116 



paler on chest ; sides of breast greenish 

 black. Immature with stripes on sides of 

 head rufous, instead of white, and throat, 

 chest and breast white. 

 265. Microhierax cceridescens ccerulescens* Linn., 

 S.N. i., p. 88 (1758) [ex. Edwards— 

 "Asia" -= Bengal] 

 Red-breasted Pigmy Falcon. 



Wings shorter ; (^3.75; $4.10in. ; throat 

 vent and thighs only ferruginous, chest 

 and breast silky white, the latter slightly 

 washed with ferruginous ; tail with the 

 subterminal white band in the form of two 

 fair-sized spots of white, much larger than 

 in last form. 

 265a. Microhierax ccsrulescens burmanicus subsp. 

 nov. [^Thayetmyo, Burma, E. W. Oates, 

 Hume Coll. 187l'. Brit. Mus. Reg. No. 85, 

 8, 19, 2195] 

 White-breasted Pigmy Falcon. 



Size of M. c. ccBYulescens ; wing ^ 3.50, $ 

 4 in. ; without the white collar on hind 

 neck ; no white eyebrow but sides of neck 

 with a white patch ; cheeks and ear-coverts 

 forming a large rounded patch of black ; 

 chest white ; abdomen and under tail- 

 coverts pale chestnut, the longer under tail- 

 coverts and whole flanks glossy black ; tail 

 with 5 or 6 white bars on inner webs, first 

 one concealed ; wing quills spotted rather 

 than barred on inner webs. 



Himalayas 

 to Bhutan. 



Burma, 

 Siam, 

 Cambodia, 

 S. Annam. 



* This is quite certainly the correct name for this species. Edwards's 

 plate accurately represents the Indian form except for the white neck band, 

 a point which has given rise to much discussion, but there is no doubt this is 

 an accidental variation, as in the Brit. Mus. coll. such a bird actually exists, 

 without a trace of white collar, from Riocour's collection. (B. M. Reg. No. 89, 

 5, 30, 48) marked " Malaisie," and although not of the Indian race it proves 

 the possibility of the collar being lost. The Indian form, it should be remarked 

 has the under parts white (except vent and thighs) when immature, but nearly 

 uniform ferruginous when adult. The eastern form on the other hand has, 

 when adult, only a small throat patch and the vent and thighs ferruginous, 

 with a wash of same on breast. In a large series a good deal of variation is 

 found in the width and purity of the white collar, and Indian examples in 

 particular often show a strong shading of black on it. 



