( 247 ) 



and more vinous. The tliroat in all is rather greyish vinous. The mide from 

 Fergusson differs from all these in being much paler below, perceptibly barred. Its 

 wings are 21. '5 mm. The young female from Fergusson is totally different. It is 

 brown above, whitish below, cross-barred with brown, but longitudinally marked on 

 throat and chest. Wing 260 mm. The female from Woodlark resembles those 

 from Trobriand, but the ground-colour below is of a deeper rufous, the bars more 

 distinct, the throat also with cross-markings. \\'ing 268 mm. The iris of all 

 these specimens is described as yellow. The clutch is three eggs. They are of the 

 form and structure of eggs of other species of Astur and Circus. They are of a 

 bluish white, like goshawks' eggs, and unspotted. If held against the light they 

 shine through dark bluish green. They measure 45*5 : 35'o, 45-5 : 35, 44 : 33-6, 

 45 : 35-5, 33 : 35 mm. 



Specimens of A. etorques from New Guinea agree with the specimens above 

 described. 



Gurney separated a form of this bird from New Britain and New Ireland as 

 Urospizias dampieri (cf. Ibis, 1882, pp. 126, 453). I have before me in the Tring 

 INIuseum an unsexed bird, evidently a male, fi'om New Ireland, and a young bird, 

 perhaps a, female. The male has the wing 201 mm. In colour it agrees with our 

 sjiecimens of A. etorques, except that the under wing-coverts are very light-coloured, 

 and the inner wing-lining is not greyish, but of a pale whitish cinnamon. This pale 

 cinnamon inner wing-lining is also obvious in the young bird. From these two 

 specimens I should say that the New Ireland form, which would be A. dampieri, is 

 very closely allied to A. etoi-ques,. hut not the same. Perhaps it may be subspecific- 

 ally distinct. (See A. B. Jleyer, Abh. und Ber. Mus. Dresden, 1890-91, No. 4, 

 p. 2; 1892-93, No. 3, p. 6.) 



Astur (jriseirjidaris Gray from the Moluccas is very much like A. etorqites, but 

 the throat is pure cinereous grey, sharply separated from the vinous breast, etc., and 

 there is a broad, though not sharply limited, band of vinous across the hind-neck. 



I am not convinced as to the value of the genus Urospizias, but I hope that 

 before long we shall be enlightened about the genera of the hawks — a difficult and, 

 I am afraid, not very satisfactory chapter. V.. H. 



56. Astur poliocephalus (<iiay). 

 Fergusson Island. '' Iris hazel." 



57. Baza reinwardti (-Miill. A: Schleg.). 

 Fergusson Island. " Iris yellow." 



58. Pandion haliaetus leucocephalus Gould. 



S ¥ shot from nest on Egum, July 25th. These two birds, shot from the nest, 

 differ in the colour of the head, the ? having the top of the head quite white, the 

 i having a number of broad longitudinal deep brown spots, especially on the 

 forehead. The wing of the cJ is 41 cm., that of the ? 43-5. (See ante^i, p. 178.) 

 The nest contained two eggs. They are similar to the less-spotted varieties of the 

 European osprey, but one has a few hair-lines, which are e.\tremely seldom seen in 

 European osprey eggs. They are not large, measuring 60 : 43 and 58 : 43 mm. 



E. H. 



