4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE ACADEMY OF 



from an Indian or Malayan specimen, under the full and honest conviction 

 that it was exactly the bird seen by him in the mountains of the Great Nama- 

 quois, a description of error (if it is such) in which he is by no means 

 singular. One of the most eminent ornithologists of our own times is stated 

 to have given figures of a species of Loxia from American specimens, in his 

 Splendid work, " The Birds of Europe," and if so, entirely justifiably, the 

 European and American species never having then been suspected of being 

 different species. 



The specimen now before me, from Western Africa, I regard as proving 

 conclusively that a species, at least nearly allied to Spilornis ckeela and 8. bido, 

 inhabits Africa, and I have no doubt that this species was seen and described 

 by Le Vaillant with entire truthfulness. He may not have figured a specimen 

 obtained by himself, but even on this point there is only hypothetical conjec- 

 ture, not evidence. The bird described by him is, moreover, entitled to the 

 name Falco Bacha; an appellation given by Daudin, as cited above, entirely 

 on the faith of the description in Oiseaux d ; Afrique. No Indian nor Malayan 

 species is fairly entitled to this appellation, though it has been applied to 

 both, with observations thereon not quite warranted by the facts. Various, 

 not remotely allied, forms have recently been discovered in Africa, (Circaetus 

 zonurus, fasciolatus, and others.) and my opinion is, that the adult of this 

 species of Le Vaillant will yet be forthcoming. 



3. Haliaetus Blagrus, (Daudin). 



Falco blagrus, Daud., Traite d'Orn., ii. p. 70, (1800). 



Le Vaill., Ois. d'Afr., i. pi. 5. 



In the Catalogue of Mr. DuChaillu's collection in the Camma and Ogobai 

 country, above alluded to, I gave this name to a specimen of a young bird 

 which I regarded as identical with others in the Academy Museum. On re- 

 examination of this specimen, I am inclined to doubt its identity with any 

 species known to me, though it is in plumage not sufficiently mature to com- 

 pare satisfactorily or to determine from my present materials. It is so much 

 smaller than the young H. vocifer that I cannot believe it identical, though 

 bearing some resemblane to the youngest specimen of that species (H. voci- 

 fer) in the Academy Museum. The feet, especially, are disproportionately 

 smaller and weaker. In the Haliaeti of North America, there is a very con- 

 siderable diversity of size, but never so great in the same species, to my 

 knowledge, as in the specimens here mentioned. 



Though, perhaps, too young to present even structural characters in a re- 

 liable degree, the present specimen seems to show relations to the Asiatic 

 group of which H. leucog aster is a well known species, and of which Mr. 

 Blyth and Dr. Jerdon give the name Falco blagrus, Daudin, as a synonyme. 

 Without being able, at present, to assent to this disposition of F. blagrus, I 

 regard the views of those excellent naturalists as at least an important ap- 

 proximation to its relationship, but am disposed also to suspect that my 

 specimen may be the young of a species the adult plumage of which remains 

 to be discovered. I regard it as undoubtedly the young of the Blagre of Le 

 Vaillant, as above cited, the credibility of whose narrative in relation to which 

 I do not doubt in any particular. The relative size of the feet in this species 

 and in H. vocifer may readily be seen in plates 4 and 5 of that author's Oise- 

 aux d'Afrique. 



4. Limnaetus akricanus, nobis. 



Belongs to the same group as L. cirrhatus (= Falco limnaetus, Horsf.) and L. 

 Kieneri, and bears a general resemblance to both of those species, and is 

 about the same size. Upper parts black, under parts white. 



General form very strong ; bill rather short, fully curved ; edge of upper 

 mandible lobed ; wing moderate, fourth and fifth quills longest, and nearly 

 equal; tail rather long ; tarsi thick, and densely feathered to the toes, the bases 



[Jan. 



