REPORT ON THE BIRDS — SANDWICH ISLANDS. 



97 



. " Mr Cassiu describes the type specimen as having ' the third, fourth, and fifth quills 

 longest and nearly equal,' which agrees with the Challenger specimen, as does his 

 description under the head of ' form' generally; but I think that, in speaking of the toes 

 as having ' their under surfaces strongly corrugated or pustulated, claw very large, long, 

 and curved,' he uses rather stronger language than is strictly applicable to the Challenger 

 specimen, though in this the under surface of the feet is certainly somewhat corrugated and 

 roughened, and the claws are slightly longer than in Buteo vulgaris or in Buteo desertorum. 



" As regards the difference of coloration in the two specimens, Mr Cassin describes 

 the type as having the ' head and entire underparts and upper tail-coverts yellowish- white, 

 all the feathers being pure white at then bases and widely terminated with pale yellowish, 

 more distinct on the breast and tibiae.' 



" In the Challenger bird the upper part of the head is dark wood -brown like the 

 mantle, except that some of the feathers, especially on the crown and forehead, are partially 

 edged with yellowish white ; on the sides of the head these white edgings are more con- 

 spicuous ; the throat is white ; the breast, abdomen, under tail-coverts, Hanks, and wing- 

 linings are white, slightly tinged with buff especially on the tibia;, and more or less 

 mingled with wood-brown throughout, except on the lower abdomen and tibioe, the brown 

 predominating over the buffy-white on the flanks, and almost entirely covering the sides 

 of the breast. 



" Mr Cassin further describes the type specimen as having the ' occiput and neck 

 behind with oblong longitudinal spots of umber-brown, which is the colour also of all the 

 upper surface of the body, wings, and tail ; shafts of quills reddish-chestnut on their upper 

 surface, white beneath ; inner webs of quills widely edged with white ; tail beneath silky- 

 white tinged with yellowish.' 



"The Challenger specimen agrees with this portion of Mr Cassin's description, with 



(ZOOL. CHALL. EXP. — PART VIII. — 1880.) H 13 



