it is more common in Palestine than the next species, being generally found in the wooded hills about Carmel, Tabor, and the Lake of Galilee. Habits. — Rocky wooded hills, mountainous jungles, and forests in the vicinity of high land are the habitat of this bold and daring Eagle. Jerdon says that “ it is much on the wing, sailing at a great height, and making its appearance at certain spots, in the districts it frequents, always about the same hour.” The latter propensity is noticeable in other birds of prey, for I have remarked it in the Sea-Eagle and Crested Hawk- Eagle of Ceylon. The present species is very powerful in the legs and feet, and is known to kill the smaller kinds of game and hares with ease. It is, however, so .strong and active on the wing that it preys largely on various birds, such as Jungle-fowl, Partridges, Ducks, and Herons, and, according to Jerdon “even Peafowl.” It is very destructive among Fowls and Pigeons ; and it is recorded, in the ‘ Birds of India,’ that a pair committed great devastation among several pigeon-houses in the Nilghiris. The following interesting account of the manner in which these robbers captured the Pigeons is given by Jerdon at page 69 of his first volume : — “ On the Pigeons taking flight, one of the Eagles pounced down from a vast height on the flock, but directing its swoop rather under the Pigeons than directly at them. Its mate, watching the moment when, alai’med by the first swoop, the Pigeons rose in eonfusion, pounced unerringly on one of them and carried it off ; and the other Eagle, having risen again, also made another and, this time, a fatal stoop.” Such a bird as this would flo much damage in the poultry-yards of many a pretty bungalow in the Kandyan province. Concerning its economy in Palestine, Canon Tristram remarks "as follows : — “ It perches on some conspicuous point of rock looking out for its prey, and after a short eircling excursion will again and again return to the same post of observation. I take it to be more ti’uly a game-killing Raptor than any of the y)reccding Eagles ” (the Golden, Imperial, Tawny, and Booted), “ and less addicted to earrion-feeding than any of its congeners. Tlie Rock-Pigeons arc its favourite quarry in the winter, and it preys much on the Turtle- Doves in the Glior and the plain of Gennesaret. I have also seen it pursue Kites, apparently with the intent of robbing them.” Its fondness for Pigeons was noticed by Mr. Hume, who killed the male of the pair which form the subject of his interesting article in ‘ Rough Notes,’ returning to the nest with a Little Brown Dove [Turtur cambay- ansis) in its talons. This Eagle has a singular habit of packing in large flocks, one of which very unaquiline assemblies was witnessed by Lord Lilford in Spain, he being informed that such flights were not unfrequently seen. This was in May, during the breeding-season of the species ; and, as is remarked, the bird being a j)crmanent resident in the country, it is a difficult matter to account for such an assemblage. The note of this Hawk-Eagle is described as being a “ shrill croaking cry.” Kidijicution. — In the plains of India Bonelli’s Eagle breeds in December and Januarjq and in the Hima- layas and the district of Kumaon much later, commencing in April and continuing until June. In the NISAETUS FASCIATUS. 39 Nilgliiris it breeds as early as December. The nest is usually placed in the ledge of a cliff, but it has been found fixed in the branches of large trees. It is a huge platform of sticks, containing in the centre a circle or layer of fresh green leaves, on which the eggs are laid, and which the bird covers them with on leaving the nest, in the same manner that 1 have myself seen the Grey-backed Sea-Eagle do. Mr. Ilumc, in his interesting account of the taking of this Eagle’s nest, given in ‘The Ibis’ for 18()9 (p. 143), speaks of one nest visited as being five feet in diameter. The situation of this nest is thus de- scribed : — “ About a mile above the confiucnce of the clear blue waters of the Chambal and the muddy stream of the Jumna, in a range of bold perpendicular clay cliffs that rise more than 100 feet above the cold-weather level of the former, I took my first nest of Bonelli’s Eagle. In the rainy season, water trickling from al)ovc had (in a way trickling water often does) worn a deep recess into the face of the cliff, about a third of the way down. Above and below it had merely grooved the surface broadly, but here (finding a softer bed, 1 suppose) it had worn in a recess some 5 feet high and 3 feet deep and broad. The bottom of this recess sloped downwards ; but the birds, by using branches with large twiggy extremities, had built up a level platform that projected some 2 feet beyond the face of the cliff. It was a great mass of sticks fully half a ton in weight, and on this platform (with only her head visible from where we stood at the water’s edge) an old female Eagle sat in state.” The eggs arc usually two in number ; but some nests have been found with only one. They are described by ]\Ir. Hume as “ moderately broad ovals, varying slightly in size.” They are whitish in colour, sometimes quite unmarked, but usually are faintly blotched with pale yellowdsh or reddish brown. The markings in others, as given by Mr. Brooks, arc darker, or “ bright reddish brown, sparingly intermixed with light reddish grey.” They average in size 2' 78 by 2‘I inches. In the Holy Land, Canon Tristram found it nesting on the cliffs of the deep gorges characteristic of that country. He writes, in ‘ The Ibis,’ 1865, p. 253 ; — “ It does not appear to lay till the end of March, and then generally a single egg. These are either white or with the faintest russet spots. One nest, which contained two eggs both fairly coloured, baffled all our attempts at its capture. It was comfortably placed under an overhanging piece of rock near the top of the cliffs of Wady Hamam, in such a position that no rope could be thrown over to let down an adventurous climber; and yet from another point, which projected nearly parallel to it, we could look into the nest with longing eyes. The old birds seemed perfectly aware of the impregna- bility of their fortress.” NISAETUS PENNATUS. (THE BOOTED EAGLE.) Falco immatus, Gm. S. N. i. p. 272 (1788); Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 33 (1824). Aquila j)ennata, Vig. Zool. Journ. i. p. 337 (1824); Gould, B. of Europe, i. pi. 9 (1837); Fritsch, Vog. Eur. tab. 5. figs. 3, 4, 5 (1858); Kelaart’s Prodromus, Cat. p. 114(1852); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 98; Jaub. et Barth. Bicb. Orn. p. 36, pi. 3 (1859) ; Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 63 ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411 ; Shelley, B. of Egypt, p. 207 (1872) ; Legge, Str. Feath. vol. iv. p. 249 ; Dresser, B. Eur. pt. xxxii. (1874). Butaetus pennatus, Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. xiv. p. 174 (1845). Hieraetus ])ennattis^ Blyth, Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. xv. p. 7 (1846) ; Hume, Hough Notes, i. p. 182 (1869). Bisaetus qwnnatus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 253 (1874). Le Faiicon qMtu, Briss. Orn. vi. App. p. 22, pi. 1 (1760). The Bivarf Eagle, Sportsmen in India. Bagati Jmniz, Hind., lit. “Garden Eagle ;” also Gilheri-mar, lit. “Squirrel-killer;” Oodatal Gedda, Tel., lit. “ Squirrel Kite ” {apud Jerdon). Pimja-Frdndu, Tam., lit. “ Field-Kite.” Bajaliya, Sinhalese. Adult male. Length to front of cere 19'5 to 21’0 inches ; culmen from cere 1’02 to 1‘2 : wing 14’5 to 15-5 ; tail 8'2 to 8-5 ; tarsus 2-3 to 2-4 ; mid toe 1'5 to V7, claw (straight) 0‘7o to 0’8. Adult female. Wing lo’O to lG-4 ; tail 8-5 to 9‘5 ; tarsus 2-3 to 2’5 ; mid toe I’o to 1‘7 ; culmen from cere ITS to 1’3. This limit of wing is from a series of Bengal, Turkish, and Spanish examples. Mr. MacYicar's specimen, referred to below, which was a female and an Indian-bred bird, measured 15' 7 iu the \x iug ; a male, in my own collection, purchased from Messrs. AVTiyte and Co., 15'2. Iris varying from pale brown to chestnut-brown ; cere yellow ; bill black at the tip, paling into leaden or bluish at the base, aud with the gape yellow ; feet yellow ; claws black. Head and hind neck brownish tawny, darkest on the forehead and crown (in some paler or fulvous tawny), the shafts of the feathers dark and their margins pale ; back, rump, scapulai’s, lesser and greater secondary wing- coverts dark earth-brown, with the edges of the feathers slightly paler ; median wing-coverts, uppermost tertials, aud some of the scapular feathers pale brownish, darkening towards the shaft of the feather ; primaries and secondaries blackish brown, w ith obsolete bars on the light portions of the inner w-ebs and the extreme tips whitish ; upper tail-coverts sandy fulvous ; tail blackish brown, lighter than the tips of the quills ; traces of obsolete transverse marks exist in many specimens; the inner webs of the lateral feathers mottled with whitish. Plumes of the lores and round the eye black; cheeks, ear-coverts, and a space below them dark tawny, with a narrow blackish-brown moustachial stripe ; throat and fore neck buff, paling slightly on the whole under surface and under wing into buff-white, the throat marked wdth central stripes concolorous with the ear-coverts ; these become narrower on the chest, aud gradually change into shaft-lines on the breast and flanks aud secondary under wing-coverts ; j)rimary under coverts spotted with dark brown. The amount of striation on the under surface varies much, and some examples have the stripes confluent across the throat. Darh form. The plumage above has the same character as the foregoing, but is much darker throughout both as regards body and the wings and tail ; the light portions of the wdng-coverts and tail are very much darker than in the NISAETUS PENNATUS. 41 pale bird ; the forehead and cro\rn are well covered with black feathers, and the hind neck rufous instead of pale fulvous ; the upper tail-coverts are darker than in the pale bird ; the chin and cheeks are boldly dashed with blackish browur ; and the entire under surface uniform wood-brown, the centres of the feathers black, blending with the ground-colour. Yonng. The nestling has the iris brown, and the legs and feet yellow, like the adult. Obs. In the splendid series possessed by the British Museum, many of which were collected by Mr. Howard Saunders in Spain, are two nestlings obtained from the nest, with the parents, by that gentleman. One is a light bird, and the other a very dark one, demonstrating the fact that light and dark birds exist from the very nest, and are the offspring of the same parents. This fact solves the problem as to the light and dark birds of both sexes, which has so long engaged the attention of naturalists. Mons. Bureau, in his paper on this Eagle, published in the ‘ Proceedings ’ of the Association Eran^aise pour Tavancemeut des Sciences, Nantes, goes very fully into this singular feature in the economy of the Booted Eagle, proving by his observations that sometimes birds of the light and dark type pair together, the union of similar-plumaged birds being of course the commoner ; and he remarks, with reference to the progeny, “ De I’line ou I'antre de ces unions naissent habituellemeut des jeuues d’un seul type ; plus rarement on trouve dans une memo nichce des jeunes de Tune ou de I’autre race.” This conclusion is sub- stantiated in the case of the two young birds now alluded to, the parents of whom belonged to the two phases. In the ‘ Birds of Europe,’ Mr. Dresser cites several instances of light and dark birds breeding together in Biissia and producing young of both descriptions. The description of the above-mentioned nestlings is as follows : — Pale form. Head and hind neck light but rich sienna, the feathers of the crown with dark shafts : back, lesser secon- dary wing-coverts, and longer scapulars deep wood-brown, with a purplish lustre; the tail broadly tipped with whitish ; scapulars, tertials and major wing-coverts, primaries, and secondaries blackish brown, the latter paling at the tips into the hue of the coverts ; upper tail-coverts light fawn-brown with dark shafts ; under surface very pale fawn, richest on the chest, where the feathers have dark shaft-stripes. Dark form. Head and hind neck rich tawny, the forehead blackish, and the crown with dark shaft-lines ; dark portions of the upper surface much the same as the pale bird, but the scapulars and wing-coverts darker ; cheeks, fore neck, and entire under surface dark brown, quite as intense as in the full-grown dark bird. With its advance towards maturity, the pale bird becomes lighter on the head and under surface. The head and hind neck are rich tawny, with the shaft-stripes narrower than in the adult, and the crown not so dark ; the ear-coverts and sides of the neck are rich tawny brown, this part blending evenly into the paler fawn-colour of the chest ; the moustachial streak is dark and unites with the surrounding tints ; the wing-coverts and scapulars have a greater extent of pale tipping, which extends to the least coverts along the front of the wing : the upper tail-coverts are very pale, and the light tip of the tail deeper than in the adult ; the entire under surface is pale fawn, blending into the darker hue of the chest, which is handsomely striated a§ in the adult, but the streaks not contrasting so much with the feather. With age, in the dark form, the tawny hue of the head and hind neck gradually changes to the darker coloration of the adult ; the crown and forehead become more uniformly brown, and the light edgings of the back feathers less conspicuous, finally darkening into the ground-colour. Distribution. — This bold little Eagle, so well known in Southern Europe and India, appears to pay ocea- sional visits to Ceylon, and has been obtained both in the maritime and moderately elevated hill-distriets. It was first killed by Edgar Layard near Pt. Pedro, during his offieial residence at that plaee. The season of the year was that in which Asiatic Raptors usually visit the island, and at the same time, during the prevalence of the north-east monsoon in 1875— G, two additional examples were collected. The first, a fine female, was killed by Mr. H. MacVicar, of the Survey Department, in the cinnamon-gardens close to Colombo, and was presented by that gentleman to the Colonial Museum ; the second was shot in the district of Dumbara, near Kandy, was preserved by Messrs. Whyte and Co., of that town, and afterwards passed into my hands. I am under the impression that I have seen this species myself in the north-eastern part of the island ; but I can no more speak with certainty concerning it than I can satisfy myself as to the identity of several Hawks not in our lists, which I have met with in the forests of Ceylon and failed to shoot. In India this Eagle is pretty fairly distributed as far as the plains are concerned ; but its numbers are greater in the north than in the south. It is not found at any elevation in the mountains, and does not inhabit G 42 NISAETU8 PENNATUS. Burmah in any quantity. It is recorded as being comparatively rare in Pegu, neither Mr. Oates nor Captain Feilden having procured many examples of it in that region. From the west of India its range extends through Persia to Palestine, south-eastern, southern, and central Europe; whereas on the south of the Mediterranean it inhabits Egypt and Algeria, and thence extends, probably by way of the east coast, to the south of the continent, having been procured in Damara Laud by Mr. Andersson. Lord Lilford found it common in Spain near Seville, and remarks that it inhabits many other parts of the Peninsula. Mous. L. Bureau records it as an inhabitant of the west of France, and Count M'odzicki of the Carpathians, while other naturalists, as quoted in Mr. Dresser^s ‘ Birds of Europe,’ have met with it in Central Germany and many parts of Russia. In Palestine Canon Tristram believes it to be confined to the north, and only observed it between the mouths of October and March. Habits. — The Booted Eagle frequents hilly, wooded country, as well as open plains, cultivated land, and ground covered sparsely Avith small timber and scrub, where it finds an abundance of food in birds, small vermin, and perhaps some kinds of reptiles. It is partial to districts where woods and clumps of forest are intermingled with low jungle. It is a bold and daring bird and very active on the wing, in testimony of Avhich Mr. Hume, in his ‘ Rough Notes,’ quotes from the letters of Mr. R, Thompson, who observed one of these Eagles dash into a tree, and seize a bird out of a flock of Parakeets, while on another occasion he witnessed the attempted capture of a rat on the ground. Layard, in writing of the specimen he shot at Pt. Pedro, after narrating that he had mistaken it in the twilight of the morning for a Brahminy Kite, remarks, “ it suddenly ])Ounccd upon a Bulbul roosting in an oleander bush : this at once undeceived me ; and as it rose Avith its vdetim in its claws, I fired and brought it to the ground. It fought Avith determined spirit and kept a small terrier at bay, till I killed it Avith the butt-end of my gun.” J erdon, in his ^ Birds of India,’ notes its destructive habits, and says that it pounces on doves, pigeons, and chickens, and that it forages about villages in company Avith Kites, who are often unjustly blamed for the depredations in reality committed by the “ Dwarf Eagle.” Although fierce in its nature it is at times sociably inclined, even towards other members of its order; for Mr. Brooks has seen it, several at a time, seated on the ground in company Avith the Common Kite. The note of the Booted Eagle is a Avild scream, which is said to be different from that of most other Eagles. It was observed by Capt. Feilden in Burmah to perch much in thickly foliaged trees, a somcAvhat abnormal habit for the Eagle family. In Spain it appears, says Lord Lilford, “ to prefer open country and isolated groups of trees to large extents of forest,” and is, according to the natives, “ the scourge of the Quails in Andalucia.” It arrives in the country in April, breeds there, and departs in October. Nidification. — The Dwarf Eagle does not breed commonly within the Indian limits. Mr. Hume records, in ‘ Nests and Eggs,’ a nest found at Hurroor, near Salem. It was built in the branch of a high banyan tree, about 50 feet from the ground, and consisted of dry tAvigs, being a circular platform in shape, with a slight depression in the centre and devoid of lining. The eggs were two in number, of a dead white ground-colour, and one of them blotched and streaked with reddish broAvn. The egg measured 2'13 by I’78 inch. In Spain, Lord Lilford, who found many nests, chiefly built in pine-groves, says that they arc invariably lined Avith green leaves, which is a common practice with the Eagle tribe. These nests, when built in pines, were situated at the junction of a large lower branch Avith the trunk, and all, as Avell as others found by him, contained two eggs. The figures on pi. x. of ‘ The Ibis ’ for I86G show the variation in the colouring, the one being dull white with a fcAV faint reddish blotches about the centre, and the other clouded and dashed Avith tAVO or more shades of light reddish. The lighter of the two measures 2'04 by L73 inch, and the larger and more handsomely coloured 2’2G by 1‘83 inch. A C C I P I T Tl E S. FALC'ONIIEE. AQUILIN.'E. Genus LOPIIOTEIOECIIIS. Bill curved more suddenly from the base than in Nisaetus, less stout, and with the tip not so prolonged ; margin not prominently festooned. Nostrils circular, rather small, and placed near the edge of the cere. Wings moderate, reaching, when closed, beyond the middle of the tail ; the 4th and 5th quills subequal and longest, or the 6th shorter than the 4th. Tail moderate, broad at the base, rounded at the tip. Tarsus as in Nisaetus ; middle toe long, wdth the claw- rather short ; lateral toes nearly equal, but with the inner claw nearly as long as the hind one. Head crested ; the feathers short, broad at the base, and pointed at the tip, forming a wedge- shaped crest, which originates above the occiput. LOPHOTEIOECHIS KIENEEL (THE RUFOUS-BELLIED HAWK-EAGLE.) Astiir kieneri, G. S. *, Mag. Zool. 1835 (Aves), pi. 35. SjAzaeius alhogularis, Tickell, J. A. S, B. xi. p. 456 (1842). Limnaetus kieneri, Strickland, Ann. N. H. xiii. p. 33 (1844); Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 74; Bligh, J. A. S. (C. B.) p. 64 (first record from Ceylon) ; Legge, Str. Feath. 1875, p. 198 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 433. Spizaetus kieneri, Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 33 (1845); Schl. Mus. P.-B. Astures, p. 11; Wall. Ibis, 1868, p. 14; Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 216; Hume, Str. Feath. i. p. 310 (1873). Nisaetus kieneri, Jerd. Ill, Ind. Orn. p. 5 (1847). LophotriorcMs kieneri, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 255 (1874). Adult male. Length to front of cere 19'5 to 20‘5 inches ; culmen from cere 1‘0 to IT ; wing 14‘2 to 15'5 ; tail 8-2 to 9'0 : tarsus 2'7 to 3'0 ; mid toe 2‘0 to2T5, its claw (straight) 0‘85 to IT ; inner claw (straight) 1'3 ; height of bill at cere 0’5 to 0-55. Expanse (of one with wing of 14’5) 45‘0 ; weight of the same 1| lb. A great disparity in size exists betwen the sexes in this species, but males also differ much intei' se in this respect. The above dimensions are taken from a fair series of Indian, Ceylonese, and Malaccan examples. The wings of four Ceylonese males examined measure 14'2, 14-5, 13-5, and 15'0. Adult female. From Mr. Hume’s Darjiling specimens (‘ Stray Feathers,’ vol. i. p. 311). Length 24’0 to 29'0 inches ; * The article here referred to merely has these initials appended to it, and some doubt exists as to whether they refer to G. Sparre or Geoffroy St.-Hilaire. Mr. Sharpe has adopted the latter in his ‘ Catalogue of the Accipitres.’ 1 observe that, throughout the ‘ Mag. Zool.,’ St.-Hilaire either signs his name in full or uses the abbreviation “ Geoffroy St.-H. and I tliink there is no reason to infer that had he been the author of the two descriptive articles {Astur kieneri and Pica mystacalis) in the volume for 1835, which are signed “ G. S.,” he would have used these initials instead of his usual signature. In the Eoy. Soc. Catalogue, vol. v., these two identical articles are referred to as written by G. Sparre ; and, in all probability, this is the correct determination of their authorship. g2 44 LOPHOTllIOECIIIS KIEJs'EKI. culmen 1-2 ; wing 17’0 to 17'5 ; tail lO’O to 12-5 ; tarsus 3'0 ; mid toe 2-3, its claw (straight) 1-18 ; inner claw I'o ; height of bill at cere 0'G5. Expanse 50'0. An example from Sarawak in the British Museum, marked $ , has the wing 13-0 and the tail 7‘0. I ris dark brown ; cere yellow, in some greenish yellow ; bill black, plumbeous at base ; feet yellow ; eyelid greenish yellow. Lores, head, crest, back and sides of neck, upper surface, and wings dark blackish brown, almost black ; crest of three or four stiffish, ovate feathers from 2-2 to 2-5 inches in length ; inner webs of primaries (in the longer ones to the notch) whitish, crossed with narrow blackish bars ; inner webs of secondaries more dusky, similarly barred ; tail blackish brown, crossed with six or seven narrow smoky-brown but indistinct bars ; in some examples the bars on the central feathers are nearly obsolete. Chin, throat, and chest white, changing on the upper breast into the deep ferruginous of the lower parts, including the legs and under tail-coverts, and striped every where but on the chin and throat with lanceolate black shaft-streaks ; under surface of tail greyish ; under surface of primaries white, from the notch to the tip greyish, showing narrow black bars ; lesser under wing-coverts pale rufous with black mesial stripes ; greater secondary series and the primary row black, with white tips and fulvous edges. Ods. In very old specimens the rufous colouring is very deep, and spreads upwards to the throat, the feathers being either tipped with it or w-ashed with a paler hue than that of the breast. The extent of the shaft-streaks on the upper parts varies, the throat and chest having them in old birds. Mr. Bligh’s male example (the first procured in Ceylon, and now in the Norwich Museum) has the rufous colouring extending no higher than the breast, and therefore represents a mature, but not an aged bird. I'ounr/. I have not had an opportunity of examining this Eagle in its nestling plumage, and I therefore transcribe here the description given by Mr. Hharpe at page 4.58 of the ‘ Catalogue of Accipitres,’ from a young bird in Lord Tweed- dale’s collection, which is evidently in its first dress : — “ Above dark brown, the feathers lighter on their margins ; wing-coverts coloured like the back, but the greater series with narrow white margins ; hind neck paler than back, rufous-brown, with dark brown longitudinal centres, causing a slightly streaked appearance; quills blackish, with whity brown shafts ; the secondaries paler brown, like the scapularies, all the quills narrowly banded with black, nearly obsolete on the primaries, but more distinct on the secondaries, especially underneath, where the lining of the wing is whitish ; tail dark brown, whitish at tip, and crossed with seven or eight rather narrow bands of black. “ Crown of head dark brown, with tiny cream-coloured tips to the feathers ; the occipital crest black, and 1-9 inch long ; forehead and eyebrow very broad, rich creamy buff ; cheeks and entire underparts creamy w'hite, as also the tarsal feathers and under wing- and tail-coverts, the greater under wing-coverts with a few indistinct blackish bars.” Wing 13'3 inches. The tippings of the head-feathers, margins of the wing-coverts, and creamy colour of the under surface testify to this bird being in nestling plumage. An immature bird, appai'ently of the second year, in my collection is in the following plumage : — Head and upper surface very dark brown, the terminal portions of the feathers being blackish, but the basal parts paler brown than the centres ; forehead at the edge of the cere, a narrow streak above the eye, and the basal portions of the head and nuchal feathers whitish ; crest fully developed ; lesser coverts on the point of the wing and along its edge with pale terminal margins ; primary and greater secondary coverts and also the secondaries pale tipped, the former most clearly so ; inner webs of the quills much as in the adult, but with the ground less white, being mottled between the bars ; tail smoky brown, tipped pale, with narrower bars than in the adult, the subterminal one scarcely broader than the rest. (,'hiu, face, ear-coverts, and entire under surface with the under wing white ; ear-coverts and sides of neck below them with terminal dark shaft-stripes ; feathers at the sides of the breast and one or two on the chest with lanceolate dark brown shaft-stripes, surrounded by a wash of rufous ; longer feathers of the flank-plumes dark brown, forming a prominent dark patch ; thighs, tarsi, and under tail-coverts with rufescent feathers here and there ; major under wing-coverts with blackish terminal patches. The rufous hue on the under tail-coverts is taking place by a change of feather ; but there are some new feathers on the thighs of a darker hue. Wing 15-0 inches. In the Norwich Museum are two young examples from “Java” and “ Batchian” in this stage of plumage. W^ith (tfje the dai’kening of the lower parts and the gradual advance of the rufous up towards the chest is very percep- tible. An exam])le from Malacca, in the British Museum, in the ne.xt stage to the above has the throat, chest. LOPKOTlIIOECllIS KIENEKl. 45 and most of the breast white, the rufous hue appearing on the lower breast and extending downwards, while the shaft-stripes do not extend above the breast. Ohs. This interesting genus of Eagles, though comprising very few species, is widely diffused, taking both the Old and the Xew Worlds into its range. Until lately but two were known, the present and the large L. isidorii from Columbia, South America ; recently, however, a third, L. lucani (Sharpe and Bouvier), has been added from the Congo river, S.W. Africa. Distribution. — This rare and liaiidsomc Eagle has only lately been diseovered in Ceylon ; and the gentleman who has the merit of adding it to the avifauna of the island is Mr. S. Bligh, of Lemastota. The first Ceylonese example was proenred by him in Kotmalie^ a district at the base of the Nuwara Elliya ranges, lying at an altitude of about 3500 feet. It was shot on the 20th of October, 1873, and w'as a male in adult plumage. The next example was killed near Kandy at the latter end of 1875, and taken to Messrs. Whyte and Co.^s establishment, whence it passed into the Colonial Museum at Colombo ; about the same time a young bird (above described) was shot near Peradeniya by a native, and procured from him by Mr. M byte. Mr. Bligh met with another, which was seen close to his bungalow, on the 6th of June 1875, but evaded his pursuit; and in January 1876 I w'as equally unsuccessful in procuring another at Nalanda, a district to the north of the Matale hills, which are celebrated for the variety of Raptors found in their vicinity. It has as yet, therefore, proved quite a hill species, which is in accordance with its habits in the Hima- layas and elsewhere in the hills of Borneo and Malacca. This Eagle is an inhabitant of the northern parts of India ; but has not yet been detected in the south, which is the more strange when viewed in conjunction with its not unfrequent occurrence of late years in Ceylon ; this, however, only substantiates the theory of the strong affinities of the Ceylonese avifauna with that of Malayana, in which region this Eagle is rather widely distributed. According to Jerdon it is found in Central India, and Tickell obtained it near Chaibassa; but it has not been procured from there of late years ; and Mr. Hume doubts if these specimens really belonged to the true kieneri, wdiich was described originally from the Himalayas by Sparre, from a specimen at that time in Prince Essling^s collection. Along the southern slopes of the Himalayas it has been occasionally met with, particularly in Darjiling, Sikhim, and the eastern portions of the range ; and in the collections made by Mr. Inglis for Mr. Hume in Cachar one example is noted. It is, however, rare in that district as everywhere else. Mr. Inglis writes Stray Feathers,’ vol. v. p. 9) : — “ I was lucky enough to secure the only specimen of this handsome bird that I ever met with ; I got it while on a fishing excursion on the Cheerie, close to the Cacharce Degoon Ponjee, at an elevation of 2000 feet.” From North-east India it extends southwards into Malacca, and thence into the islands of the archipelago. It has been procured in Java and Borneo, in the latter by Mr. Wallace, and from the former it has been sent to the Norwich Museum. From the island of Batchian, one of the Moluccas, there is likewise a specimen at Norwich, this locality (which is in lat. 0°40' S. and long. 127° E.) being at present the furthest known limit of its range into the Malay islands. Habits. — The Rufous-bellied Hawk-Eagle inhabits forest-clad hills, fi’equenting, in search of its prey, open glades, valleys, clearings, and patnas. In Ceylon, it is therefore found about the coffee-estates, which are bordered by wood and studded with dead trees, the latter furnishing it with an advantageous jjost of observation. It is a bird of truly predatory disposition, and is as bold and courageous as it is handsome. ]\Ir. Bligh remarks, in his note on the capture of his bird, contained in the ‘ Journal of the Ceylon Asiatic Society’ for 1874, that it was '^sailing just above the trees in circles in a very buoyant and graceful manner, rarely flapping its wings. My little terrier,” he says, “ was frisking about some thirty yards off, and on arriving over the spot, the bold bird at once altered its flight, hovering in small circles with a heavy flapping of the wings, evidently with a view of examining the dog.” He further remarks that when brought to the ground with a broken wing, “ it put itself in an attitude of defence at once ; and a formidable bird it looked, with beak open, head tlu'own back, wings spread, and talons ready for action, and its beautiful brown eyes looking so fierce.” 46 LOPHOTMORCHIS KIENERF. Mr. Inglis, in liis note on the shooting of a specimen on the hills of Cachar, hears the same testimony to its plucky nature, and says that it fought most fiercely while it was being secured. As observed by myself its flight was buoyant, but not very swift, resembling somewhat that of the Ceylon Crested Eagle {Spizaetus ceylon- ensis) ; its white chest, contrasted with the dark lower parts, is a conspicuous characteristic w'hen the bird is flying overhead. This Eagle preys on birds and small mammals, being capable, however, of capturing an animal of no diminutive size, so strong are its talons and so bold its disposition. A C C I P I T 11 E S. FALCONID^. AQUILIN^E. Genus NEOPUS. Bill longer than in Lophotriorchis, more suddenly hooked at the tip, the festoon less pro- nounced ; cere large, the nostrils oval and partially covered by the loral bristles. Wings very long and exceeding the tail when closed ; the terminal portions of the longer primaries very concave beneath ; 4th, 5th, and 6th quills subequal and longest. Tarsus slender, feathered to the toes, which are short, the inner nearly as long as the middle, the outer very short. Claws slightly curved ; the inner claw very long, exceeding the hind ; outer claw very short, not reaching to the tip of the middle toe. NE0PU8 MALAYENSIS. (THE BLACK KITE-EAGLE.) Falco nialayensis, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 117 (1824). Aguila malayensis, Vig. Zool. Journ. i. p. 337 (1824); Schlegel, Vog. Nederl. Ind., Valkv. pp. 8, 49, pi. 3. figs. 1, 2 (1866). Aquila malayana. Less. Traite, p. 39 (1831). Ictinaetus malayensis, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xv. p. 7 (1846) ; Kelaart’s Prodromus, Cat. p. 114 ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1853, xii. p. 99. Feopns malayensis, Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 65 (1862) ; Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 187 ; Wald. Tr. Z. S. viii. p. 34; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 8; Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 257 ; Bourdillon, Str. Feath. 1876, p. 355. lleteropus malayensis, Hume, Nests and Eggs, i. p. 32. The Blaclc Eagle, Kite-Eagle, in India. lleugong, Bhot. ; Adavi nalla gedda, Tel., lit. “Jungle Black Kite ” {apud Jerdon). Kalu-Bajaliya, lit. “ Black Eagle,” Sinhalese. AduH male. Length to front of cere 25-0 to 27'2 inches; culmen from cere 1'35 ; wing 20‘6 to 21-75, expanse 63-0 to 64-0 ; tail 12*2 to 13-5 ; tarsus 3-2 ; mid toe 1-6 to 1-7, its claw (straight) 1-1 to 1-2 ; inner claw (straight) 1-6, hind claw (straight) 1-45 ; height of bill at cere 0-55. Adult female. Length to front of cere 28-0 to 29-5 inches ; culmen from cere 1-37 ; wing 23-0 to 25-0, expanse 75-0 ; tail 13-5 to 14-5 ; tarsus 3-5 to 3-8 ; inner claw (straight) 1-7 to I'O ; height of bill at cere 0-6. Weight 3| lb. 48 NEOPUS MALAYENSIS. Ohx. Tlie chief distinguishing characteristic of this peculiar Eagle is its remarkable foot and straight claws, the inner of which is the longest, exceeding the hind by about O'l inch, which latter is just twice the length of the outer. Iris hazel-brown ; bill brownish horn-colour, paling into greenish at the cere ; cere, gape, and base of lower mandible citron-yellow ; feet gamboge-yellow. Head and entire upper surface sooty black, darkest on the head, lesser wing-coverts, and scapulars, and paling into brown on the upper tail-coverts ; entire under surface and legs blackish brown, blending into the black of the cheeks and hind neck ; feathers of the head with spinons glossy shafts, bases of the loral plumes and a small space above them white ; scapulars and outer webs of quills with a green lustre ; bases of the inner webs of the longer primaries barred with white ; on the remainder and those of the secondaries there are indications of bars slightly lighter than the ground-colour ; concealed portions of the upper tail-coverts crossed with narrow incomplete white bars ; tail with four or five interrupted bars, slightly paler than the ground-colour, the terminal one about 2| inches from the tip ; on the under surface these bars show whitish, and mostly so on the lateral feathers, where they increase to seven ; under wing-coverts uniform brownish black. The amount of white about the lores varies in individuals, and a specimen from Ceylon in my collection has a small tuft of white feathers below the cheeks. Yoinnj. In the nestling-plumage, as figured by Schlegel (loe.cit), the head, neck, and entire under surface are fulvescent buff, each feather with a central stripe of brown, the pale ground-colour darkening on the back and wings into blackish brovra, and having the margins of the feathers buff. Immature bird. Wing of an example in the British Museum 18‘5 inches. In this plumage the back, wings, and tail are but little paler than in the adult ; crown almost uniform black, the feathers tipped with fulvous, which on the nape, hind neck, and behind the ears increases in extent, and gives those parts a striated appearance ; the forehead and lores whiter than in the adult ; lesser and median wing-coverts tipped pale ; primaries as black as in the adult, the inner w'ebs with narrow mottled bars of white as far out as the notch ; bars of the tail-feathers narrower, closer together, and more numerous than in the adult, the terminal one nearer the tip ; upper tail-coverts as in the adult ; throat and fore neck deep brown, the feathers tipped with fulvous ; breast, flanks, and thighs mingled with rufous and streaked and mottled with the brown of the fore neck ; lower part of tarsi streaked and mottled with fulvous ; under tail-coverts barred with the same ; under wing-coverts buff, closely barred with irregular marks of blackish brown. With rtf/e, as the pale striations and tippings of the upper surface disappear, the bars on the inner webs of the primaries diminish near the tips ; the tail-bars likewise alter in character ; but they are always perceptible on the central feathers in the oldest birds, and the bases of the primaries are never, as far as I have been able to examine speci- mens, without a few white bars. Mr. Sharpe observes, in his ‘ Catalogue,’ that while the change to the adult ])lumage on the upper surface takes place by a partial moult, the alteration on the lower parts is acquired by the brown edgings of the feathers gradually occupying the whole of the web. Y)'istrihution. — Tlie Black Eagle is found both in the lowlands of Ceylon and the mountain-zone up to the highest elevations. In the low country it confines itself chiefly to tracts of forest and retired valleys in the vicinity of some rocky eminence, on which, in all probability, it breeds. I have seen it on several occasions in the Kurunegala district and about the Ambepussa hills; further south, in the more wooded portions of the Basdun Korale and Salfragam, it is more plentiful, and in the hilly jungle-clad country between Galle and the southern mountain-range I have often seen it soaring round the forest-covered hills on the southern bank of the (lindurah, or gliding over the secluded valleys at the base of the Morowak Korale coffee-districts. In these latter it is not uncommon too. The endless jungles of the eastern side of the island, teeming with bird-life, form a grand refuge for these sable robbers ; and I have observed them from the base of the Ouvah hills to the Briar’s Hood forests, between which latter and the sea, at about an hour’s walk from the Batticaloa Lake, I once .shot a fine specimen. In the northern half of the island I have met with it as far up as the neighbourhood of Ilaborcnna, near which the lofty cliffs of Rittagalla and the precipitous rock of Sigiri no doubt furnish it with a permanent residence. In the Central Province it is tolerably common, confining itself to the higher peaks in the Kandy district and the high ranges surrounding the Nuwara-Elliya plateau. I have seen it at Ilorton Plains and at Kanda- polla, near the sanatorium ; but it is oftener met with on the Uva side hetween Nuwara Elliya and Madulsima than atiywherc else in the hills. NEOPUS MALAYENSIS. 49 The Black Eagle is found in most of the hilly wooded districts of India, hut appears to visit certain localities for a time and then depart again, reappearing the following year. In the south it is found in the Travancore district and in the INIalabar region generally, following the west coast to the district of Surat. Mr. Fail-hank says it is rare at iMahabaleshwar, and in the Deccan he has not observed it. In the Ilima- layas it ascends generally to an elevation of seven or eight thousand feet, and is more common there from September till April than during the hot season. Col. Irby states that he has procured it as high as 10,000 feet. Mr. Ball does not include it in his avifauna of Chota Nagpur, nor docs it appear in the “First List of the Birds of Upper Pegu” (' Stray Feathers,’ 1875). iMr. Brooks records it as rare above Mussoorie. To the south-east of the Himalayas its numbers commence to diminish ; it finds no place among the birds collected in North-east Cachar by Mr. James Inglis (‘ Stray F’eathers,’ 1877) ; and though it is recorded hy Jerdon and other naturalists from Buimah ])roper, it does not appear to be common there. According to Schlegel it is found in Malacca, and Wallace notes its occurrence in Java, Sumatra, and Celebes; hut in these islands it appears to be far from numerous. Habits. — This fine, long-winged Eagle is, on account of the singular structure of its feet and its curious habits, one of the most interesting, but at the same time perhaps the most destructive of Raptors to bird -life in Ceylon. It subsists, as far as can be observed, entirely by bird-nesting, and is not content with the eggs and young birds which its keen sight espies among the branches of the forest-trees, but seizes the nest in its talons, decamps with it, and (as Mr. Bourdillon, in his article on the Travancore birds in ‘ Stray F’eathers,’ observes) often examines the contents as it sails lazily along. F'urthermore, JMr. S. Bligh informs me that he once found the best part of a bird’s nest in the stomach of one of these Eagles which he shot in the Central Province ! Its flight is most easy and graceful. In the early morning it passes much of its time soaring round the high peaks or cliffs on which it has passed the night, and about 9 or 10 o’clock starts off on its daily foraging expedition ; it launches itself with motionless wings from some dizzy precipice, and proceeding in a straight line till over some inviting-looking patna-woods, it quickly descends, with one or two rather sharp gyrations, through perhaps a thousand feet, and is in another moment gliding stealthily along, just above the tops of the trees ; in and out among these, along the side of the w'ood, backwards and forwards over the top of the narrow strip, it quarters, its long wings outstretched and the tips of its pinions w-idc apart, Avith apparently no exertion ; and luckless indeed is the Bulbul, Oriole, or Mountain-Finch whose carefully-built nest is discovered by the soaring robber. ]\Ir. Fraidv Bourdillon, in his “Notes on the Birds of the TraA^ancore Hills” Stray Feathers,’ 1875, p. 358), in Avhich district this Eagle is not uncommon above 500 feet, remarks, “ I have never seen it make any attempt to seize a full-grown bird, but have once or tAviee seen one carry off a nest in its claAvs, and examine the contents as it sailed lazily along. It is a very silent bird, and may be seen steadily quartering backAvards and foi’Avards along the side of a hill and in and out among the tree-tops.” It is, I think, worthy of remark that the long inner claAvs of this bird seem especially adapted for the work of carrying off loose and fragile masses, such as the nests of small birds, as they Avould naturally form its chief means of grasp Avhen such an object Avas being held by both feet during the process of flight. Concerning its habits in India, Jerdon Avrites the folloAving account, Avhich is confirmatory of what I have above stated : — “ I never saw it perch, except for the pui-pose of feeding or on being Avounded ; and the Lepchas of Darjiling, Avhen I saw this Eagle, said, ^This bird never sits doAvn.’ It Ha'^cs almost exclusively, I believe, by robbing birds’ nests, devouring both the eggs and the young ones. I dare say if it saw a young or sickly bird it might seize it; but it has neither the ability nor dash to enable it to seize a strong Pheasant on the Aving, or even, I believe, a Partridge ; atul Hodgson, I fancy, must have trusted to a native partially ignorant of its habits, Avhen he says that it preys on the Pheasants of the regions it frequents as well as their eggs.’ “ 1 have examined several birds shot by myself, and invariably found that eggs and nestling birds had been alone their food. In these cases I found the eggs of the Ilill-Quail [Coturnix eryihrorhyncha) , of Malaco- circus malabaricus , and of some Doves [Turtur], Avith nestlings and the remains of some eggs that I did not knoAV. I have seen it also, after circling several times over a small tree, alight on it and carry off the contents of a dove’s nest. In India, doves, and perhaps some other birds, breed at all times in the year; and it may, II 50 NEOPUS MALAY EN SIS. perhaps, obtain eggs or nestlings at all seasons, by shifting its quarters and varying the elevations ; if not, it probably may eat reptiles ; but of this I cannot speak from observation.” I have been assured by several gentlemen in the planting-districts that it attacks fowls, and carries them off from the poultry -yards ; and Mr. Northway, of Deltota, has a fine pair stuffed by Messrs. Whyte and Co., which were killed in so doing. It is the opinion of some naturalists that it does not attack large birds ; but this fact is conclusive, though it may only carry off poultry when much pressed by hunger. The voice of this species is a shrill, very long-drawn scream, resembling the cry of the Serpent-Eagle somewhat, but much more powerful, and when heard in the deep gorges of the mountain forests in the upper ranges is a ^yild and stirring note. Nidification. — It is extremely difficult to obtain information about the breeding-habits of a species frequenting such wdld haunts as the Black Eagle. My endeavours to trace even the whereabouts of an eyrie were futile, although, during the last year I w'as in Ceylon, I learnt that a pair w'ere thought to nest in the high cliff above the Nuwara Elliya and Kandapolla road. In 1872 a pair frequented a ravine near the Galle and Akkuresse road ; and I believe they were breeding in the neighbourhood, but I was unable to discover their nest. Mr. Hnme has received eggs from two nests, with their parent birds, and has no doubt that they were rightly identified. These eggs were taken in January in India, and, in all probability, our birds breed about the same time. The nests were situated on ledges on the face of clift's, and contained respectively one and three eggs. They were nearly perfect ovals, devoid of gloss and rough in texture, and of a greyish-white ground ; and the single egg was richly blotched and mottled with brownish red, while the other three contained only a few brownish specks at one end. They varied “ from 2'5 to 2'68 inches in length, and from 1'88 to 2'02 inches in breadth.” Foot of Neopiis malayensis. ACCIPITRES. FALCONID^. AQUILIN.E. Genus SPIZAETUS. Bill stouter, slightly shorter, and deeper than in Neopus ; culraen curved much as in that genus, the festoon more pronounced ; cere small. Nostrils large, oval, and directed obliquely upwards, and protected by the long loral bristles. Wings short and rounded ; the 5th quill the longest, the 1st the shortest of all ; tips of the secondaries falling short of those of the primaries by less than the length of tarsus. Tail long, rounded at the tip, exceeding the closed wings by more than the length of the tarsus. Tarsus long, but less than the tibia, feathered in some to the base of the toes, in others partly on the middle toe. Toes moderate, furnished at the tip with three transverse scales, the lateral toes subequal and slightly exceeding the hind toe ; inner claw shorter than the hind. Plead usually furnished with an elongated crest. SPIZAETUS KELAAETL (THE CEYLON MOUNTAIN HAWK-EAGLE.) (Peculiar to Ceylon.) Spizaetiis nipalensis (Blyth), Kelaart, Prodromus F. Zeyl. p. 96, and Cat. p. 114 (1852) ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 98 ; Blyth, Comm. Jerd. B. of Ind. Ibis, 1866, p. 242 (in part) ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 267 (1874) (in part). Limnaetus nipalensis^ Plodgson, Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 73 (1862, pt.) ; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411. Spizaetiis leelaarti^ Fegge, Ibis, 1878, p. 201. The Beautiful Crested Eagle, Kelaart, Prodromus. Bajaliya, Sinhalese, Central Province. Ad, similis /S', nipalensi, set! pileo minus nigricante, striga gulari et fasciis mystacalibus valde angustioribus, pedibus robustioribiis et unguibus validissiinis, sed p'rsecipue corpore subtus pallidiore brunneo et fasciis trausversalibus omnino albis, racbide tpioque albd distinguendus. Adult female. Length to front of cere 29‘5 to 31'0 indies ; culmen from cere 2'0 ; wing 18'0 to 20’0 : tail 12-0 to 13’0 ; tarsus 4'4 to 4-6; mid toe 2'7 to 2‘8, its claw (straight) 1'3; inner claw (straight) 1-7 ; hind toe 2'0, its claw (straight) 2-05 to 2T, circumference 1’4 to 1-5 ; height of bill at cere 0’81. Weight 6 lb. Iris yellow ; cere blackish ; bill black, paling to blackish leaden at the base ; feet citron-yellow, claws black. Mature female. Back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, rump, and upper tail-coverts blackish brown, the scapulars and upper tail-coverts tipped with white ; forehead, crown, crest, and ovate centres to the feathers at the sides of the occiput and hind neck black, the latter very broadly margined with light sienna, diminishing gradually towards the lower part of the hind neck ; crest of 5 or (5 feathers, 3| inches in length and tipped with white ; median and greater wing-coverts pale brown, darker near the tips, which are finely edged with whitish, except those of the inner feathers of the latter, which are rather deeply so ; primaries and secondaries black, the latter tipped with white, and the whole crossed with obscure smoky-brown bars, which are white towards the base at their inner edges; tail blackish, tipped pale, with three pale smoky-brownish bands, and a fourth beneath the coverts, the subterminal one about 2 inches from the tip and about 1| inch in width. II 2 52 SPIZAETUS KELAAETI. Chin, throat, and fore neck creamy white, witli a very broad, mesial, black stripe, and with two others, less clearly defined, passing from the gape down the sides of the throat, and s])r(!ading out over its lower part ; cheeks and ear-coverts boldly striped with black, the edges of the feathers concolorous with the sides and back of neck ; chest, breast, flanks, and all the lower parts, including the legs and under tail-coverts, sienna-brown, darkest on the flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts ; the feathers of the chest with wide and deej) marginal indentations of white, and the breast, flanks, thighs, abdomen, and under tail-coverts barred with straight, complete bands of white, the shaft being of the same colour; bars on the thighs narrow, but everywhere else broad, the brown interspaces on the sides of the breast and on the under tail-coverts with their lower edges darker than the rest ; tarsi ])ale brown, with whitish tips to the feathers ; lesser and median uncler wing-coverts concolorous with the chest and narrowlv barred with white ; the greater series white, crossed with blackish-brown bars ; under surface of the light portions of the quills and tail-feathers greyish white. Ohs. The above description is combined from the examination of several fully-sized females, exhibiting each a different amouut of intensity in the colour of the crown and hind neck, but none of them possessing the extremely dark features characteristic of adult Nepaul birds, or any inclination to the very broad chin-stripe of these latter, though this character is variable in that species. The older the Ceylonese birds become, no doubt the darker would be the head, and the bolder the chin and moustachial stripes, although I do not think they would ever acquire the same degree of melanism as the Indiau species (S^nzaetus nij^talensis). 1 have unfortunately no data of the dimensions of any ascertained adult males ; but the following of an immature bird, shot by Mr. Bligh, and the subject of the background figure in my Plate, will give some idea of the size attained by that sex. Younr/ male, apparently at t he outset of the 2nd year : — Wing 16',3 inches ; tail 11-75 ; tarsus 4-5 ; mid toe 2-3, its claw (straight) 1-4; hind claw 1-7. (Two presumed males, in the British Museum, of Spizaetus ni.palensis, have the wings 17-0 and 17-3 respectively; and an asceu'tained male, recorded at p. 213 of ‘Bough Jsotes,’ measures 17-8, which, in view of the respective sizes of the females in the two races, will fairly represent that of adult males of Spizaetus kelaarti.) Above brown, the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts conspicuously margined with white as in the smaller species (Spizaetus ceylonensis) ; crown with the centres of the feathers dark brown, paling into fulvous at the margins ; rest of the head and hind neck paler, the edges of the feathers pale fulvesceut ; crest well developed, the feathers black, deeply tipped with white ; greater wing-coverts pale brown, with much white on the inner webs and at the tips ; primaries and secondaries blackish brown, with paler smoky-brown bars than in the adult ; the inner webs white towards the base ; tail blackish brown, crossed with four pale brownish bands ; the black interspaces and terminal band narrower than in the adidt ; tip whitish. Chin, throat, and fore neck white ; the chin unstriped, a few blackish-brown drop-shaped marks on the throat, spreading laterally over the fore neck ; chest-feathers pate sienna-brown, indented at the sides with bar-like spots of white ; breast, flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts pale brownish, barred with complete white bands, wider than the brown interspaces, which are darlcer on the flanks than on the centre of the breast ; thighs barred more narrowly than the breast, the brown hue concolorous with that of the sides ; tarsi pale brownish, the feathers tipjied with whitish ; under wing-coverts white, spotted with sepia-brown. Ohs. I discriminated (loc. cit.) this Hawk-Eagle from the Indian species (Spizaetus nijudemsis), having made a careful examination of all the examples to baud in the British, Indian, and Norwich Museums, to aid me in my conclusions ; and the diagnosis of the distinctive characteristics of the two species, given in my article, will, I think, be sufficient to establish the Ceylonese bird as a good subspecies or local race, which I have named after I)r. Kelaart, who first brought to notice the existence of the species in Ceylon. Eor the benefit of my Ceylon readers and others who have not seen my remarks in ‘ The Ibis,’ 1 now recapitulate in substance the remarks I there made. 'J’he Ceylonese bird differs from the Indian in the peculiar barring of the entire under surface from the throat down- wards, and in its very large feet and claws, the latter of which are especially noteworthy. Purthermore, it does not appear to acquire the black head and cheeks and the very broad black throat-stripe which are characteristic of Spizaetus nipalensis. In this latter bird the chest is usually dark brown, the centres of the feathers consisting of a broad dark brown “ drop ” or stripe, which pales off into an unbroken fulvous-brown margin, while in others the whole feather is sepia-brown, with slight marginal indentations of white ; this coloration is continued in most examples down to tbe breast, about the middle or upper half of which the barred feathers commence, and in which the white band is more or less irregular and interrupted at the shaft by the browii hue of the feather, the division varying from an exceedingly fine margin on each side of the darJc shaft to a broad space of about ^ inch. In many birds these bars do not CA'cn correspond or 0])pose one another on each side of the shaft, amounting in reality to nothing more than deep indentations of white. The thighs and under tail-coverts in the Nepaul bird SPIZAETUS KELAAETI. 53 are, liowever, barred in tlie same complete manner as the breast and flanks of the Ceylonese, but the perfect bar never seems to go any higher than the tibials. In the young of the Indian species the breast is marked with drop-shaped streaks, tlie bars being confined to the funks and under tail-coverts : the markings are very dark as a ride, particularly on the chest and upper breast. It is, I mav here remark, a very variable bird in its plumage, old birds differing inter se as much as young ones ; and out of a score I have examined, no two were exactly alike. Five adult Ceylonese examples, which I have had the op[)ortunit.y of examining, exhibited precisely the same character of barring over the whole under surface. Lastlv, as regards the massive foot aud immense claws, which are characteristic of S. kelaarti, I have been unable (as will npjjear by a glance at my table of measurements, in ‘ The Ibis,’ of seventeen examples of S. nipalensis) to find any Indian example of this latter species \\ ith the hind claw exceeding 1-9 inch ; whereas in the Ceylonese bird it attains the great size of 2T inches, this measurement being taken, in accordance with my usual custom, across the arc from the tip to the e.xterior edge of the base. Distt'ihution . — This magnificent Eagle, the noblest representative of its tribe which Ceylon possesses, is peeuliar to the island, and xvas first recorded by Dr. Kelaart from a bird procured by him near Badulla, mention of Avbicb is made at page 9G of bis ‘ Prodromus,’ as folloxvs : — “ This elegant erested Eagle is oecasionally seen in the bigbest mountains. The only specimen we succeeded in procuring was shot on a mountain 4000 feet high, near Badulla.’'’ From that time until comparatively recently it does not appear to have been noticed by naturalists in the island ; and so late as the year 1872, Air. Holdswortb was unable to record any further instances of its capture since that of Kelaart’s bird, altbougli, doubtless, in the course of opening up tlie forests of the Central Province for the planting of coffee, the species may have been killed not unfrcqucntly, and not recognized by its captors as any thing valuable. It is entirely a mountain species, having its headquarters in the wild and little-trodden forests of the main range and other isolated lofty jungles, such as Ilaputale and the Knuckles, whence it descends to the neigh- bouring coffee-estates in pursuit or search of its quarry. In so doing it has lately been shot so frequently that it can no longer be considered one of our very rare Eagles. Not many years after the establishment of Alessrs. Whyte and Co.’s business as naturalists and collectors, specimens began to find their Avay to them, and in 1875 I bad the opportunity of examining two examples preserved in their collection. In Alarcb, 1876, a magnificent bird was shot by Air. Bligb on the Catton Estate, Lemastota, and in the same year five examples were pi’ocured by Alessrs. AVbyte and Co., belonging to gentlemen in the surrounding planting districts. Three of the finest of these were obtained as follows : — (1) by Air. A. Thom, on Oudasgeria Estate, Alatale ; (2) by Air. E. Nicol, Kitlamoola Estate, Deltota; (3) by Air. Gould, Alaturata — all at elevations ranging from 2000 to 4500 feet. About the same time a sixth specimen was shot by Air. Thurston near Nuwara Elliya, but unfortunately xvas not preserved. Habits. — This fine Eagle freqi;ents the retired recesses and forests of mountainous country, above an elevation of 3000 feet or thereabouts, probably not dwelling permanently or breeding beloxv 4000 feet, although it may frequently be met xvitb considerably beneath tliese altitudes when in search of food. Though bold and courageous in its disposition as a Raptor, it is very shy and wary of man, rarely coming beneath bis notice, except when caught iu the act of making a raid on the poultry-yards of the planters or seizing a bare on the mountain patnas. The first-named habit has on nearly all occasions led to its capture of late years in the planting districts. One of the finest examples above noticed was shot by Air. Nicol after it bad missed its mark at a foAvl and settled on a tree near bis bungaloxv j and Air. Bligb informs me that the magnificent example which be shot at Catton bad its talons covered xvitb the fur of a newly slaughtered bare. It is occasionally seen about Nuwara Elliya, where the existence of isolated cottages and bouses, with their accustomed live stock, is a weighty attraction for it ; it is quite poxverful enough to be capable of carrying off the largest inmate of the poultry-yard, and, indeed, could make quick work xvitli a moderately-sized lamb, were such to be found among tlie possessions of the fortunate owners of the many pretty bungalows Avbicb dot the plain of Nuwara Elliya. Its poxvers of flight and skill in catching game must be quite equal to those of its Himalayan relative, of whom Captain Hutton, as quoted by Air. Hume in ‘ Rough Notes,’ says, “ it is most destructive to pigeons, fowls, and game.” Air. Thompson likewise Avrites of this bird : — “ It feeds much on Pheasants, Hares, Black Partridge, Alonaul and Cheer Pheasants, and sometimes on young deer.” 54 SPIZAETUS KELAAliTI. Our bird may now and then be seen perched on the dead trees which stand in new coffee-plantations or upon the half-leafless ones peculiar to some of the higher patnas in the main range. Its flight is similar to that of the smaller low'-country bird ; and I have seen it (piietly heating round the edges of the woods on the Horton Plains, probably on the look-out for the large black Stpiirrel {Schirus tennantii) , the “ Kaloo Dando- leyua ” of the Sinhalese, and which animal, 1 have no doubt, is often preyed upon by it. The note of this species is a lond scream, somewhat resembling that of S. ceijlonensis. [Since this article was sent to the press, I have received the following interesting note on this species from .Mr. Bligh. Writing from Ilaputale, where the bird seems to be tolci’ably common, he says, “1 often see the bird on the wing : now I know the species well, and I believe it to be nearly as common as S. ceylonnisis ; but they do not hawk for their prey so low down as the latter, which often skims through a valley of coffee within gun-shot of the ground, indeed often flies from one high stump to another, whereas the other w'ould boldly sweep through the valley at a much greater elevation, and now and then, if really looking for prey, take a large sweeping circle. Lately I had the pleasiirc of seeing a pair of these birds on the wing together with a S. cei/Ionensis. I could easily distinguish the species ; the small one, for some reason, kept above the others, and eventually soared away out of sight, as if he did not relish the neighbourhood of his powerful relations.’’ Nidification. — The nest of this species has never yet, to my knowledge, been found. The large tracts of forest which still clothe portions of the Nuwara-Elliya plateau, and stretch from the Horton Plains to the Peak, furnish it with a secure refuge in which to rear its young. It doubtless breeds on trees, nesting in a similar manner to the next species. In the Plate accompanying this article, the figure in the foreground is taken from a magnificent female bird, mature, but not quite adult, for the possession of which I am indebted to Mr. Goidd, of Maturata. The second figure is that of the young male described in this article, and for the loan of which I am indebted to the kindness of my friend Mr. Gurney, coupled with the civility of the authorities of the Norwich Museum, who loaned the specimen to me for the purpose of figuring. Mr. Keuleman’s talented pencil has delineated this bird in the act of reposing on one leg, so characteristic of these Eagles. Sjpizaetus Icelaavii. Si>izaetus nipalensis. 'fhe above woodcut of the adult breast-feathers of this Eagle and those of Spizaetus nipalensis shows the distinctive characters of marking in the two birds. SPIZAETUS CEYLONENSIS. (THE CEYLON IIAWK-EAGLE., (Peculiar to Ceylon ?) Falco ceylanensis, Gmelin, S. N. i. p. 275 (1788). Falco cristatellus, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 282 (1824). Fjjizaetiis limnaetus, (Horsf.) apud Layard, Ann. Sc Mag. Nat. Hist. 1855, xii. p. 98 ; Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 114 ; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. Asiat. Soc. Beng. (var. f3) p. 25 ; id. Journ. Asiat. Soc. Beng. 1852, vol. xxi. p. 352. Lbimaetus cristatellus, Jerd. B. of Ind. p. 71 (in part) ; Iloldsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 411 ; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 9, and 1875, p. 277. Spizaetiis cirrhatus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 269 (in part). Lbimaetus ceylonensis, Gurney, Ibis, 1877, p. 431, et 1878, p. 85. The Ceylonese Crested Falcon, Latham, Gen. Syn. i. p. 80 (1781). Autour cristatelle, Temm. PI. Col. 282. The Crested Eayle and The Ilawk-Fagle of Europeans in Ceylon. BajaUya, Sinhalese. Ad. similis/S. cirrhato, sed minor : ala vix 15‘2 uiic. longa : cristti occipitali 3 vel 4 uuc. longa: pedibus flavis : iride flava. Adult male and female. Length to front of cere 21'5 to 23’5 inches ; culmen from cere 1‘1 to 1'25 ; wing 13'8 to 15’2, but rarely exceeding 14|- ; tail 9’0 to 10‘5 ; tarsus 3'5 to 3'8 ; middle toe 1'8 to 2‘0, its claw (straight) 0’85 to I'O ; height of bill at cere 0-5 to 0‘56. Expanse 46 to 50. In the female I find no constant excess in size in the above measurements, taken from a series of fifteen examples ; one of that sex measures 14‘2. Iris leaden grey with a tinge of yellow, pale straw-colour or golden yellow ; cere dark leaden, in some with a greenish tint above ; bill dark plumbeous, black at the tip, pale bluish at the gape' and base ; feet lemon-yellow or greenish yellow ; claws black. Ol>s. As will appear from the above, this Eagle is a bird of uncertain character in the coloration of its iris. It is likewise so in its plumage, there existing both a dark and a light phrase, of which the latter, I think, contains the larger birds. To the dark form I will give precedence in this article, as I am able to furnish a more complete sequence of changes than in the pale. 1. Darh form, old bird. Head and hind neck dark tawny, the centres of the feathers blackish ; a crest of five or six elongated black feathers tipped with fulvous ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts blackish brown, the feathers slightly paler at the margins, the coverts edged with tawny fulvous, blending gradually into the dark centres of the feathers and more conspicuous on the greater series than on the rest; lesser coverts pervaded with an ashen hue; primaries and secondaries deep brown, with the terminal portions and a series of bars across both webs black, the basal portions of the inner webs white ; tertials paler brown than the secondaries ; rump and upper tail-coverts dark wood-brown ; tail dark ashen, crossed witli three black bands, one at the coverts, another at the centre, and a third at the tip, about 1 J inch in width, having an interspace above it of about 2 inches wide. Loral plumes and a superciliary streak blackish ; cheeks and moustache boldly streaked with black, passing into the blackish brown of the ear-coverts ; throat white, with a broad black chin-stripe, spreading over the fore neck and chest into a series of blackish “ drops,” paling into brownish at the margins of the feathers ; chest and under surface brownish rufescent, the bases and sides of the chest-feathers white, and each with a slaty-black central stripe vanishing on the lower parts into the dark smoky-brown ground-colour ; on the flanks, abdomen, and under tail-coverts the feathers have white bases, which show here and there, and disturb the uniformity of the ground- tint ; thighs paler than the abdomen and cross-rayed with obscure fulvous ; tarsi brownish fulvous ; under surface of tail greyisli ; under wing-coverts whitish, dashed with tawny brown ; greater series white, with terminal black spots. The above is a description of the example now at the Zoological Gardens, aged six years, which is by far the darkest bird, particularly as regards the under surface, which I have ever met with. Its iris is veri/ pale straw-colour. 56 SPIZAETUS CETLONENSIS. Mature bird. At about tliree or four years of age, in a stage of plumage in whicli most dark birds are met with, the head and hind neck are more or less sienna-brown, with tlie centres of the featliers blackish, least so on the hind neck ; on the forehead and above the lores the narrow feathers are pale-edged ; crest, which is sometimes 4| inches in length, black, conspicuously tipped with white, the shorter feathers being blackish brown, paling into rufous at the white tips ; back, scapulars, and wing-coverts deep glossy brown, paling off at the margins into a tawny hue, the greater coverts with less of the dark brown central hue, finely edged greyish, and with the concealed portions of the bases white ; winglet and primary-coverts, the quills and secondaries dark brown, barred and terminated with black, much as in the above, but with more white ou the inner webs, and with the tips of the secondaries whitish, a fulvous patch on the outer webs of the longer primaries opposite the notch ; tertials wood-brown, paler than the scapulars ; rump and upper tail-coverts of a similar hue ; tail smoky brown, tipped white and crossed with four blackish bands, the subterminal one equal in width to the preceding interspace, the next twm much narrower, and the basal one generally incomplete ; ou the lateral feathers there is an additional pale basal bar, and the inter- spaces are mottled with white. Cheeks and the sides of the neck beneath them boldy streaked with blackish, the edges of the feathers being white : ear-coverts concolorous with the hind neck. Chin, throat, and under surface white, contracted at the centre of the fore neck between the tawmy hue of its sides ; a narrow blackish-browu chin-stripe passing dowm to the chest, from which to the abdomen each feather is centred with a broad drop-shaped dash of blackish brown ; on the abdomen and flanks these expand until they cover the terminal portion of the feathers ; the lower flank-plumes blackish brown, forming a large dark patch ; under tail-coverts dark brown, usually tipped with white ; thighs aud upper part of tarsus a more rufous-browu, paling into huffy white at the feet ; under surface of tail and of the quill-interspaces whitish ; bases of qudls beneath pure white ; under wing-coverts white, dashed aud striped in places with blackish brown, those beneath the ulna centred widely with rufous-browu. In these birds I have invariably found the iris yellow, which is the normal colour, I imagine, of the eye in the adult. Vonnii*. Xestling clothed with white down, with the crest-feathers plainly indicated by three or four attenuated downy shafts ; the wing-coverts, scapulars, and quill-feathers on first appearing are fulvous-brown, deeply tipped with white ; the tail-feathers are similar, and the whole darken considerably in a short time, the hue of the inter- scapular feathers beiug deeper thau that of the rest. Nestling plumage at 3 months. Iris leaden grey ; bill dusky plumbeous, blackish at the tip ; feet light lemon-yellow. Head, back, and sides of neck with the ear-coverts light sienna-brown, edged with wEitish ; crest-feathers blackish, deeply ti])ped with white ; back, scapulars, and lesser wing-coverts dark sepia-brown, the scapulars broadly tipped with wdiite, aud the back feathers margined, terminally, with rufous-grey, the bases being paler brown than the rest; median wing-coverts mostly white, with a longitudinal patch of brown; greater series broadly margined with white, the outer webs being a paler or fawn-browm ; primaries and secondaries browu, the former the darker in hue, tipped with white and crossed with narrow bars of black, vanishing near the internal edges, which are white ; first primary and terminal portion of the long ones almost uniform blackish ; rump aud upper tail-coverts fawn-browm ; tail umber-brown, with a deep white tip and five or six narrow bars of blackish browu, the sub- terminal one slightly broader than the others, and the light interspaces, as in the quills, showing white beneath. A thin white line from nostril over the lores ; loral plumes blackish ; lower part of cheeks, throat, and under surface pure white, dashed on the sides of the chest and breast with light sienna-brown “ drops,” those on the flanks being slightly darker and coalescing into a patch at the lower part ; belly, thighs, and under tail-coverts dashed with pale brown aud tipped with white ; tarsi white. The extent to which the under surface is marked in this stage varies. The “ drops,” however, darken after the space of two months, as do also the feathers of the head and hind neck, which at the same time acquire darker mesial stripes ; the brown of the back and wings also becomes more intense, and the bird is then in the normal plumage of the first year, with a long crest measuring from 3 to 4 inches. At the second moult the example under consideration darkened on the head aud hind neck, the crest remaining the same ; the white of the wing-coverts diminished in extent, and the tail underwent a considerable change, the number of bars on the central feathers being reduced to four of greater width than the last, especially the terminal one, which was ])recedcd by an equally broad interspace, the chest “drops” increased in number and in intensity, and the lower parts became more covered with browu ; the dark patches ou the white under wing-coverts were also more numerous. * These changes of plumage are described from observation, during youth, of the above living example, as well as from notes on other immature birds in my collection. SPIZAETUS CEYLONENSIS. 57 In the third year the upi)er surface continued to darken, tlie back became more uniform in hue, the white on the wing- coverts diminished, but tbe tail remained much the same, except that the brown was more cinereous in its tint ; the crest, however, was almost entirely absent, but this was doubtless an abnormal cbaracteristic ; on the under surface a faiut chin-stripe developed itself, and the coloration of the cheeks altered, becoming striated with dark shaft-lines, and each feather of the breast and under surface had a “ drop ” of umber-brown, those on the flanks completely covering tlie feather, while the abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts became uniform brown ; under wing-coverts dashed with brown. Iris during these years pale grey, without a sign of yellow in the coloration. /n the fourth year the “ drops ” on the under surface darkened, the marking of the tail altered, and the lower parts were more completely covered with brown ; the crest was much shorter than it was in the second year, but other- wise the bird was in the plumage described above as mature, with the exception that the iris was still leaden grey. Xo change took place after this until the autumn of the fifth year, wdien the bird commenced to moult several mouths after the time*, and assumed the fuliginous plumage in which it has been above described. 2. Pale form. Iris greenish grey ; pale slate-grey ; greenish grey faintly tinged with yellow. Head, back, and sides of neck tawny brown, the centres of the feathers black and broadest on the crown ; crest as in the da?!' form, with the longer feathers boldly tipped with wliite and the shorter with rufescent greyish ; major portion of the feathers of the back, scapulars, and lesser wIng-coverts blackish, paling off at the margins and exposed bases into fulves- cent brown, w ith the tips paler still ; bases and most of the inner webs of tbe median and greater coverts white, showing most on the former, and the terminal portions blackish browm at the centre ; rump, upper tail-coverts, and tertials pale brown, the tips of the coverts, in some, whitish ; secondaries dark brown, barred and edged internally with white, as in the other jjhase ; primaries and tail the same, but with a large fulvous patch at the quill-notches ; cheeks and ear-coverts concolorous with the sides of the neck ; the lower part of the face striated with dark brown ; chin, throat, and entire under surface down to the abdomen white. Xo chin-stripe ; centres of the chest- and breast-feathers rufous-browm, many of them with dark shaft-lines, and on the flanks and sides of breast with patches of dark brown ; a dark browm patch on the lower flank-plumes ; under tail-coverts and thighs rufous-brown, the white bases on the latter giving them a chequered appearance ; tarsi buffy white, dashed with the hue of the thighs ; under wing-coverts white, the primary series with dark brown terminal patches ; under surface of primaries white as far as the notch, that of the secondaries for two thirds of their length, Ohs. The above is a description of the oldest example in this phase of plumage that I have been able to procure. 1 obtained it on the shores of the Kanthelai tank, and judging by the bars on the tail, which are three narrow ones, separated from a broadish terminal one by an interspace of equal width, it is only in the third year. Another example, of apparently similar age, has the cheeks whitish, streaked with brown lines, but no chin-stripe ; there is a series of dark shaft-stripes on the chest, but the lower parts are less clothed in brovA'n than in the aforementioned. It is in the above phase of plumage that by far the greatest number of examples are procured in Ceylon. Vouny {bird of the year). Wing nearly equal to that of the adult. Iris leaden grey or pale slate-colour, sometimes tinged with greenish ; in one example pearly white ; cere and gape bluish leaden ; bill blackish at the tip. Forehead, crown, back, and sides of neck tawmy buff, the feathers in some with dark shaft-lines, in others entirely without any dark coloration ; crest as in the dark bird ; on the lower hind neck the brown terminal centres gradually develop into the dark brown of the back, scapulars, and wIng-coverts, which are margined with tawny and tipped with whitish ; on the median coverts there is much more white than in the mature bird, in some examples the entire feathers being uncoloured, with the exception of the terminal portion of the outer webs, and form an extensive white patch across the wing ; first primary uniform blackish brown as in the older bird ; upper tail-coverts pale brown, tipped with w lute ; tail smoke-brown, tipped with white and crossed with five narrow bars of blackish brown, the subterminal one broader than the rest ; lateral feathers white internally and with an additional bar. Entire under surface pure white ; the pale rufescent feathers of the side neck encroaching on the throat, and a few dashes of the same hue on the sides of the chest, flanks, and belly: thighs and under tail-coverts shaded with pale rufescent brown, the feathers tipped with white ; tarsi washed with the same in some, pure wkite in others ; * The moult ing-time was a month later every year, a circumstance wliich apparently w'as caused by the natural want of vigour consequent on the captivity of the bird. I 58 SPIZAETUS CEYLONENSIS. under wdng-coverts white, the primary series spotted with dark brown, and the lining of the ulna washed with rufous-brown. Ohs. The Crested Hawk-Eagle of Ceylon is a miniature representative of the peninsular Indian species S. cirrhatus. Gmeliu recognized Latham’s Ceylonese Crested Ealcon as a distinct form, and described it {loc. cit.) under the name of Falco ceylonensis ; but subsequent naturalists, overlooking its smaller size, have treated it as one and the same with its large ally. Mr. Gurney refutes this idea with reason, as will be seen by reference to his remarks on the species (‘ Ibis,’ 1877, p. 430). The maximum size which the insular bird attains in the wing is 15-3 inches, a measurement representing the minimum of cirrhatus, it being, however, at the same time about 2 inches below the average of the Indian species. I am not aware that the latter acquires the fuliginous plumage of ceylonensis ; aud the light phase of this is, moreover, paler than the immature dress of the Indian bird, which appears to ])artake somewhat of the characteristics of the mature form above described. I have examined a large series, and have foimd them all less pale on the head than Ceylonese young birds, and many of them possess the chin-stripe and striated cheeks unknown in our buff-plumaged young. It is possible that ceylonensis may prove not to be peculiar to Ceylon, Mr. Hume having desci'ibed a small bird from Travancore as Sjyizaetus sphinx, which may, w'hen a sufficient series is obtained, prove identical with it as a resident in S. India, or, should it turn out to have been a straggler, demonstrate the fact that Spizaetus ceylonensis strays over to the Indian coast from North Ceylon. The dimensions of Spizaetus sphinx (‘ Stray Feathers,’ vol. i. p. 321) are as follows : — “ Length 22 to 23 inches ; wing 14T ; tail 10’2 ; tarsus 3’9 ; mid toe aud claw 2-5 (nearly).” The upper plumage appears to bear a great resemblance to melanistic examples of the Ceylonese birds ; “ the whole back, top, and sides of the head (excluding the crest), back, and sides of the neck, a pale, slightly rufous -browm, each feather with a blackish-brown shaft-stripe.” The lesser lower wing-coverts are “ dull rufous, brown-shafted, more or less white-edged ; the rest white, very broadly barred * with deep brown.” In tliis the species seems to differ from S. ceylonensis, as also in the coloration of the throat, wdiich is described as follows ; — “ Chin and throat white, with one central and tivo lateral hlaclcish-hrown streahs, which unite at the base of the throat at the front of the neck ; below this for about an inch dull rufous-brown, like the sides and the back of the neck ; the breast white ; the feathers with huge dark browm drops, edged paler towards the tips ; sides, abdomen, lower tail-coverts, flanks, and exterior tibial plumes a nearly uniform, somewhat pale umber-brown, most of the feathers with inconspicuous very narrow whitish tips ; interior tibial plumes and tarsal feathers pale dingy yellowish brown, paling most towards the feet.” Distribution. — The small crested. Eagle of Ceylon is chiefly a low-country bird, and is more or less dispersed throughout the maritime provinces and the interior jungles of the island. In the Eastern Province it is located in greatest force, and thence northwards it occurs principally along the coast, near salt-lakes and open tracts of land, to the delta of the Mahawelliganga and the district lying between Tamblegam and Kanthelai tank, where it is again more common than immediately to the south of the Virgel. To the north of Trincomalie it is found in the open woods bordering the continuous salt-lakes of that part of the coast, and in the interior is met with generally in the vicinity of the tanks of the Vanni. Layard found it at Pt. Pedro ; but it is on the wdiole a scarce bird in the Jaffna peninsula. It occurs sparingly throughout the west of the island to the north of Negombo, but it is decidedly scarce between that place and Kalatura. In the wooded districts interspersed with paddy-cultivation, which form the south-west corner of the island, it is more common than in the Western Province, aud again further east, beyond the Morowak Korale ranges, it becomes more numerous still, frequenting the low-lying jungles between Hambantota and the Badulla mountains. In the Kandyan Province it is not unfrequent up to an elevation of 4000 feet, occurring chiefly in the Knuckles ranges, in Medamahanuwara, Dumbara, and southwards to Ambegamoa, as also round the eastern slopes of the Maturata district into Uva proper and Madulsima. Mr. Bligh has obtained it in Kotmalie and in the spurs of the TIaputale range, and Mr. Iloldsworth speaks of having seen it at Nuwara Elliyaf- Ijayard mentions (/. c.) that Kelaart obtained it at Nuwara Elliya ; but the latter does not include it in his list of birds from that locality (‘ Prodromus,^ p. xxix). * The italics are mine. t I have never seen any specimens of this bird from the Nuwara-Elliya plateau. Mr. Iloldsworth speaks of the Eagle that he observed as soaring in “ wide circles, with a squealing cry.” This is a marked characteristic of the Ser])ent-Eagl(; (Spilornis spiloyaster), whereas the Crested Eagle rarely soars, and seldom utters its cry on the wing. I think, therefore, that Mr. iloldsworth may have been mistaken in his ideutifleatiou. SPIZAETUS CEYLONENSIS. 50 Habits. — This noble little Eagle frequents open forest, the borders of heavy jungle, detached woods, cheenas, and scrubs interspersed with large trees. About such localities it prowds with a slow', though buoyant flight, being chiefly about in the mornings and afternoons, and searches the open ground for its favourite food, the large Catotes lizard. When satisfied with the result of its excursions it perches on solitary dead trees or exposed limbs of others in the forest, and enlivens the wilds with its complaining cry, wdiich may be syllabized as kre kre kre kreee, kre kre kre kreee, quickly repeated, and continued to a wearisome extent. This is, however, the cry of the yoiing or immature bird, and develops in the adult into a prolonged note in a different key, and in Avhieh the principal accent is laid on the second syllable, resembling the sounds kre-kreee- kre-kree. This is as invariably the voice of the browm, dark -marked birds as the former is of the light- plumaged individuals. Of the lonely cheenas of the Eastern Province, studded with blackened trees and stumps, and scantily covered with a straggling crop of “ Kurrukkan ” [Eleusine indica) or a few wild cucumbers, this Eagle forms a marked characteristic ; perched motionless on the limb of a tall tree, it remains for a long time piping out its monotonous cry, which is perhaps answered from another cheena a little distance ofP. At such times it is seated bolt upright on one leg, with the other drawn up beneath its breast-plumes, its erect crest and its eyes staring proudly before it ; and so regardless is it of all around it that it may easily be approached in the open from behind to within an easy shot. It is a bold and courageous bird in its disposition, as is amply testified to when it is kept in confinement ; but as regards its prey it captures nothing larger than jungle-fowl, squirrels, and other small mammals, and feeds more on lizards than any thing else. It is exceedingly active and quick-sighted, and rarely misses any thing upon which it pounces. It is quite capable of capturing a bird on the wing, and in the Kandy district it is often shot carrying off poultry from the planters’ bungalows ; in the villages of the Vanni it also commits considerable bavoc in the same way about tbe houses of the natives. Layard, in his notes {vide supra), speaks of one darting at a wounded Sparrow-Hawk which he had tied to a post in the verandah of his bungalow. Its flight is not, as a rule, swift, but performed with steady flappings of the wings ; it rarely soars — and when it does, mounts in qiiick small circles for a short time and then flies off at a tangent. The habits and disposition of birds of prey are well observed when they are in confinement ; it may not, therefore, be out of place to subjoin here a short account of one of these Eagles which I reared from the nest and had five years in my possession, and which is now personified in the noble little representative of the species in the Zoological Gardens. When a chick he was fed upon lizards, which were first given him cut up ; but as soon as he could stand up, he quickly learnt to devour them in the orthodox way, beginning at the head and finishing up at the tail, which he always swallowed whole. As it grew older, whenever food was thrown to it, and more particularly in the case of small birds or any thing which it was fond of, it seized the prey with both feet, squatted down on the tarsi, and spread forward its wings in a line with its head, at the same time expanding its tail and completely covering up its prize from view j it would then droop the head, looking at the coveted morsel, and commence uttering its querulous note, endeavouring to flap its wings when approached by any one, and altogether presenting a very singular appeai’ance. This was its habit throughout life, and was more particularly practised when in company with other Raptors in the same aviary, being evidently its mode of shielding its prey from outward attack. He had the same method of standing on one leg and resting the other on the knee-joint, with the tarsus thrust out from the perch and the toes clenched, that I have observed in other Eagles, and which is no doubt a muscular exercise. He would now and then seize a stone and fly round the aviary with it, or at other times endeavour by main force to tear up a clod from the floor of his aviary. During his first year he was a timid bird, sometimes retreating into a dark corner or ^^cot,” inhabited by a Wood-Owl {Si/rnium ochrogenijs) , and stretching himself out would remain there for hours ; he likewise frequently allowed his nocturnal companion, who fed as much by day as by night, to rob him of his meat. Very diflerent, however, was his nature after the first moult ; he then developed both in muscular strength and courage, and became a bold and fierce little tyrant, commenced by attacking his companion, and finished by killing him outright. He displayed great agility and power of flight, one day darting up and seizing, through the bamboos of the aviary-roof, a Magpie-Robin that was perched upon it ; at other times he would dart from his perch and catch, in the air, birds, rats, and other food thrown in to him. He was fond of bathing, and invariably stood out in heavy showers of rain, in which he i2 60 SPIZAETUS CETLONENSIS. would expose himself to a thorough drenching, and then dry himself in the sun with his wings expanded. 'I'he most singular and interesting point in his disposition was his manifest display of anger and excitement, accompanied by a particular note of displeasure, consisting of a shrill scream, followed by a “ champing ” sound. This passion he exhibited, becoming quite furious when shown a .stuffed bird of any size — a huge Pelican, wdiich was his pet aversion, being usually subjected to the fiercest onslaughts when shown to him at the bars of his aviary ; these were followed by a continued uttering of his note of anger until his passion died away. At about the age of twelve months he commenced to utter his adult note ; but now and then, more particularly in the breeding-season, during the first three years, I heard the querulous cry peculiar to the young stage. "When shown any object w'hich excited his interest or curiosity, such as a tempting morsel of food, without the bars of his aviary, he had a singular habit of twisting his head round till it was completely turned upside down, all the time keejnng his eyes fixed on the subject of his examination. At other times, wdien under the influence of excitement from any cause, he would throw his head back until it touched his back, and sway his head too and fro with a spasmodic outdarting of his wings, as if he were going to launch himself through the roof of his aviary. He made two voyages round the island with me, and one trip across country in a bullock-bandy, and during his life in Ceylon experienced several adventures, one of which well-nigh proved fatal. While at 'frincomalie he narrowly escaped being killed by a wild cat, from whose clutches he must have escaped purely by dint of fierce struggles, and inflicting, no doubt, severe wounds on the animal with his talons. One morning, during my absence in the jungle, he was found to be missing, and on examining the aviary a large hole was discovered in the roof, through which he had evidently been dragged ; search was made high and low through- out the wdiole premises, but not a sign of the eagle was anywhere to be seen. About midday, when the house- coolie went to draw water, the unfortunate bird was perceived floating on the surface, which was about 30 feet below the trap. On rescuing him fi’om his perilous position he was found to be uninjured, with the exception of a wound at the point of the wing, evidently made by the teeth of a cat, which must have dragged him across the compound some 40 yards, with a view of taking him through an opening at the back of the wall, where the beast found the eaglet’s clutches too strong for him, and dropped him close to the trap, down which he had fallen in the darkness. Neither his mauling by the cat nor his five or six hours’ cold bath in the darkness of the well had done much towards intimidating his cagleship ; for the plucky little fellow fought vigorously while being secured, and it was only by dint of enveloping him in the coolie’s cloth that he could be brought up again to terra firma. He was then tied to a stick and well dried in the sun, and then, much to my wife’s satisfaction, was reinstated, undaunted by his adventures, in his aviary. Nidification. — The Crested Eagle breeds in the south of Ceylon in February and March, but commences in the north somewhat earlier. In the neighbourhood of Trincomalie I twice found its nest during the course of its being built or repaired in January, but was unsuccessful in obtaining the eggs, for the birds deserted on both occasions. They were both large structures of sticks placed in the uppermost branches of banyan trees, and appear to have taken a long time to set in order, one nest being worked at for a month before I ventured to have it looked at, and then it seemed to have made but little advance. Only one young bird appears to be reared, for I am aware of two instances in which a solitary eaglet was taken from the nest. The front figure iu the Plate accompanying this article represents the dark bird now in the Zoological Gardens, and in his sixth year. The second is that of an immature hyht bird, which I shot with three others on the same day in the Batticaloa district. A C C 1 r I T R E S. FALCONID.^. AQUILIN.R. Gemis SPILOliNlS. Bill longer than in the last genus ; festoon slightly pronounced, the culmen curved from the cere ; the cere advanced. Nostrils oval, oblique, protected by the loral plumes. Eyelid furnished with long lashes. Wings short, rounded, the 4th and 5th quills the longest. Tail moderately long and ample. Tarsus slender, feathered slightly below the knee, protected with small hexa- gonal scales both in front and behind. Toes short, furnished at the tip with transverse scales, changing at their bases into the reticulated scales of the tarsus ; claws short and rather straight. Head furnished with a heavy rounded crest, extending entirely across the occiput. SPILOKNIS SPILOGASTER. (THE CEYLONESE SERPENT-EAGLE.) Buteo bacha. Vigors, Mem. Raffl. p. 650 (1830, nee Baud.). Ilcemcdornis spilogaster, Blyth, Journ. As. Soc. Beng. vol. xvi. 1852, p. 351 ; Kelaart, Pro- droraus. Cat. p. 114 (1852); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 100. Jlcemafornis cJieela, Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 99. Spilornis bacha, Holdsworth, Proc. Zool. Soc. 1872, p. 412; Legge, Ibis, 1875, p. 277. Spilomis spilogaster, Ibis, 1873, p. 298; Gurney, Ibis, 1878, p. 100. Spilornis cheela, Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 9. Spilornis melanotis, Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 289 (1874). The Harrier-Eagle, Buzzard-Eagle, in India (pt.) ; The Cheela Eagle, Ceylon Eagle, “ Cheela,'' Kelaart and Layard ; Serpent-Eagle, Europeans in Ceylon. Bajaliya, Sinhalese ; Cudoombien, Tam., in Ceylon [aptid Layard). e in Ceylon Layard). Adult male. Length to front of cere 18‘0 to 18’5 inches ; culmen from cere IT ; wing 14-5 to 15-0 ; tail 8'0 to 9'5 ; tarsus 2-0 to 2’25 ; mid toe 1'2, claw (straight) OT ; height of bill at cere 0’5. Adult female. Slightly larger only. Length to front of cere about 19’0 inches ; culmen from cere 1'2 ; wing 15-0 to 15-3. Iris brown and mottled in some with yellow ; cere yellowish ; bill bluish horn, palest at the base beneath ; legs and feet greciiish yellow. IIALIASTUR INDUS. 77 Plumage above, from the forehead to the lower part of the hind neck, and beneath down to the abdomen, including the flanks, white, each feather with a narrow, blackish, mesial stripe, which includes a fine portion of the web as well as the shaft ; in mature birds these are as broad on the head as on the hind neck, but in very old examples are conflned to the shaft only ; rest of the plumage, with the exception of the longer primaries, greater series of under wing-coverts, and lower surface of tail maroon-red, darkest on the back, lesser and under wing-coverts, and palest on the abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts ; the shafts, except of the tail, black, these latter fulvous- white ; tip of tail the same ; longer primaries black, their inner webs rufous from the base to the notch, the under surface rufescent, paling to whitish at the base ; primary wing-coverts dark at their outer edges, the inner webs, as well as those of the secondary feathers, crossed with narrow, widely-separated bars of blackish. Ohs. In some examples the black stripes are conspicuously developed on the red feathers of the abdomen, while in others the shafts alone are dark. I have noticed this characteristic chiefly in Bengal examples, which, as a rule, 1 think, have the stripes on the white plumage bolder than in Ceylonese birds, although they coincide exactly in the hue of the maroon parts. The Ceylonese bird, as regards the white striping (the variation in which has been considered by Mr. Gurney of sufficient value to justify the separation into species of the two Malayan races, H. intermedins and H. girrenera), comes between the Bengal and the Malaccan bird. The latter {II. intermedins), besides having the shaft-stripes reduced to very narrow lines, is of a redder or paler hue than II. indus, and appears to be a well-marked race or subspecies. Young. The nestling has the iris dark brown, the bill and cere brownish, the latter and the loral skin tinged with green ; legs and feet greenish. Body at first covered with white down; when fully plumaged, the forehead, chin, and lower part of cheeks are dull whitish, the ear-coverts brownish, and the head and hind neck fulvous tawny overcome with brown on the lower part of the latter, the centres of the feathers light, and the edges tawny, imparting a streaked appearance ; the brown feathers of the hind neck with rufescent central streaks, diminishing to terminal spots on the interscapular region, which, with the back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and secondaries, is dark brown, paling much on the upper tail-coverts ; the scapulars margined terminally with rufous ; quills and tail blackish brown ; inner edges of primaries white ; greater wing-coverts with pale inner margins and conspicuously black shafts ; throat and breast isabelline brown, with tawny shaft-stripes, lower parts ^vith the thigh-coverts tawny, with dark shaft- stripes on the thighs. This plumage at the end of the first year, as ascertained by observation of a caged bird, becomes paler throughout. After the first moult the head and hind neck are rufous, paling at the tips, and with blackish shaft-stripes, the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts a sober brown, with pale terminal margins, the greater wing-coverts with much white on the concealed portions of the inner webs, the upper tail-coverts with broad pale margins, shorter primaries with rufous-brown, outer webs and the inner webs rufescent white at the base ; ear-coverts paler than in the first plumage ; under surface pale brownish, with light terminal streaks, and the shafts dark in the browm portion of the feather ; the abdomen paler than the breast ; under tail-coverts and lesser under wing-coverts rufous, median under wing-coverts brown edged pale, greater series pale as in the adult. After the second moult, the back, wings, and tail assume their rufous or maroon colouring, the head and hind neck are whitish, washed here and there with rufous, and with black shaft-stripes ; the face and throat are white, gradually darkening into rufescent fulvous on the chest and upper breast, on which there is again a gradual change to the maroon of the lower parts, the shafts of all the feathers being black. After this stage, the head, hind neck, and breast get whiter by degrees, throwing off all trace of the rufous hue, and the shaft-stripes assume their normal character, covering a portion of the web at the sides of the shaft, which alone is dark in the intermediate stages. Distribution. — TIic5 Braliminy Kite is a well-known and very common bird in Ceylon, being more or less abundant round the whole coast of the island, and occurring about the large tanks and inland waters of the interior. On the seaboard, however, it is local in its choice of habitat, as an instance of which feature I may cite its abundance in Galle harbour, and almost total absence from the equally inviting roadstead at Colombo. It is sometimes seen about the mouth of the Kelani, and in the marshes at the back of Borclla, and it occurs sparingly at Ncgombo and more commonly at Bolgodde; but I never once saw it about the shipping in the Colombo Roads. At Chilaw it commences to be commoner, and continues to increase in numbers at Puttalam aud northwards to the Manaar district, where, as well as throughoiit the whole of the northern maritime region, it is very numerous. At Trincomalie it is abundant, and is a common bird down the coast to the Batticaloa Lake. South of this and in the Hambantota district it is scarcer. I have met with it at Kanthclai, Minery, 7S HALTASTUE INDUS. and other tanks in the northern interior, and I believe it also frequents the Bintenne Lake. In the south- western district it is found about the Sinhalese villages on the Gindurah as far up as the “Ilaycoek^^ hill; and I have known it to breed as far inland as Oodogamma. I am not aware of its ever having been seen on the upland of Dumbara, or anywhere else in the Kandyan hill-region, although there is no reason why it should not follow as a straggler the course of the Alahawelliganga from the low coiuitry to the north of Bintenne, up to the neighbourhood of the highland capital. The Brahminy Kite is found throughout India on the sea-coast and on all large rivers and jheels, extending eastwards to Burmah, and as far south as the lower parts of the province of Tenasserim, where it is, however, not very common. In the south it is abundant, and at the island of Ilamisserum I have always found numbers of this bird. Jerdon remarks that it is rare in the plains of India and in the Deccan, in which latter region Mr. Fairbank, in ‘ Stray Feathers,'’ records it as uncommon. In the north-western portion of the empire, Mr. Hume speaks of it as follows Stray Feathers,’ 1875, p. 448) : — “ Common enough in Sindh and about the coasts of Cutch and Kattiaw'ar, but almost (if not quite) unknown in the dry riverless regions of Rajpootana. Adam never obtained it about Sambhur, and at Ajmere I only once remember seeing it. Dr. King does not appear to have observed it in any part of Jodhpoor.” In Chota Nagpur, Mr. Ball remarks that it is found “ near the larger I’ivers and jheels, but nowhere in abundance.” In Lo'W'er Bengal it is of course plentiful. Further eastward, Mr. Inglis records it as common throughout the year in Eastern Cachar ; and in Burmah Mr. Oates writes that it “ occurs in immense numbers in all the tidal creeks of the Pegu plains.” Habits. — In Ceylon the Brahminy Kite is especially a denizen of seaport towns and large villages at the mouths of rivers and salt lakes ; it frequents, likewise, laird-locked bays, estuaries, and lagoons ; but in all of such localities seems to prefer the vicinity of human habitations, probably on account of its garbage-eating babits, to the solitude of the surrounding plains. It collects in great numbers among shipping, flying ronnd the vessels on the look-out for garbage of all sorts, soaring in high circles above their masts, and even settling on the rigging, where it keeps a sharp eye on the galley about the dinner-hour, and is ready to pounce immediately on any thing that may be thrown overboard. It picks up its food with a graceful swoop, and very frequently devours it while in full flight, proceeding about this operation in the most leisurely manner possible; it may be seen bringing forward its talons with the food it has seized beneath the breast, and wdth a combined backward and upwai’d pull from the legs and shoulders respectively, fragments arc torn off with but little exertion. I have observed it swoop down and pick up a Lizard (Culotes) basking on the topmost twig of a low tree, this favourite prey among eastern Hawks no doubt forming a considerable portion of its sustenance. It wdll capture fish in shallow pools, and is very fond of the small crabs frequenting the foreshores of tidal rivers ; it may be often seen devouring its food on the ground or on a large rock or the bank of a paddy-field. It is a tame bird, and exhibits but little fear of man or a gun, sometimes making off with a Snipe which has fallen at some little distance from the sportsman. At Triucomalie it was always a morning attendant at the drawing of the sea-nets ; and was just as agile in snapping up any outside fish as its more numerous companions the Crows, and 'wdien not particularly successful in its foraging, would pursue a Crow and rob it of its well-earned “ sardine.” Layard says that he has known it seize a fowl ; but, as he remarks, this must be a rare occurrence. Jerdon has seen it questing over woods and catching insects, especially large Cicada.” It is continually on the wdng, and has an easy, buoyant, and powerful flight, being much in the habit of soaring up to a great height, and then launching itself off for a long distance with motionless wings. Its chief characteristic as regards locomotion is its habit and power of sailing steadily up against the wind, with scarcely a movement of its frame, except a twisting of its head from side to side, as it carefully scans the ground beneath and awaits its chance of darting down on some coveted morsel. I have on other occasions witnessed it exhibit considei’able skill in catching up a lizard in the air, which it had let fall from its talons while flying off’ with it. Its favourite note is a weak squealing cry, wdiich it constantly utters on the 'wing, or while perched on some building or tree-top. In Ceylon it sits much on the fronds of cocoanut-trccs in the vicinity of native bazaars, and at night takes itself off’ in flocks to roost in some favourite sj)ot in the jungle. Numbers of these birds frequented the town of Trincomalie, haunting the harbour and the sea-beaches of Dutch and Back Bays, where they subsisted chiefly on the fish picked up from HALIASTUE INDUS. 79 about the fishermen^s nets; about 4 or 5 p.m. they commenced to fly away one after the other to the uorthj andj passing over tlie “ Salt Lake/' retired for the night to the forest between there and Pcria Kulam. Altogether the habits of this bird are as singular as they are interesting, and tend to place it more among the Kites than the true Sea-Eagles. Jerdon very aptly remarks, it may he considered either an aberrant form of Haliaetus leading to the Kites, or an aberrant Kite leading to the Sea-Eagles : and this is the position claimed for it in Mr. Bowdler Sharpe’s ^ Catalogue.' Nidification. — This species breeds in Ceylon in February and March, nesting in trees on the shores of salt lagoons or paddy-fields. All the nests I have seen have been rather bulky structures, about the size of that of Herodias alba, made of tolerably large sticks, and placed in a top branch of moderately-sized trees. The number of eggs is usually two; but mention is made in Mr. Hume's book on Indian oology of four in one instance. The ground-colour is dull white, and the markings, which are scanty, consist of faded reddish or reddish-grey dots, sometimes scattered over the surface, and occasionally confined to the obtuse end ; the spottings in some are mixed with small streak-shaped blots; and one egg, taken by Mr. Mac Vicar in the Western Province, has the appearance of being “ dusted " all over with minute pale reddish specks. Five Ceylonese specimens varied in length from 2'04 to 1’88 inch, and in breadth from 1'7 to 1'54. Layard states that this Kite makes several false nests, and that the male occupies one of them while the female is incubating her eggs near at hand. The chick or nestling has a querulous twittering cry. Concerning its nidification in India, Mr. Hume writes, “ It almost invariably makes its nest in the neighbourhood of water, building a rather large loose stick-structure, scarcely if at all distinguishable from those of the Common Kite [M. govinda), high up in some large mango, tamarind, or pcepul tree. The nest, which is from 18 inches to 2 feet in diameter, and from 3 to 5 inches in depth, with a rather considerable depression internally, is sometimes perfectly unlined, at other times has a few green leaves laid under the eggs, as in an Eagle's nest ; but most commonly is more or less lined, or has the inner part of the nest intermingled with pieces of rag, wool, human hair, and the like." ACCIPITRES. FALCONID^. AQUILINiE. Genus MILVUS. Bill longer and with the tip more hooked than in llaliastur; festoon less prominent, the cere more advanced at the sides. Nostrils moderately large, oval, and oblique. Wings very long and pointed ; the 3rd and 4th quills the longest, and reaching nearly to the tip of the tail. Tail long and forked. Tarsus short, the front and sides plumed considerably below the knee, the rest covered in front with transverse scutce and behind with hexagonal scales. Toes longer than in llaliastur. Claws similar. MILVUS GOVINDA. (THE INDIAN PAIIIAII-KITE.) Milmis govmda, Sykes, P. Z. S. 1832, p. 81 ; Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 115 (1852) ; Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 103; Schlegel, Mus. P.-B. Milvi., p. 2 (1862); Gould, B. of Asia, part iv. ; Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 104 (1862) ; Blyth, Ibis, 1866, p. 248 ; Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 320 (1870); Ploldsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 414; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 52 (1873); Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 325; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 10; Hume, ‘ Str. Feath. 1875, p. 229, footnote. Haliaetus Imeatus, Gray & Hardw. 111. Ind. Zool. i. pi. 18 (young). Milvus cheela, Jerd. Madr. Journ. x. p. 71 (1839). Milvus ater, Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 31 (1849). Common Kite, Black Kite, Jaffna Europeans ; The Cheela Kite, Kelaart’s Prodromus. Chil, Hind. ; Malta Gedda, Tel. ; Faria Frdndu [apud Jerdon). Bajaliya, Sinhalese; Kalu-Frdndu, Faria Frdndu, Tam. in Ceylon. A fh lit female. Length to frojit of cere 22-0 to 22'5 inches ; culmen from cere 1'2 ; wing 17'5 to 18‘0 ; tail lO'O to 11*0 : tarsus 2-0 to 2-2 ; middle toe 1'5, its claw (straight) 0’7 ; height of bill at cere 0‘5 ; expanse 55‘5 (of an example w ith a wing of 18‘0). Adult male. Length to front of cere 21-0 to 22-0 inches ; wing 16-0 to 17’3 ; tarsus 2-0 to 2-2. 1 ris light hazel-brown, sometimes tawny, with brown radii and mottlings between them ; cere pale greenish, dusky above; bill blackish, gape and base of under mandible bluish; legs and feet whitish green, greenish yellow, or pale yellowish ; claws black. Head and hind neck brownish tawny, the feathers slightly pale-edged, and each with a fine dark shaft-stripe; on the hind neck the stripes expand slightly, and the ground-colour darkens into the glossy wood-brown of the back, rump, scapulars, and lesser wing-coverts ; upper tail-coverts paler than the back, and the margins of the feathers of the foregoing parts slightly paler than the rest, those of the least coverts tawny ; median wing-coverts lighter than die rest, the webs paling off from tlie shaft to fulvescent greyish at the edges ; primary-coverts, secondaries, and shorter ])rimaries dark brown, tlie latter somewhat paler on the outer webs ; longer 2)rimaries blackish brown, the inner webs jjaling from the notch to the base, and the colour broken up with white iuters^iaces and mottlings ; inner secondaries and adjacent tertials crossed with narrow blackish-brown bars, the interspaces being ashen, paling to white on the shorter and innermost tertials ; tail ashen brown, with a tawny hue near the shafts of the feathers, and the laterals j)aling to whitish at the bases of the inner webs, the whole crossed with narrow bars of MILVUS GOVINDA. 81 dark brown, more or less incomplete towards the margins ; tips of all but the two outer feathers whitish ; a line of blackish above the lores, and over the ears a dark brown patch ; face greyisli with the shafts dark ; beneath brown, paling to tawny rufous from the lower breast to the under tail-coverts ; the centres of the feathers dark brown and the shafts blackish, the web adjacent to the mesial stripes being somewhat paler than the margin ; margins of the throat- feathers fulvous, and the basal portions of the webs whitish ; on the belly and under tail-coverts the mesial stripes are wanting, the shafts alone being dark ; least under wing-coverts deep tawny, the feathers dark- centred; greater series blackish brown with lawny edges : primary under wing-coverts ashen-brown M'ith dark softened bands ; basal portion of the 2nd and 3rd quills beneath more or less whitish, the -amount of white varying much in individuals, some being quite as dark as M. affinis. Vounfj. Li the first, or nestling plumage, the head, back, rump, and wing-coverts are dark brown with a purplish gloss, the feathers of the head and hind neck with terminal whitish-buff “ points ” or streaks, surrounding a shaft- stripe darker than the rest of the feather ; those of the back and rump w'ith terminal margins of a slightly more rufous hue, the wing-coverts and tertials with much deeper tips of fulvous, passing with a rusty tint into the brown, and surrounding a dark shaft-stripe ; ])rimaries and their coverts blackish brown, tipped with fulvous, slightly on the longer primaries, and deeply on the rest ; the inner webs of the quills mottled with dusky greyish ; tail obscure ashen-brown, tipped with fulvous and crossed with indistinct bars (as in the adult) of darker brown. Loral streak and postorbital patch darker, and the latter more extensive than in the adult ; throat and lower part of cheeks fulvous, with narrow shaft-stripes of brown ; fore neck, chest, breast, and flanks brown, the centres of the feathers rufous, enclosing pointed shaft-stripes of blackish brown ; on the lower parts the brown hue pales into brownish fulvous, and the shaft-stripes disappear ; tibial plumes and under tail-coverts more rufous still ; under wing-coverts dark chocolate-brown tipped with fulvous, the primary-coverts ashen-browii with the outer webs whitish, as is also the edge of the wing ; basal portion of primaries beneath scarcely showing any white in some birds, and in others even more than in old birds. In the following season the terminal margins throughout the upper surface are less conspicuous, and those of the back- and scapular feathers less rufous, the margins of the head- and hindueck-feathers, however, are often more fulvescent, and the dark stripes on the latter part less conspicuous than in the nestling; the tips of the secondaries are likewise less in extent ; on the under surface the throat becomes more “ lined,” the streaks on the chest and upper breast diminish, and their pale borders contrast less forcibly with them, while the ground-colour of these parts is browner than in the youngest stage ; the amount of white at the base of the quills beneath varies, but it is usually more extensive during this period. When not fully adult, the signs of nonage show themselves in the pale tips of the back, scapulars, and tertials, the softened and less intense shaft-lines of the head and hind neck, and the pale borders of the dark chest-striae ; the markings of the throat are variable at this stage, the shaft-lines being marked in some and faint in others, wfiiile the ground-colour is at times conspicuously rufous ; the quills are quite uutipped in these birds, and the low^er parts more rufous than in adults. Obs. The difference of opinion among some ornithologists as to what Kites in India should be classed as M. govincla and what as M. affinis makes it somewhat difficult to define what the Ceylon birds really are, as they present some points of dissimilarity to the types of both these species. If typical M. affinis be represented by the small rufous- plumaged Kite inhabiting the east coast of Australia and the Malay Archipelago, and M. (jovinda by the ordinary brown-plumaged bird of the plains of India, having a certain amount of white (which, however, is a variable and uncertain characteristic in Ceylon birds) at the base of the primaries beneath, then the Cevlon Kite has more affinity with the latter than with the former. i’rom M. affinis it differs, as an adult bird, in the less rufous coloration of the head, hind neck, and lesser wing-coverts, and in youth in the less-rufescent character of the upper-surface tippings, a Macassar example being taken for comparison. It is likewise a larger bird, the wings of six examples of M. affinis measuring as follows — (Sydney) 15'8, (Australia) 15-0, (Australia) 15-2, (Timor) 16-5, (Macassar) IG’6, (Timor) 16'5. As regards the ])ale markings of the under wing, adults of AI. affinis are on the whole darker than Ceylon birds, which, though quite as dark in the young stage, are variable when mature. From the type of AL govinda in the India Museum, and similar examples in the British and Norwich Museums, the insular bird differs in the more rufous edgings of the head- and hindueck-feathers, the paler median wing-coverts, more cinereous tail, more conspicuous striation of the upper part of the throat, more ashy hue of the dark chest-stripes, and more fulvous colour of the abdomen and under tail-coverts ; but though these differences are numerous, they are less appreciable than are those in the case of the Australasian bird. The Ceylon Alilvus is also a somewhat smaller bird than the Indian Al.govinda, Sykes’s type, a female measuring 18-5 inches in the wing, and others 1 have examined 18*0, 17’8, 17'8 and 17-4, while Mr. Hume gives the wing in five females as from 18’25.to 19T0. JI 82 MILVUS GOVINUA. In several examples of the young of Indian M. yovimla I have observed that there is more whitish at the base of primaries than in adults ; some juvenile Ceylonese examples have scarcely any, while others have more white than old birds ; so that I incline to the belief that this character in the medium-sized Kite is entirely worthless. In referring to the species M. govinda, and speaking of its type in the India Museum, I select the example of the medium-sized Indian Kite, which, I believe, Sykes’s description relates to, and which has, on the bottom of the pedestal, the name govinda written in pencil by Dr. Ilorsfield. Sykes’s description is too short to identify with certainty the specimen which it refers to ; but the smaller bird agrees better with it than with the young example of M. melanotis mentioned by Mr. Brooks (‘ Stray Keathers,’ 1870, p. 272). Then there is, in favour of the smaller bird being the type, the indisputable evidence of the habits and locality of the bird referred to by Sykes. JJe says it is the Common Kite of the Deccan, and is “ constantly soaring in the air in circles, watching an opportunity to dart upon a chicken, upon refuse matter thrown from the cook-room, and occasionally even having the hardihood to stoop at a dish of meat carrying from the cook-room to the house.” This is not the habit of the larger Kite, which, according to most Indian observers, is a wary bird, and is furthermore not found in the district dealt with by Sykes. Mr. Hume, who has, I conclude, the largest series of Kites of any one in India, says, “ I have examined more than 30 specimens of Kites from Bombay, Matteran, Sholapoor, Sattara, and Poona, and I never found one M. major among them ; nay, when at Bombay and Poona, I specially noticed the Kites, and, while I thought I recognized some M. ajji.nis, I can positively affirm there were no 3/. major Everywhere in the plains M. major is a bird of the jungle, vei’y rarely approaching towns or even villages, and living more on frogs, locusts, &c. than on offal.” AVith regard to the measui’emeuts given by Sykes, ornithologists so far back as thirty or forty years ago rarely measured birds in the flesh ; and I agree with Mr. Hume that Sykes’s bird must have been measured from the skin. The tail, which is 11 inches, is decidedly that of the medium-sized bird, and corresponds in size with that of Ceylonese examples. Distribution. — The Pariah Kite of Ceylon lias a somewhat local habitat, being almost entirely confined to the northern half of the island. Its headquarters are the Jaffna peninsula and the west coast of the Northern Province, as far south as Manaar. It is, singulaidy enough, notwithstanding its limited range, subject to a seasonal movement from the east coast to the west during the south-west monsoon. Although tolerably common from the peninsula down to Trincomalie, from October until March, scarcely a bird is to be seen in that quarter during the opposite season. I am likewise informed by my friend Mr. . Murray, of the Ceylon Civil Service, who has made large collections of birds in the Jaffna district, that its numbers are greatly decreased during the same time of the year — a circumstance which may be explained by its retiring into the jungle to breed, and also by its undertaking a partial migration to the sonthei’n coasts of India. In the island of Manaar and in the adjoining district of Mantotte it is plentiful, Mr. Hohlsworth recording it as very common at Aripo ; to the southward of the latter place it occurs in less numbers, taking in the island of Karativoe into its range, down the coast to Puttalam, at which place it is again tolerably numerous in the cool season. South of this it is rare, occurring as far as Madampe and perhaps to Negombo, below which I have never observed it. In Ceylon it is exclusively a sea-coast bird, except in the very north of the Vanni, where it may now and then be seen about the villages of the interior. I have no record of its occurrence south of Batticaloa, on the east side of the island. Nor does it ascend into the hills as it does in the Nilghii’is and Himalayas. In India this Kite is almost everywhere abundant. It is found alike at seapoi’t and inland towns; and most villages even have their attendant flock, avIio act the part of scavengers in quickly disposing of everything which it is possible for a bird to digest. In the south it inhabits the Nilghiris, in which hills Mr. Davison says it is very common, ascending to their summits, and often roosting with Hatiastur Indus. In the Travancore hills, likewise, Mr. Bourdillon writes that the Pariah Kite occurs in numbers in the hot weather; and it is to be presumed that the present species is intended, as the larger bird {M. melanotis) is not found in the extreme south. Sykes, wdio first discriminated the species, says it is the common Kite of the Deccan, while at Bombay and up the coast to Sindh, as well as throughout the whole region of Mount Aboo and Northern Guzerat, and in the Kandhala district, it is recorded by various writers in ‘Stray Feathers'’ as very common. It inhabits the southern slopes of the Himalayas, up which it ascends to an elevation of 6000 or 7000 feet. It has been j)rocured by Mr. Ball as far west as in the Suliman Hills, which form the western boundary of the Punjaub. 'fhe same writer observes that it is common at Chota Nagpur, and that specimens from the jungle are often intensely dark. In Kashgar Dr. Scully obtained nothing hut the large bird, although the late Dr. Stoliezka MILVUS GOVINUA. 83 mentions seeing what appeared to be true M. govinda in the hills between Yanjihissar and Sirikul ; this, I am inclined to think, was a wrong identifieation. In the plains of India and at Calcutta it abounds; hut from Burmah Mr. Hume has only received what he considers to be the rufous (Australian) species, M. affinis, which inhabits the Malay peninsula, the Archipelago, and the eastern coasts of Australia. From the Andamans M. govinda appears to he entirely absent ; and doubtless, if a Kite is procured from the islands of the Bay of Bengal, it will be the ^Malayan bird, which, as 1 have just mentioned, inhabits the peninsula. At the Laccadives, Mr. Hume mentions that a Kite not uncommonly occurs, which must be either govinda or affinis ; and as the former species is represented in Ceylon, it is doubtless the same bird which affects these islands. Habits. — This Kite, in the north of Ceylon, as it does in India, idays the jiart of an extremely useful scavenger. There, as in the districts on the mainland frequented by it, it resorts to villages and towns, more particularly those situated on the eoast, and, collecting in large flocks, performs the office of devouring all the oft'al, refuse of human food, thrown out of the doors of native houses, garbage, and decaying organic remains which it can possibly get hold of in the course of the day’s peregrinations. At the hauling-in of the morning seine net it is also a constant and regular attendant, disputing with the usual crowd of “ Kakas ” for the pos- session of stray fish and crabs rejected by the fishermen. In the town of Jaffna, where it is exceedingly abundant and extremely useful in a sanitary point of view, it resorts in scores, nay, hundreds at times, to the grand old banyan tree upon the fort-ramparts, I’oosting in it at nights, and perching on its outspreading branches between “ meals,” sallying out thence to the sea-beach and various parts of the towm, as well as to the open fields of the surrounding country. At the beach, attracted by the arrival of fishiug-boats and small craft from the adjacent islands, they present a lively scene : scores of birds circle round and fly to and fro with squealing notes and eager glances at the boats beneath them ; some glide over the roofs of the houses, and, taking a wider tour than their mates, return again, sailing back through the streets in utter disregard of the busy human throng ; meanwhile their more fortunate companions, alighted here and there on the sand, are discussing dainty (?) morsels of the most various description picked up with a quick and sudden swoop, or robbed from their sable allies the Crows, who stand off at a respectful distance, ruefully “ cawing ” their disappointment and rage. Layard, who lived for a considerable period in the north of the island, markedly alludes to their daring when pressed by hunger, and says : — “ They are bold enough to make frequent depredations on the fish- stalls ; and in one instance I saw a lad of about thirteen years struck to the ground by the sudden pounce of a Kite, who bore off a good-sized fish from a basket the boy was carrying on his head.” This statement of its boldness is corroborated by a letter which has lately appeared in ‘ Stray Feathers,’ vol. v. p. 347, in wdiich a correspondent states that a Kite, whose nest had been robbed by the son of a sepoy, persistently watched for the lad, swooping down and attacking him whenever he left the house, ample evidence of which maltreatment was afforded by the appearance of the lad’s head and arms. Jerdon has the following paragraph in his ^ Birds of India,’ on the habits of the Chil ” in India : — “ When a basket of refuse or offal is thrown out in the streets to be carted away, the Kites of the immediate neigh- bourhood, who appear to be quite cognizant of the usual time at which this is done, are all on the look-out, and dash down on it impetuously, some of them seizing the most tempting morsels by a rapid swoop, others deliberately sitting down on the heaps along with crows and dogs, and selecting their scraps. On such an occasion, too, there is many a struggle to retain a larger fragment than usual ; for the possessor no sooner emerges from its swoop than several empty-clawed spectators instantly pursue it eagerly, till the owner finds the chase too hot, and drops the bone of contention, which is generally picked up long before it reaches the ground, again and again to change owners, and perhaps finally revert to its original proprietor. On such occasions a considei’able amount of squealing goes on.” The flight of the Pariah Kite is buoyant and easy, the points of its wings being much turned up, and its long tail swayed to and fro as it gracefully curves about and alters its course with motionless pinions. It devours much of its food on the wing ; and what it cannot thus consume it disposes of on the ground. In the north of Ceylon the bare and broken leaves of the Palmyra palm afford it a favourite perch. When not occupied in seeking for garbage it quests about marshes and other open places near the sea-coast for frogs, water-snakes, small crabs, &c. IMr. Iloldsworth has observed a large flock at Aripu, feeding on winged termites, which they M 2 84 MILVUS GOVINDA. were taking in the air, with apparently but little exertion, hy seizing them in their talons ! The note of this Kite is a tremulous squeal, uttered mueh when on the wing, or when eongrcgated to feed on any newly-found garbage, when they become very noisy, as observed by Jerdon in the above paragraph. Nidification. — The Pariah Kite breeds, as I am informed, in the north of Ceylon about May, retiring into the jungle for the purpose, and often building on trees near village tanks or in the vicinity of villages. 1 have not myself seen their nests ; nor have I any description of them as built in Ceylon ; I therefore subjoin the following account from Mr, Hume’s voluminous notes in his ‘ Nests and Eggs of Indian Birds — “They build, almost without exception, on trees ; but I have found two nests (out of many hundreds that I have examined) placed, Neophron-\\k.Q, on the cornices of ruins. The nest, mostly placed in a fork, but not uncommonly laid on a flat bough, is a large clumsy mass of sticks and twigs, the various thorny acacias appearing to be the favourite material, lined or intermingled with rags, leaves, tow, &c. The birds are perfectly fearless, breeding as freely on stunted trees situated in the densest-populated bazaars or most crowded grain-markets as on the noblest trees in the open fields. Two appears to be the normal number of eggs ; but they often lay three.” The same author remarks that the variety of types of coloration is countless, and that “ the ground-colour is almost invariably a pale greenish or greyish white, more or less blotched, clouded, mottled, streaked, penlined, spotted, or speckled with various shades of brown and red, from a pale buffy brown to purple, and from blood- red to earth-brown. Many of the eggs are excessively handsome, having the boldest hieroglyphics blotched in blood-red on a clear white or pale-green ground. Others, again, are covered with delicate markings, as if etched on them with a crow-quill.” The average size of 273 eggs, measured by Mr. Hume, was 2'19 by 1-77 inch. A C C I P I T R E S. FALCONID^. AQUILINyE. Genus ELANUS. Bill weak, the tip considerably produced, margin slightly festooned. Nostrils oval, and protected by the long loral bristles. Wings very long, reaching to or beyond the tip of the tail when closed, the 2nd quill the longest, and the 1st and 3rd slightly shorter ; the distance between the tips of the secondaries and those of the primaries almost equal to length of tail. Tail slightly sinuated, or even at the tip. Tarsus short and stout, covered throughout with small reticvilate scales, its anterior portion feathered for more than half its length. Toes very strong and short, inner toe very slightly longer than the outer one. Claws well curved, acute, and all but the centre one rounded beneath. ELANUS CtEEULEUS. (THE BLACK-SHOULDERED KITE.) Falco cceruleus, Desf. Mem. Acad. R. des Sciences, 1787, p. 503, pi. 15. Falco vociferans. Lath. Ind. Orn. i. p. 46 (1790). Falco melanopterus, Daud. Traite, ii. p. 152 (1800). Elanus ccesius, Savign. Syst. Ois. d’Egypte, p. 274 (1809), Elanus melanopterus, Leach, Zool. Misc. iii. p. 5, pi, 122 (1817); Gould, B. of Eur. i. pi. 31 (1837); Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 26 (1845); Kelaart, Prodromus, Cat. p. 115 ; Layard, Ann, & Mag. Nat. Hist. xii. 1853, p. 104; Jerdon, B. of Ind. i. p. 112 (1862); Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 26 (1867); Hume, Rough Notes, p. 338 (1870); Shelley, Ibis, 1871, p. 44; Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 415; Hume, Str. Feath, 1873, p. 21 ; Jerd. ‘Nests and Eggs,’ p. 56 (1873) ; Legge, Ibis, 1874, p. 10 ; Butler, Str. Feath, 1875, p, 449 ; Hume, Str. Feath. 1876, p. 462; Inglis, Str. Feath. 1877, p. 16. Elanoides ccesius, Bonn, et Vieill. Enc. Meth. iii. p. 1206 (1823). Buteo vociferus, Bon. et Vieill. Enc. Meth. iii. p. 1220, Elanus minor. Bp. Consp, i. p. 22 (1850). Elanus cceruleus, Strickl. Orn. Syn. p. 137 (1855); Shelley, B. of Egypt, p. 198 (1872) ; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 336 ; Legge, Ibis, 1875, p. 279 ; Dresser, B, of Eur. pts. xxxv. xxxvi. (1875). La Petite Buse criarde, Sonn. Voy. Ind. ii. p. 184 (1782). Criard Falcon, Lath. Gen. Syn. Suppl. i. p. 38 (1787); Black-winged Kite, Europeans in India. Kapasi, Hind. ; Chanwa, Nepalese ; Adam Ramadasu, Tel., lit. “ Jungle-Tern ” [apud Jerdon). Ukkussa, Sinhalese, West Province. Adult male. Length to front of cere 11‘4 to 12-0 ; culmen from cere 0‘75 ; wing 10‘4 to 10‘8 ; tail 5'2 to 5'6 ; tarsu.*! 1-3 to 1-4; mid toe 1-0 to IT ; claw (straight) 0‘5 to 0'6 ; height of bill at cere 0’35. The wings exceed the tail in old birds. 86 ELANUS C^.E-ULEUS. Female. Wing 10’6 to 10'9. Iris, varying according to age from orange-red to pale scarlet or carmine ; cere and base of under mandible yellow ; bill black ; legs and feet rich yellow, claws black. Crown, hind neck, back, scapulars, major wing-coverts, and central tail-feathers bluish or ashy grey ; forehead, a line above the supercilinm, ear-coverts, entire under surface, under wing, npper edge of the same, axillaries, and under surface of tail white ; lores, a short supercilium, lesser and median wing-coverts, and the winglet coal-black ; quills dark ashen-grey, the shafts black, and the under surface of the primaries blackish, the three lateral tail-feathers whitish, sullied on the outer webs with grey, shafts of all the rectrices black except at the tip. Young. After leaving the nest, the iris is hazel-brown, and the bill, cere, and legs much as in the adult ; in a few months the iris pales to olive-grey. Crown and nape brownish fulvous, paling into buff over the eyes ; upper part of hind neck edged whitish ; back, scapulars, and greater wing-coverts slaty brown, broadly edged with fulvous w'hite ; quills dark slate, with deep whitish tips ; secondary wing-coverts only, black with pale margins ; tail with the central feathers brownish slaty, the rest slaty-grey ; chin, gorge, and ear-coverts white ; throat, chest, and breast richly tinged with buff, paling into the pure white of the lower parts ; lores and eye-streak as in the adult. With age the forehead and chest become whitish, or, in some, pale greyish, while the back and scapulars lose their brown hue and become ashy, but the two latter parts still remain tipped with whitish ; the shoulder of the wing becomes blacker before the end of the first year ; but the greater coverts, the primaries, and their coverts remain tipped with white until after the next moult. It is not until the bird is fully adult, probably two years old, that the back loses entirely the brown shade, and the lateral tail-feathers their grey hue. Distribution. — The Black-winged Kite is widely dispersed over the low country, and is a common bird throughout the Kandyan Province, more especially during the cool season (October until April), during which period it breeds in many of the hill-districts. As regards the lowlands, it is not at all uncommon in the south-eastern, eastern, and northern portions of the island, where the characteristic grass-lands, surrounded by forest, or bordering the shores of large tanks or inlets of the sea, and often, too, studded with dead trees, furnish it witli a hunting-ground and many a favourite perch. In the extreme north I have seen it in the .Jaffna peninsula; and Layard procured at Pt. Pedro. In the Western Province south of the Chilaw district it is not often seen during the south-west monsoon ; but in the dry season it is not uncommon, and lias been procured as near Colombo as the cinnamon-gardens. It occurs in many places in the Galle district, more particularly about citronella-grass estates and young cocoa-nut plantations. I have found it more particularly in the open lands of the delta of the Mahawelliganga and the Batticaloa district, in the low jungles and scattered scrubs between Madampe and Puttalam, and in grassy wastes surrounding the tanks near the south-east coast, than in other parts of the low country. In the Central Province it confines itself to the open country in Uva, and the patnas and cultivated Amlleys interspersed with woods which are characteristic of the hills from the neighbourhood of Kandy to the base of the main range, as also to the so-called “ plains ” surrounded by forest in the latter district, among which I may cite Nuwara Elliya, the Kandapolla, Elk, and Elephant Plains, where it is a well known bird, particularly in the breeding-season. The Black-winged Kite is a bird of wide geographical range, inhabiting the entire Indian peninsula. South- eastern Europe, and the whole of the continent of Africa. As regards the Indian empire, in which its range has more interest than elsewhere for my readers, it is found in the south of the peninsula, but perhaps not commonly, as it is absent from Mr. Hume’s First Inst of Birds from the Travancore Hills, Mr. Bourdillon not having observed it there. In the Khandalla district it is rare in the vicinity of Ahmednagar; but this is a local peculiarity, for it is fairly plentiful further north. Dr. Stoliezka procured it at the Gulf of Cutch, Captain Butler says it occui’s all over the plains of Northern Guzerat; and Mr. Hume records it as plentiful in Nepal, though it is rare in Sindh, which region is probably too barren for its habits. Along the base of the Himalayas it is not uncommon, Mr. Thompson having found it breeding in Lower Gurhwal and the Debra Doon. About the Sambhur Lake Mr. Adam says it is not uncommon ; and Mr. Ball found it tolerably so in the western j)arts of Chota Nagpur, while in the Satpura hills it was rather abundant. Bearing towards Burinah, we find that in the boundary-district of Cachar it is rare, Mr. Inglis only having seen half-a-dozen ELANUS C^EULEUS. 87 specimens in four years ; and at Thayetmyo Captain Feilden merely notes its occurrence^ while Mr. Oates met with it only in the Arracan hills. In Tennasserim Air. Hume has reason to think it occurs; and if so, this is its furthest range to the south-east. It has not been met with at the Andamans. In the Laccadives, however, it is a visitant, pi’csumably from the west coast ; and Mr. Hume procured specimens at the islands of Amini and Cardamum. Turning towards AVestern Asia, we find Mr. Danford observing it in Asia Minor in winter, and Canon Tristram recording it as a summer visitant to Palestine and haiinting the thickets on the Jordan, where it is very shy — the reverse of its nature in Egypt, where it is said to be tame and easy to shoot. In South-eastern Europe it occurs as a straggler ; and Lord Lilford mentions having seen a specimen killed in Southern Spain. The example recorded in ‘The Ibis,^ 1872, as killed at Ilarristown Bay on the east coast of Ireland, was probably an escaped bird from some ship. As regards Africa, Captain Shelley says that it is abundant in Egypt. On the Gold Coast Air. H. T. Ussher, now Governor of Labuan, observed it in considerable numbers ; it frequented there low groiind sloping towards the sea, and hawked in the evening towards sunset. Mr. T. E. Buckley found it fairly common in Natal ; and Air. Barratt procured it near Rustenberg; and it is seen in most South-African collections. Habits. — This handsome bird, frequently ealled the “ White Hawk ” in the coffee-districts, affects grass- land surrounded by forest, dry pastures interspersed with low timber, eocoa-nut estates, citronella-grass plan- tations, and such spots as are open and dotted here and there with large trees. The maaua-grass patna teeming with life and here and there broken by strips of jungle is a favourite resort; or, in the upper hills, a tall dead tree by the border of the lonely forest-begirt “ plain ” forms an equally appreciated look-out. It is usually a solitary bird, and is abroad at early dawn, lazily flapping its way aeross the silent jungle-glade to some aceustomed perch, where it will sit preening its feathers in the rays of the rising sun, and if disturbed will fly oft' to the nearest prominent tree, of which it invariably selects the topmost braneh to rest on. In some places, however, Avhere no doubt it is very plentiful, it forsakes its solitary habit ; for Air. Hume writes in his ‘ Rough Notes,’ that he onee saw more than a dozen pairs hunting together over the dry reedy bed of a jheel. I have usually found its diet to consist of lizards and large coleoptera ; but it is said to earry off wounded birds in India. It likewise feeds on field-mice and rats ; and when quartering over grass-land I have often seen it stop and hover like a Kestrel, but with a slower motion of the wings. Its usual flight is performed with a heavy flapping of the wings; and this action, combined with its short tail and white plumage, imparts to it much the appearance of a Sea-Gull. I have often admired it, showing its handsome plumage off against the dark green forests in the upper hills, as it would leisurely course round the edge of one of the open patnas, now and then stopping when its attention w'as arrested by something in the grass beneath it, and hovering for a minute, perhaps rapidly to deseend with outstretched talons and uplifted wings, or to resume its quiet tour of obser- vation round the forest. Coneerning its economy in India Jerdon writes, “ It is not very mueh on the wing, nor does it soar to any height, but either watches for inseets from its perch on a tree or any elevated situation, or takes a short eircuit over grain-fields, long grass, or thin jungle, often hovering in the air like a Kestrel, and pounces down on its prey, which is chiefly inseets, but also mice and rats, and probably young or feeble birds.” In Northern Guzerat, Capt. Butler writes [loc. cit.), “it is generally found singly or in pairs. Its modus volandi is very varied. Sometimes it flies lazily along like a Gull ; at other times it sails round and round in circles, often stopping to hover in the air like a Kestrel, as recorded by Dr. Jerdon. Then, again, when hunting, it flies with quite the swiftness and quite the style of a Falcon. I have seen one of these birds stoop and carry a wounded Quail with quite the rapidity and dash of a Peregrine.” Concerning this Kite’s note, although it is generally a very silent bird (I have never heard its voice, though I have seen it dozens of times), it is said sometimes to utter loud sereams. So far back as 1782, Sonnerat, who met Avith it in his voyages to India, named it the “Petite Buse eriarde,” doubtless on accoixnt of the loud notes it uttei’ed; and Air. F. A. Barratt writes, in his “Notes on the Birds of the Lydenburg district,” South Africa, of one which he shot: — “ It attraeted my attention by a harsh cry, high in the air, Avhich I thought to be that of an Eagle ; but, to my surprise, I found it proceeded from this bird.” The Black-Avinged Kite appears to thrive in confinement. Air. W. Alurray, of the Ceylon Civil Service, S8 ELANUS CiEEULEUS, kept a young bird, which he took from a nest at Nuwara Elliya, for some time. It partook greedily of meat ; and I noticed that it perched with the outer toe reversed. The iris of this bird took two months to chatige from dark brown to light hazel. Nidification. — This species breeds from December until March, and, I have reason to believe, resorts in con- siderable numbers to the hills during its nesting-season. I have known it to build both near and in Nuwara Elliya, in Deltota, and in Kadugunawa, in Avhich latter place I took its nest myself in December 1876. This nest was built in a moderately tall, umbrageous tree, in an exposed situation on one of the patnas of the Kirimattie estate, and within a few hundred yai’ds of the bungalow. It was placed among the topmost leafy branches, supported by a fork so slender that the small boy I sent up liad great difficulty in reaching it. It was a very openly constructed fabric, about the size of a common Indian Crow’s nest, made of small sticks laid over one another so far apart that daylight could be seen anywhere through it except just in the centre. The interior was flat, and formed of small twigs, on which lay the two eggs. One of these was almost a perfect, and the other a broadish oval, of a dull white ground-colour, in one stippled all over with reddish-brown dots and encircled just beyond the centre with a ring or zone of the same, in the other blotched openly throughout with smeary markings of brownish red, confluent round the smaller end, and mingled in other parts with lighter patches of reddish brown. They measured respectively I'54 and I‘61 inch in length by I'23 and IT7 inch in bi’eadth. The female bird was frightened from the nest by our approach, and flew off with the male, not returning until after we had left with the eggs, and then only to fly heavily round the tree, and make off again to a neighbouring wood. The nest from which Mr. Murray procured his young bird was situated in the compound of the Agent’s house at Nuwara Elliya, and built in the top of an Australian lightwood {Acacia melanoxylon) . It con- tained two young. Conflicting descriptions have been given of the eggs of this Kite by various natu- ralists ; and a resume of the information possessed concerning its nidification uii to date will be found in ' Stray Eeatheis,’ 1873, as above quoted. So many nests have, however, now been taken and thoroughly identified that the eggs have been satisfactorily proved not to vary more than those of other Hawks. Messrs. Blewitt and Adam in India, and likewise Captain Shelley in Egypt, found the number to vary from three to four ; and most of the eggs found by these gentlemen seem to have been more heavily and darkly blotched than mine. From Mr. Adam’s account, quoted by Mr. Hume in 'Nests and Eggs,’ it appears that the nest is bnilt in less than a week, which is a short time for a hawk to construct its nest in. After writing of the discovery of a nest near the Sambhur Lake in July 1872, he says : — "On the 7th of August I sent a man to see if the nest contained eggs ; but he found that it had been abandoned and a new nest commenced in one of a group of six Lasora trees [Cordia myxa), which stood near to the Khajur tree. He also informed me he had seen the birds together. I inspected the nest on the lOth of August, and found one of the birds sitting on it. The nest was so loosely constructed that Avith my binocular I could see that it contained no eggs. I again inspected the nest on the 14th August, and found that it contained two eggs. One of the birds sat close on the nest, and could not be frightened off by a man beating on the trunk of the tree with a stick ; and this same bird made a swoop at my servant as he was climbing the tree. The nest was situated on the very top of the Lasora tree, and was from 25 to 30 feet from the ground. In shape it was circular ; and, with the exception of two or three l)ieces of Sarpat grass [Saccharum sara), there Avas no attempt at lining. It Avas about 10 inches in diameter; and the egg-cavity had a depression of about 2 inches.” Of the eggs he writes, they " are Avithoirt gloss ; both have a light crcamy-Avhite ground, of Avhich, however, little is shoAvn. One had the broad end all blotched over Avith eoufluent patches of deep rusty red, Avhile the smaller had numerous spots of a much lighter broAvuish- red.” Captain Shelley, aaKo found these nests at different times in Egypt containing each four eggs, says that in that country the nest is carefully constructed of sticks and reeds, and is smoothly lined Avith dry leaA'es of the sugar-cane. A C C 1 P I T R E S. FALCONID^. AaUILIN/E. Genus PEENIS. Bill long, rather weak, curved from the base, the tip not much hooked, wide at the base, the sides slanting from the culmen to the margin, which is not festooned ; cere much advanced and bare. Nostrils linear, oblique, overlapped by the membrane of the cere. Lores feathered like the forehead. Wings moderately long, pointed ; the 3rd and 4th quills subequal and longest. Tail rather long, broad, even at the tip. Tarsus stout, shorter than the middle toe, the upper half plumed in front, and the remainder covered with small reticulate scales. Toes protected above with narrow bony transverse scales ; lateral toes rather long and subequal. Claws acute, rather straight, trenchant beneath. Tibial plumes reaching down to the foot. Head usually furnished with an occipital and somewhat scanty crest. Eyes placed in the head posterior to the gape. PEENIS PTILONOEHYNCHUS. (THE INDIAN HONEY-BUZZAED.) Falco ptilorhynchus, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 44 (1823). Pernis j>tUonorhynchus, Steph. Gen. Zool. xiii. pi. 35 (182G); Holdsworth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 414 ; Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 347 (1874) ; Ball, Str. Feath. 1874, p. 381; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 56 (1874) ; Legge, Str. Feath. 1875, p. 364 ; Butler, ibid. p. 448 ; Tweed- dale, Ibis, 1877, p. 286. Pernis cristata., Cuv. Regn. An. i. p. 335 (1829) ; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 18, no. 82 (1849); Horsf. and Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E.I. Co. no. 74, p. 63 (1854) ; Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. 108 (1862) ; Wall, Ibis, 1868, p. 17 ; Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 330 (1870). Pernis torquata. Less. Traitc, p. 76 (1831). Pernis rnficollis, Less. 1. c. p. 77 (1831). Pernis albiyularis., Less. 1. c. p. 77 (1831). Pernis aqiivorus, Temm. and Schl. Faun. Jap. Aves, p. 24 (1850). The Crested Honey-Buzzard of some authors. Madhava, Nepalese, from madhu (honey); Shahutela, Hind., from shahud {honey)-, Tenngedda, Tel. ; Ten Prandu, Tam. ; Jutalu, Yerklees ; Malsuwari of the Mharis (Jerdon). Bajaliyn, Sinhalese. Adult male. Length to front of cere 23’5 to 24-5 inches: culmen from cere I'O ; wing 15'5 to ]5’8; tail 9‘0 to 10‘3 ; tarsus 1'9 to 2'0 ; middle toe 1‘9 to 2'1, its claw (straight) 0-95 ; height of bill at cere 0'38 to 0‘4. Female. Length to front of cere 24’5 to 25’5 inches ; culmen from cere I'O to 1‘1 : wing 15‘7 to 17'9 ; tail lO'O to ll’O ; tarsus 1'9 to 2T ; middle toe 1‘9 to 2-2, its claw (straight) I'O to 1'02 ; height of bill at cere 0'48. Expanse of an example with a wing of 16'5, 55'0. N 90 PERNIS PTILOiNORIIYNCHUS. 'I'he above dimensions of males are taken from four specimens, and those of females from twelve, of Ceylon-killed birds. It is the exception to lind a female measuring in the wing more than 17‘0 inches. Pour in my own collection measure as follows — 15'7, 10-5, lG-5, JO'6; eight others, five of which are in the Norwich Museum, and two in Lord Tweeddale’s collection, 15-7, lC-8, 16'7, 16'4, 17’5, lG-6, 17‘y, lG-4. The last but one is included in a list my friend Mr. Gurney sent me, of two or three birds in Lord Tweeddale’s collection, measured by himself, and is most exceptional if the measurement is correct, which I have no doubt it is. The specimen must be an extraor- dinary and quite abnormal one — a giant among the Ceylonese Honey-Buzzards ! I may remark that Mr. Gurney sends me the wing-measurement of a male in the same collection as 17‘78. I take it for granted that this specimen has been wrongly sexed by the collector. Iris golden yellow, yellow mottled with brown, or yellow with a pale outer circle ; cere deep leaden colour ; bill blackish, gape and the base of under mandible bluish ; legs and feet dull yellow, in some citron-yellow. The iris being very variable, I have enumerated the several colours which I have found in dark birds. It is never red as in the North-Beugal race. Fully adult or very old stage. Crown, hind neck, and upper surface rich dark earth-brown, the tips of the hindneck- feathers often darker than the rest ; back and wing-coverts suffused wdth a purplish lustre, a short occipital crest of 4 or 5 stiff! sh ovate feathers attaining a length of 2-3 inches, sometimes black, and at others concolorous with the nape ; the forehead above the eye, entire face, ear-coverts, and throat iron-grey, blending into the surrounding plumage ; quills ashy brown, crossed with three or four widely separated bars of dark purplish brown, and a broad terminal band of the same, the extreme tip pale, the inner webs whitish from the notch inwards, with the inter- spaces mottled with brownish ; upper tail-coverts, in some examples, tipped with whitish ; tail dark purple brown, crossed by a broad, 2-inch, smoky-grey band about the same distance from the tip, and in some with a narrow- bar of the same near the base. 't hroat and entire under surface dark chocolate-brown, the feathers dark-shafted ; a dark stripe on each side of the throat, frequently continued across the fore neck in the shape of a gorget ; under w'ing-coverts at times tipped with fulvous ; under surface of liglit portion of tail grey. In two very dark specimens I examined in Kandy the feathers of the lower breast and abdomen were pale-tipped. A younger stage of plumage, but one which represents the generality of apparently adult birds killed in Ceylon, is as follows : — Above rich sepia brow'u, the margins of the feathers somewhat paler, and the feathers of the occiput and hind neck, as w-ell as the fore neck and entire hinder surface, a fine chestnut brown, with blackish shafts ; a w-ell-developed crest of black feathers ; the lores and round the eye, in some examples, dark ii'on-grey mingled wdth brown, while in others the forehead and above the eye is whitish, the centres of the feathers being concolorous with the crown ; the dark moustachial stripe is present, and, in the darker examples, is black, spreading over the throat and some- times running up in a point to the chin ; the median wing-coverts are usually light-tipped, and have a considerable amount of white at the base of the feathers ; the quills are not so dark as in the above, and have more white at the tips, the bars being also closer together, and the interspaces more or less crossed w ith wavy light rays ; in the tail, the lighter or earthy-brown hue is the ground-colour, and contains numerous pale w-avy cross rays ; the tip is whitish, and adjacent to it is a broadish deep-bro\ra bar ; about 2\ inches above this, across the centre of the feathers, is a narrow bar of the same, and another similar one near the base. The under surface is variable, being in some e.xamples a light fulvous brown, with the stripes very broad ; while in others the strije are almost want- ing on the breast ; the colour of the whole breast, however, is more or less uniform and devoid of white spaces in the younger bird ; most of the basal portion of the inner webs of the primaries is white. 1 n this stage the tail wants the characteristics of the very old bird, viz. the smoky-grey nearly uniform bands ; but the lores and the space beneath the eye have the grey appearance, which is a marked adult sign. The presence of the white forehead in this adult stage, 1 consider to be quite abnormal, as many younger birds (as will be presently noticed) have it uniform with the head. young. In birds of the first year the wing varies from 15-G to IG'O, the other parts equal those of the adult. Iris in some yellow, in others brownish yellow, sometimes with a dark inner edge ; cere bluish wdth greenish patches, in others greenish yellow ; legs and feet greener than in the adult. Back, scapulars, and wing-coverts darkish hair-brown, the wing-coverts more or less pale-edged, the median series being the lightest, some examj)les having the lesser rows edged with whitish, and the outer series of primary-coverts broadly margined with the same ; crown and occii)ut rich tawny brown, the feathers with blackish shaft-stripes ; the hind neck with the larger part of the feather whitish, and the terminal portion pale brown with a dark shaft- stripe ; the crest-feathers blackish brown, broadly margined or tipped with white ; forehead and a broad space above the eye white ; lores and a broad posterior orbital streak dark brown with a slightly greyish shade, inner {)rimaries and secondaries deeply tipped with white, pale brown on both webs, and barred with dark brown, longer j)rimarie8 with more of the inner webs white than in adults, and with the basal portion of the outer webs light PERNIS PTILONORIIYNCHUS. 91 brown, crossed with dark bars alternating with the interspaces of the inner webs ; tail smoky brown, deeply tipped with white, and crossed with four narrow and rather irregular bars of dark sepia-brown, the subterniinal one not much broader than the others, and the light portions crossed with wavy light rays ; throat and entire under surface, with the under wing and the edge above the metacarpal joint, pure unmarked white ; ear-coverts pale brownish. From this stage the first advance towards adult plumage is made (probably after the first moult) by the head, hind neck, and upper surface generally becoming more uniformly dark, although there is usually still a good deal of white about the hind neck ; the dark lores and space behind the eye extend, and the cheeks and face become striated with dark brown, and a series of streaks from the gape down each side of the throat appear as the first signs of the future dark stripe ; the bars on the tail, especially the subterminal one, become broader ; the chest and breast assume blackish-brown stripes, more or less broad, on the white ground, while the lower breast, flanks, and abdomen become, in some examples, barred with brown, and in others washed over the whole feather with the same, the flanks and thigh-coverts generally being the darkest. In this stage, I believe, a considerable advance in the plumage is made by a change in the feather itself ; and hence the great variety in the birds at this age. The dark grey hue of the lores spreads over the cheeks ; the ear-coverts and forehead become nearly concolorous with the crown ; the broad lateral throat- stripes of black develop and spread across the fore neck, the chin and gorge becoming brownish ; at the same time the bars on the lower parts of those examples having the barred feature spread over the feather, or the brown of the flanks in the other type encroaches gradually on the breast. Ohs. Mr. Gurney has noticed that Ceylonese specimens of this Honey-Buzzard are larger than those from India. As will be seen, the above list contains some very high wing-measurements ; but if an extensive series of Indian birds be examined, I have no doubt some will be found equally large. Mr. Hume gives the largest w'ing, in six females measured, as 17-25, and Mr. Sharpe, in his Catalogue, the average of a large series as 16-5. Some I have measured in the British Museum are as follows — (Deccan) 16-2, (Nepaid) 16-2, (N. Bengal) 17-4, (Kamptee) 16-3, (Himalayas) 17-1, (Darjiling) 15-9. All our largest specimens have been shot in the hills of Ceylon ; and, as I demonstrate below that the species is for the most part migratory to Ceylon, these large birds must be not inferior to their fellows elsewhere, or they must be bred on the hills of the island. Mr. Sharpe has measured an example from Java with the wing 17-8, which favours the idea that Ceylonese birds may migrate from that quarter, although it must be remarked that Javan birds have longer crests than ours. Much has been said about the irregular plumage of the Honey-Buzzards ; but if a series of examples of different ages be examined, a regular gradation in the plumage, from the pale-chested bird up to the one w-ith the grey face (which is an unmistakable sign of age) and the dark under surface, can be noticed. The fact of w-hite-cbested birds breeding with dark ones can be easily explained by assuming that there is in the Honey-Buzzard, as in some Eagles, a permanent light phase. Distribution. — The Honey-Buzzard is to a eertain extent a migratory bird to Ceylon, and appears, from what I observed while in the island, to make its appearanee first of all on the north and north-east coasts, which leads to the inference that it migrates with the north-east monsoon from Burmah, or perhaps from the southern part of the Indian peninsula, to Ceylon. It used to appear yearly on the coast about Trincomalie during November and December, and then depart into the interior. In 1874 I obtained two newly arrived and very tame examples in the Fort, which is a point of call for many migrants arriving with the north-east wind on that part of the coast. Several other birds haunted the vicinity of the town at the same time ; in the following year, however, scarcely an example was to be seen, although it was comparatively numerous in the Kandy district. It was first recorded as a Ceylonese bird by Mr. Holdsworth (loc. cit.), from an adult female shot by Mr. Forbes Laurie in the Madoolkella district, not far from Kandy. It had prior to this been received from Ceylon, but its occurrence omitted to be noticed in print. It locates itself in the northern forests, preferring the vicinity of the tanks which abound in that part ; and many birds remain there yearly, and doubtless breed in those unfrequented haunts. I have seen it in such places during the south-west monsoon, and have likewise received specimens from Avisawela and Kurunegala, in the western part of the island, at the same season of the year. I have shot it in August in the Park country, where it is not uncommon ; and 1 have no doubt it inhabits the foi-ests between Badulla and Hambantota. In the south-west I have never known it to occur. As regards the mountain-region, it is principally found about Dumbara and other places of intermediate altitude in the direction of Kandy. Occasionally, however, it ascends much above this j for Mr. Bligh has shot it in Dimbula. It is possible that some of the birds occurring on the hills have been bred there, as they appear to be larger than those which are evidently migrants. n2 92 PERNIS PTTLONORH YNCHUS. One of the most interesting 2)oints yet to he decided witli reference to Ceylon ornitliology is that relating to the movements of this fine bird. Whether it comes from Biirmah or from South India, or even from Sumatra, remains yet to be seen. If an extensive series could be obtained from South India, a comparison of it with another from Ceylon would easily settle the matter with reference to that quarter. This species is scattered throughout India, extending into Burmah and a portion of the Asiatic archi- pelago. It is not unfrequent in the south of India, hut appears to he local in its distribution there. Jerdon says of it, in the ^Madras Journal “ I have only met with this bird in the jungles of the westci’n coast and Nilghii-is. It is by no means common I procured a female at the foot of the Conoor pass, and another on the summit of the hills.” Mr. Bourdillon appeal's not to have found it in the Travancore district. Near Khaudala and in the w'estern pai'ts of the Deccan it is common ; in the region about Mount Ahoo and in Northern Guzerat Captain Butler states that it occurs, hut not commonly; and at Samhhur it appears now and then as a straggler. Mr. Ilume does not record it from Sindh. In the North-west Provinces it occurs ; and in Chota Nagpur Mr. Ball has procured it ; but it is found in that district sparingly, though this gentleman says that it appears to be common near the Ganges at the north-east corner of the Rajmehal hills ; this, how'ever, has reference to the red-eyed race, wdiich is spread through Bengal, and w'hich some think is specifically distinct from the southern bird. The Pegu race, likewise, Mr. Hume considers diflerereut from the Bengal on account of its smaller size ; it appears to be not uucommon there. From Tenasserim I do not find that it lias as yet been received ; and it has not yet been discovered in the islands of the Bay of Bengal. From Java it is well known; and of late it has been procured by Mr. Buxton in South-east Sumatra, liaving been also previously knoAvn from the island of Banka. Habits. — Well- wooded districts and large tracts of jungle arc the favourite habitat of this handsome bird. It is solitary in its habits, and is partial to the vicinity of water. I have more than once surprised it in shady trees on the borders of forest-rivers or lonely tanks, wdien it would make off with a straight quick flight to another inviting perch. I have also seen it perched on the tops of high trees in forests, when it much resembles the Serpent-Eagle in the distance. It soars high in the air at times, taking short circles as it ascends, and, according to some observers, has the habit of descending with a rush, much to the terror of the small birds in the neighbourhood. This I have not seen myself, though I have witnessed it soaring at a considerable height. Jerdon observed it attempting to hover, which lie said it did in a clumsy manner. Its usual diet consists of honey, w hich it robs in spite of the attacks of the inmates of the nest, against whose stings, however, its peculiarly-feathered face and lores well protect it. With the honey it also devours the young ones, remains of w'hich I have invariably found in its stomach. It is said also to eat other insects, white ants, and small reptiles ; but the latter food, I imagine, is only resorted to when pressed for w'ant of its usual diet. One that was shot in the Fort at Trincomalie w'as associating with Crow’s, and flying round the barrack-room at the dinner-hour in comjiany wdth them, on the look-out for scraps thrown out from the verandahs. Another haunted the fine trees shading the officers’ quarters for more than a day, and appeared not to mind the frequent passers-by in the least, finally allowing me to shoot it in the tamest manner. Its habits do not appear to have been paid much attention to by Indian observers, Jerdon being tbe only one wbo has recorded much concerning it. lie writes in the ' Madras Journal ; ’ — oceasionally saw it seated on a tree, alternately raising and depressing its ci'est, and in the Nilghiris frequently noticed it questing diligently backw'ards and forwards over the dense woods there Their usual flight is rather slow; but I once observed one flying more rapidly than in general, with a continued motion of its wdngs, and every now and then attempting to hover, wdth its wdngs turned very obliquely upwards.” He further remarks in the ‘ Birds of India,’ that Burgess mentions his having been told by some natives that, when about to feed on a comb, it spreads its tail and with it drives off the bees before attacking it. Nidijicalion. — Tbe Honey-Buzzard may possibly breed in the central and noi’thern forests of Ceylon; but I know of no evidence to tins effect. In India it bi'ceds from April until July, nesting in the forks of trees. It builds a nest of sticks and small twigs, and lines the interior with green leaves or fresh grass — a common habit w'itb raptorial birds. Captain G. Marshall observes that the female sits very close during the period of incubation, and is not easily driven away from its nest. This is unusual with the Hawk tribe, the PERNIS PTILONORHTNCHUS. 93 majority of which leave their nests when they are approached. The eggs arc two in mmiber as a rule ; but some nests have been found only to contain one. They are round in shape^ of a “ whitish pinkish-white or huffy-yellow ’’ ground-colour, and vary much in the character of their markings, although they are usually very highly eoloured with blotches and clouds of reddish or purplish brown and dark red, sometimes quite confluent round one end. They average 2'03 inches in length by 1’72 in breadth. Subfam. FALCONINiE. “Outer toe only connected to the middle toe by interdigital membrane; tibia much longer than tarsus, but the latter not contained twice in the former ; hinder aspect of tarsus reticulate ; bill distinctly toothed.” {Sharpe, Cat. Birds, i. p. 350.) ACCIPITRES. FALCONID^. falconina:. Genus BAZA. Bill stout, curved rapidly from the base of the cere ; tip much hooked, and notched with a double tooth ; cere but slightly advanced. Nostrils linear, oblique, covered as in Pernis by the superlying membrane. Wings moderate, rounded, with the 4th quill the longest, and the 1st subequal to the secondaries. Tail moderately long, much exceeding the closed wings. Tarsus short, the front and sides plumed for more than half its length ; the remainder covered through- out with reticulate scales. Middle toe subequal to the tarsus; lateral toes nearly equal ; the whole covered with bony transverse scales. Claws rather straight, the inner less than the middle. Head with an elongated occipital crest. BAZA CEYLONENSIS. (THE CEYLONESE CRESTED FALCON.) (Peculiar to Ceylon ?) Jiaza ceylonensis, Legge, Str. Feath. 1876, vol. iv. p. 202 ; Whyte, ibid. 1877, p. 202. Siiuilis B. magnirostri sed crista nigra late albo terminata, secundariis late albo terminaliter marginatis ; rectricibus 4-fasciatis, plaga subterminaliter minore quani fascia apicaUs brunnea : subtus fulvesceuti-bruuueo uec rufesceuti transfasciata : gutture fulvescenti uec ciuereo lavato. Adult . The following are the measurements of the two type specimens described by me loc.cit., the larger of which is presumed to be a female : — Length to front of cere (from skin) 16-5 and 16‘8 ; culmen from cere I'Ol and 1‘03 ; wing 11'7 and 12'0 ; tail 7'5 and 8’0; tarsus 1'5 and 1'5 ; middle toe 1'35 and 1‘45; claw (straight) 0'65 and 0‘68 ; height of bill at cere 0-4 and 0-5 ; tarsus feathered to 0-5 from the root of the middle toe. Iris yellow ; bill blackish leaden, lower mandible pale at base ; cere (judging from the skin) dusky plumbeous ; legs and feet yellow ; claws plumbeous, pale at base. Male. Back, scapulars, lesser wing-coverts, and centres of the feathers on the hind neck and head deep brown, paling on the rump sbghtly, and with a strong purple sheen on the mantle as well as on the under-mentioned caudal bars ; the feathers of the back with perceptibly pale edgings, those of the head and hind neck broadly margined with pale tawny, the superciliary region being entirely of this colour, the forehead slightly darker with the shafts of the feathers blackish ; crest l|inch in length, black, conspicuously tipped with white; greater secondary-coverts and tertials paler brown than the scapulars, many of the feathers tipped whitish, primaries and secondaries smoky brown, the latter and the inner primaries deeply tipped with white, and the whole crossed with blackish bars, the ulterior one being terminal, inner edges of the primaries white on the lighter portion of the feather ; tail drab- brown, pale-tipped, a broad subterminal band of purplish black, and three narrower of the same, the basal one hidden beneath the coverts. Lon^s and a stripe behind the eye blackish brown ; cheeks and ear-coverts slate-grey, with dark shafts ; chin and throat buff, the feathers down the centre with blackish shaft-stripes ; chest and sides of the fore-neck almost uniform tawny cinereous, under surface from the chest, with the under wing-coverts and lower surface of the basal portion BAZA CETLONENSIS. 95 of quills, white, Ivirred on the breast and flanks with rufescent brown bands equal to the white interspaces, narower and farther apart on the tibial plumes, and almost absent on the under tail-coverts ; inner sides of legs buff-white ; lesser under coverts crossed with narrow rufous markings, major series with a few transverse brownish patches ; lower surface of light portions of tail greyish white. Presumed female. Has the upper surface generally somewhat paler ; but the crown is darker, the blackish central stripes being broader than in the above example ; crest consisting of four long feathers 2 inches long ; the primaries and secondaries, which are just acquired after moult, very deeply tipped with white ; the chest differs in its less uni- form hue, having the feathers with broad rufous centres and widely margined with buff- whitish ; the under surface is similarly barred, under tail-coverts and wing-lining the same. Young. The example referred to below as presented by Mr. S. Bligh to the Norwich Museum is a young bird. The posterior tooth is not developed, and the anterior less deep than in the adult. Its length (from the skin) is 17'0 inches ; wing 12-25; tail 8-0 ; tarsus 1-15. Above glossy dark brown, the feathers of the back, scapulars, and wing-coverts edged with whitish ; centres of the head- aud hindneck-feathers brown, with broad margins of fulvous white ; crest black, deeply tipped with white, and 1-8 inch in length ; primaries and secondaries smoky brown, with blackish bars and white inner edges to the basal portions of the former, similar to the adult ; median and greater secondary wing-coverts deeply tipped with white, adjacent to which the brown hue changes iuto rufous, giving the wing-coverts a rufescent appearance ; tail smokv brown, banded \Hth five brown bars narrower than in the adult ; under surface white ; a very fine chin-stripe of brown, formed by dark shaft-lines on one or two feathers ; chest marked with well-defined brown stripes ; breast and flanks widely barred with broad pale sienna-brown bars. Another immature example, in the British Museum, from the collection of Messrs. Whyte and Co., and which is a female, is very similar to the above, but may perhaps be a little older : wing 12-1, tail 7-8, culmen from cere 1-01. The posterior tooth slightly developed, but not so prominent as the anterior. Iris yellow ; feet and tarsi yellowish ; head and hind neck fulvous tawny, with dark ceiitral stripes increasing in width at the lower part of the neck ; the crest black, deeply tipped with white, and 2-0 inches in length ; the back and wings are deep brown \\ ith a purplish lustre, the feathers margined with rufous brown ; greater wing-coverts barred with pale brown ; the barring of the quills is the same, and the inner part of the lighter interspaces on the inner web white ; tail as above, the tip whitish, and the subterminal dark bar equal in width to the adjacent interspace ; lores blackish brown ; cheeks and ear-coverts with tawny-brown striae ; throat and under surface buft- white; the chin with a pale brown mesial stripe, widening and darkening on the throat; chest marked with broad “ drops ” of rufous-chestnut, changing on the breast, flanks, abdomen, and shorter under tail-coverts into bars of the same; longer under tail-coverts unmarked; thighs crossed with bar-like spots of rufous, third immature specimen has been sent home to the Norwich Museum by Messrs. Whyte and Co., since this article was written. Mr. Gurney writes me that it measured, as he was informed, 18-5 inches in the flesh, and weighed 1 lb. The wing, according to his system of measuring, is 12-5 inches (which would be equal, after my plan, to 12-2 or 12-3), tail 8-5, tarsus I'O, crest 2-3. It is older than the specimen presented by Mr. Bligh, “ having much less of the white margins to the feathers on the upper surface, and the throat and breast being decidedly more fulvous ; the tail has 4 bars instead of 5.” This latter feature testifies to its age ; and I think its plumage may be taken as representing an intermediate stage between the young and the old bird. Ohs. I do not consider this a very good species. It comes very close to B. mag nirostris from the Philippines ; but as this latter has such a remote habitat, I have allowed the slight differences that exist to weigh in favour of keeping the Ceylonese bird distinct for the present. The adult type of B. magnirostris is a smaller bird than B. ceglonensis ; it has the wing 11-1 inches, tail 7-2, tarsus 1-3. The crest is not deeply tipped with white as in the latter, but has the terminal portion of the webs laterally edged with it only ; the secondaries and primaries are not deeply tipped with white ; and the tail-bands are narrower and five in number ; the cheeks are much paler, and the chin-stripe inconspicuous and of a light iron-grey colour uniform with the cheeks ; the chest is very similar, but the breast- and flank-bands are more rufous than in my bird. This latter characteristic, however, is not to be depended upon. B. ceglonensis likewise has a considerable general resemblance to the example in the British Museum, which Mr. Sharpe considers now to be B. jerdoni ; but this has the head very dark indeed, and is rufous on the cheeks and sides of the head. Mr. Hume’s species, B. incognita (Str. Eeath. 1875, pp. .314-310), from Sikhim and Tenas- serim appears to be more closely allied to this species than to the Ceylonese bird, being considerably larger (wing, (S 13-12, 5 13-75) than the latter; and the specimens described seem, moreover, to be immature. If identical with any other member of the genus, one would naturally seek to join my bird to B. sumatrensis, which has a comparatively adjacent habitat, to it. I have, however, compared this, in company with Messrs. 8harpe and Gurney, with two of the immature examples of the Ceylonese form ; and these gentlemen concur with me that the 06 BAZA CETLONENSIS. .Sumatran bird, as far as can be proved by the evidence of the single immature example which exists of it, is distinct. The testimony of an immature bird, it must be allowed, is not a very sate one to go upon ; but never- theless, as the specimen exists, it is a larger bird (wing 12-7o, tail, very long, 9‘G), has no chin-stripe, which is a marlced characteristic of B. ceylonemis, has the under-surface bars much broader and of a different appearance, and the tippings of the back and scapular feathers fulvous and not white. Unless, therefore, B. maynirostris from the Philippines turns out some day to be identical with s uniat reiisis from Sumatra, and both the same as ceylonensis, I think the latter species may hold its own, as it can scarcely be one with the Philippine bird, a species not hitherto procured to the westward of those distant islands. As yet every member of the genus (except the curious Baza lopliotes, totally unlike any other in its ])lumage) has proved very local in its habitat ; and were it not for this fact, it would be difficult to imagine our bird restricted to so small an island as Ceylon*. Distribution and Discovery. — This interesting Crested Falcon was described by me {loc. cit.) from two adult examples which I found in the collection of Messrs. M^hyte and Co., naturalists, in Kandy, in August 1876. They were both shot on the same day, the Gth of the same month, by Mr. F. II. Davidson, of Matale^ on the Kudupolella estate. In May of the same year, however, I had met wdth an immature specimen (the one now in the Norwich Museum) at Mr. BliglPs bungalow, and identified it from Air. Sharpe’s plate in the ^ Catalogue of Birds,’ vol. i., as B. suniatrensis. This example was therefore the first that came under my notice; it was shot in the early part of 1875 by a Air. Colville, near Nilambe, in the Kandy district, and preserved in Alessrs. AVhyte and Co.’s establishment. In the beginning of last year the immature bird referred to above as now in the National collection, was procured near Kandy by Alessrs. AVhyte and Co.’s collectors ; and a third example has been lately sent by this firm to the Norwich Aluseum, a female, and shot in the Central Province on the 3rd of January last. Since the publication of my account of the species. Air. A. AA'hyte has stated, in a paper which appeared in ' Stray Feathers,’ August 1877, that the bird was discovered ■\ by us eight years ago, a pair having been shot by one of our collectors not far from Kandy.” AA’^ith regard to this pair Air. AATiyte writes to me lately as follows : — “ They were shot on the same day, from the top of Oodoo- wella crag, about four miles fi'om Kandy, by a Singalese collector, Carolis, in the fall of 1870 ; since then at least ten specimens of the bird have passed through our hands ; and I can quote Kandy, Alatale, llattota, and Deltota as among the situations in which it has been found.” It wmuld appear, therefore, that it has only lieen procured within the very limited district stretching from Matale 10 miles north of Kandy, to Deltota, about 12 miles, in a direct line, to the south of the town. This part of the hill-region of Ceylon, it should be remarked, is that iu which most of the birds are sliot that are sent to Alessrs. AA'hyte and Co.’s for preser- vation, inasmuch as they can be forwarded by Coolie runners, and skinned before suffering from the decom- posing effects of tropical heat ; it is not, therefore, to be inferred that the habitat of the Ceylon Baza is restricted to such a very small tract of country as this, but rather that it is a hill-bird scattered throughout the * I have just heard, since correcting the proof of this article, from Air. Hume, that he has lately received a young specimen of a Baza from the AVyuaad, which he considers must be identical with this .species. Air. Hume has not, as far as I am aware, seen examples of B. ceylonensis ; but his surmise may be correct. I accordingly put it doubtfully “ peculiar to Ceylon.” t In the interests of Ceylon ornithology I am constrained to make someremai-ks on Air. AA^hyte’s note on this species. AVere it not my aim to give a faithful history of all the peculiar Cejdonese forms, I should not have referred to the subject. It is difficult to see iu what sense the writer uses the word “ discovered.” The species was in reality discovered lyv the collector who shot it ; for the specimens were afterwards skinned, sold unidentified, and lost for ever to science ! I n continuation of the above paragraph, follows : — “ Three more specimens have been collected by us, one of which Captain Legge obtained from us.” Two of these I will remark are comprised in the pair shot by Mr. Bavidson and sent to A I essrs. AVIiyte and Co.’s for presein ation, one of which Air. AVhyte sold me under the impression that it was a Crested Coshawk (a not unlikely mistake for one who had formed no acquaintance with the genus Baza) ; and the other he sent me on the order of Air. Fraser, of Colombo, a friend of Air. Davidson, and who kindly presented it to me. The words collected by vs, in reference to this pair are therefore misapplied. AVhen I wrote to Air. AVhyte, shortly after the ptirchase of the type sjiecimcn, that it vas a new Baza, I much wish that he had informed me of his having previously received a jinir. 1 could then have made inquiries concerning the birds, and should perhaps have succeeded in tracing them to their destination; in which ca.se I could have verified Air. AV^hyte’s identification. BAZA CEYLONENSIS. 97 Central-Province subranges, although it has not yet been recorded beyond the vicinity of the Kandyan capital. Habits. — I am unable to furnish any information concerning the habits of this species, beyond that I learn it frequents the borders of forests, the vicinity of steep- wooded hill-faces and patnas interspersed with jungle. When killed it has doubtless been met with in such localities ; but as a rule it will be found, like its congeners, to be a forest-loving species, like Baza lophotes and B. reinwardti. The front figure in the Plate accompanying this article is the adult male bird killed at Matale, and that in the background the young bird sent home by Messrs. Whyte and Co. to the British Museum. 0 BAZA LOPHOTES. (THE INDIAN CRESTED FALCON.) Falco lophotes, Temm. PL Col. i. pi. 10 (1823). Buteo cristatus, Bonn, et Vieill. Enc. Meth. iii. p. 1220 (1823). Baza syama, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. v. p. 777 (1830). Baza lophotes, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 4 (1840); Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 17 (1849); id. J. A. S. B. xix. p. 325 (1850); Kelaart, Prodroinus, p. 115 (1852); Layard, Ann. & Mag. N. H. 1853, xii. p. 102; Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. i. p. 62. no. 72 (1854) ; Jerd. B. of Ind. i. p. Ill (1862) ; Hume, Bough Notes, ii. p. 337 (1870) ; Holdsvvorth, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 415; Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 352 (1874); Walden, Ibis, 1876, p. 341. Ilytiopus syama, Hodgs. J. A. S. B. x. p. 27 (1841). Ilytiopus lophotes, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xii. p. 312 (1843). Pernis lophotes, Kaup, Contr. Orn. 1850, p. 77. Baza indicus. Bp. Eev. et Mag. de Zool. 1854, p. 535. Cohy Falcon, Lath. Gen. Hist. i. p. 165, pi. x. (1821). BlaclC’Crested Kite, '■‘‘Baza," Cohy Falcon, Cohy Pern, in India. Cohy of the Parbutties ; Syama, lit. “ Black,” Nepal. Adult male*. Length to front of cere 12-5 inches; culmeu from cere 0‘8; wing 9'2 to 9'4, expanse 30'5 ; tail o’O to 5‘5; tarsus 1-05 to IT ; middle toe 1‘0 to IT, claw (straight) 0T7 ; height of bill at cere ()'35. No difference in size exists between examples from Nejiaul, Ceylon, and Pinang. Iris brownish red ; cere bluish leaden ; bill pale bluish leaden, darker at the sides above the tooth ; legs and feet pale bluish, claws black. Entire head, throat, body above, wing-coverts, longer scapulars, quills, tail, and body beneath from the upper breast black, with a dark green gloss above and on the under tail-coverts. A long occipital crest of 3 or 4 narrow feathers 2| inches in length ; tertials and some of the concealed scapulars rufous towards the tips ; a broad edging of the same near the extremities of the secondaries ; tertials and scapulars white across the middle, showing conspicuously on the longer feathers, the terminal portions of which are black. Chest pure white, succeeded by a band of deep vinous chestnut, many of the feathers of which are edged wdth black ; below this the black sides of the breast are overlaid vdth long ochraceous white plumes, meeting across the body below the band, and barred down the sides with the chestnut ; lower surface of quills and tail stone-grey, with a dark patch near the tips on the outer portion of the latter. The black plumage underlying the stiff breast-plumes is a singular chai'acter in this bird’s attire. Youwj. In the bird of the year the anterior tooth is less developed than in the adult, and the second or posterior notch is not developed ; the crest is of much the same length as in the old bird. The chief characteristic is the great amount of white and rufous, handsomely intermingled, on the wings and scapulars. Head and upper surface dusky black, with a rufescent tinge on the back-feathers everywhere hut at the tips; the scapulars and tertials are vinaceous rufous, with their centre portions white, and a bar of the same extends across the outer webs of the secondaries in tlie same position as the rufous edgings in the adult ; lateral tail-feathers paler than the rest and tipped with white ; throat a brownish or paler black than the head : the white of the chest narrower than in the adult ; the pectoral band a paler and handsomer rufous, variable in width, not the Jugger [F. jugger) , as has been suggested; and consequently the interesting fact remains tliat the species ([)robably (piite an abnormal occurrence in tropical latitudes) has bred in Ceylon. He writes iis follows ; — “ I found them breeding in a palmyra tope on the left-hand side of the road from Jaffna to Pt. I’cdro ; the nest a rough structure of sticks laid on the dead ‘ matties ’ or fronds of the palmyra, from which the leafy parts had bc'cn cut away I shot the first specimen early in the month (January) ; but the FALCO PEREGRINUS. 105 female was so shy that, tliough I long remained concealed near the nest, she never afforded me a shot, and I was obliged to return home without her. I was surprised to find another male at the same nest when I revisited the spot at the end of the month, and procured both him and his mate with a double shot.^’ Schlegel affirms that the Peregrine has bred in Sumatra ; and Swinhoe found it nesting on the cliffs of North rock, in the province of Shantung, Nortli China, and remarks that it appears to be a resident species down the whole length of the Chinese coast, young birds in their down having been brought to him at Amoy. No further testimony beyond that (d' these three wi-iters is forthcoming of its breeding in the south-east of Asia or in the Indian empire soutliward of the Himalayas. Dr. Adams is supposed to have found its nest on the banks of the Indus ; but the occurrence is mentioned witli doubt, as to the correct identification of the bird, by both Jerdon and Hume ; and the latter does not include it in his list in ‘ Nests and Eggs.^ In more northerly latitudes it usually chooses an inaceessible cliff on which to build and rear its young. There, on some ledge which it deems secure from the attack of man, it constructs a nest of sticks, often mingled with the bones of its quarry, which, collecting year after year, have at last become part and parcel of the structure. The eggs are either three or four in number, and vary both in size and markings, these characters depending on the age of the bird. In Mr. Hewitson’s plate (vol. i. of his ‘ British Birds^ Eggs^) are two examples : the first laid by an old bird, and measuring 2T3 by 1'7 inch; the second by a younger bird, not exeeeding 1'92 by P55. In the larger of the two the general colour is reddish white, closely freckled, except at the small end, with brick-red, and blotched openly over that with reddish brown, the markings on the smaller half being the largest. The second egg is not so deeided in its markings, is of a paler ground, covered with a stippled wash of pale reddish, in which there are a few darker clouds and several openly distributed large blotches round the centre. P FALCO FEFEGRINATOE. (THE INDIAN PEREGRINE.) Falco peregyinatoi', Sund. Phys. Tidssk. Lund, 1837, p. 177, pi. 4; Gray, Gen. Birds, i. p. 19 (1844); Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. A. S. B. p. 14 (1849); Layard, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. 1853, xii. p. 102; Gould, B. of Asia, pt. 3 (1851); Blyth, J. A. S. B. xix. p. 321 (1851); Horsf. & Moore, Cat. B. Mus. E. I. Co. p. 18. no. 20 (1854); Jerd. B. of Inch i. p. 25 (1862); Hume, Bough Notes, i. p. 55 (1869); Jerd. Ibis, 1870, p. 237 ; HoldsAvortli, P. Z. S. 1872, p. 410 ; Sharpe, Ann. & Mag. Nat. Hist. ser. 4, xi. p. 223 (1873); id. Cat. B. i. p. 382 (1874) ; Legge, Str. Feath. 1875, p. 195 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 23 (1874); Walden, on Col. Tickell’s MS. 111. Inch Orn., Ibis (1876), p. 342. Falco shalieen, .Jerd. Madr. Journ. x. p. 81 (1839); id. 111. Ind. Orn. pis, 12 & 28 (1847). Falco sultaneus, Hodgs. in Gray’s Zooh Misc. p. 81 (1844). Falco ruher, Schh Mus. P.-B. Falc. p. 5 (1862). The Shahin Falcon, Jerclon, B. of India; Royal Falcon of some. Shaliin, “Eoyal bird ” (female), Kohee Koela (male), Hind. ; Jawolmi, Teh ; Wallur, Tam. Uhissa, Sinhalese. A