THE BIRDS OF PREY OF THE PUNJAB. 



833 



Colouration. 



Measurements . 



17 



Very variable and practically imiiossible to des- 

 cribe accurateljr for each phase, without taking up 

 a great deal of space. To begin with there are two 

 very distinct phases of plumage of this species, viz., 

 the light or pale variety and the melanistic form. 

 If the differences ended here it would not mxich 

 matter and each could be described separately, but 

 in each of these forms there are widely different 

 characteristics, which make any sort of description 

 of a species as a whole, absolutely misleading for 

 any individual. 



I quote below from Hume's Rough Notes, -p. 279, 

 to ohow what might be expected regarding the 

 variations in even one of the selected phases. 



*' At one end of the series, the whole of the chin, 

 throat, breast, abdomen, vent and lower tail coverts, 

 in fact the whole lower parts, are white, with 

 only the faintest possible fulvous tinge in some 

 places, and a few only of the feathers with dark 

 shafts. A few of the feathers of the sides have 

 irregular, patchy, rufous brown bars. The axillaries 

 are pure white, with a faint rufous spot towards the 

 tip ; the tibial plumes are pale rufous, mottled with 

 rufous white ; and the tarsal plumes are white 

 broadly barred with pale rufous. 



At the other end of the series, the chin, throat, 

 breast and lower tail coverts are a rich rufous buft', 

 all the feathers, except those of the lower tail 

 coverts, with conspicuous dark shafts, and rich 

 brown or rufous brown, linear, lanceolate, shaft 

 stripes. The whole of the sides, abdomen vent, 

 tibial and tarsal plumes, a very rich rufous brown 

 edged with brighter rufous, and the axillaries pure 

 cinnamon colour. Between th^se two extremes, 

 there is every intermediate tj'pe of colouring of thb 

 lower parts." 



Under the circumstances, individual descriptions 

 of such variations would take pages of print, where- 

 •is a general description, or the description of one 

 particular phase would only occasionally apply and 

 thus be confusing, especially when it is remembered 

 that in the above quoted extract from " Rough 

 Notes" Mr. Hume is only dealing with the pale phase. 



It might be said, that when dealing with this 

 species, or even genus, one might safely expect to 

 find anything from a chocolate brown bird, to one 

 that is almost white beneath to pale brown above. 



In these papers 1 will not attempt to give any 

 description of this species, so far as the plumage is 

 concerned. 



" Bill brownish plumbeous, tip black ; cere yellow- 

 ish-green ; irides brownish-yellow ; legs dingy pale 

 lemon-yellow. " (Hume.) 



Length of female 24'' : tail lO-o"; wing 18" to 

 \^\" tar.sus ?,-7o". Male, length 22" ; wing 16-2o" to 

 17-9". (Blanford.) 



