APPENDIX E. 135 



now preserved in the British Museum, was obtained by him 

 in Nepal. This last-mentioned example,, which appears to me 

 to be identical with B. leucocephalus , has been described in 

 Mr. Sharpens Catalogue (p. 178) as a "very old'''' example of 

 Buteo ferox, under which name it is also figured at pi. 8 of 

 the same volume' — but unfortunately somewhat incorrectly, 

 the bare portion of the front of the tarsus being represented 

 as scutellated quite across, whereas it is, in fact, entirely 

 covered Avith reticulated scales, I have never examined an 

 example of B. leucocephalus in which this reticulation did not 

 exist ; and I can vouch for its presence not only in the speci- 

 men above referred to, but in six others preserved in the 

 British, Paris, and Norwich Museums. 



The reticulation of this portion of the tarsus is, however, 

 composed of larger scales in some individuals than in others. 



This reticulation was thus described by Hodgson in the 

 P. Z. S. 1845, p. 37 — " Tarse two thirds plumed in front, and 

 the nude part reticulate, not scutellate ; " and thus by the 

 authors of the 'Fauna Japonica^ (Aves), in their article 

 already referred to — " Les parties nues du tiers inferieur du 

 tarse sont revetues .... d^ecailles passablement larges, par- 

 ticulierement vers le devant, oxx elles prennent la forme de 

 petites plaques disposees en reseau.^'' 



This ''reseau" (network) on the front of the lower part of 

 the tarsus is well shown in Mr. Wolf's excellent figure at 

 pi. 7 of the ' Fauna Japonica,'' and also in the plate of this 

 species in David and Oustalet's ' Oiseaux de la Chine.^ 



Mr. Hume, in ' Stray Feathers,' vol. iv. p, 367, adverting 

 to the curious fact that in some, though comparatively few, 

 specimens of Buteo ferox the front of the tarsus exhibits more 

 or less of an abnormal reticulation of a character similar to 

 that which appears to be constant in B. leucocephalus, remarks, 

 *' Although in several specimens o^ ferox the scutation makes 

 a decided approach to that of my specimen of aqudinus, in no 



' This plate has been rightly referred to Buteo leucocephalus {=hemi- 

 lasius) by MM. David and Oustalet in the ' Ois. de la Chine,' p. 19; these 

 authors use, however, for tliis species the specific name of hemilasius, and 

 not that of leucocephalus. 



