from the Colony of Natal. 357 



birds under the name of Avicida cuculoides of Swainson, my 

 impression being that the West- African and South-African races 

 were identical. I have never had an opportunity of seeing the 

 West-African bird ; but I observe that Dr. Hartlaub, in his 

 work on the Birds of West Africa, treats it as distinct from 

 the present race, to which he applies the specific term which, in 

 deference to his high authority, I have above adopted. In Dr. 

 Hartlaub's work on the ' Birds of Madagascar,^ he quotes Pernis 

 madagascariensis of Smith as a synonym of Avicida verreauocii ; 

 but this I find, by inspection of a specimen brought from Mada- 

 gascar and referred to in the ' Ibis,^ 1863, p. 177, is an error. 

 The Madagascar bird is an Avicida, but differs from that found 

 in Natal in having a larger bill and broader tail-feathers. The 

 Madagascar specimen which I examined was apparently imma- 

 ture ; the colouring of its plumage much resembled that of the 

 Natal species in its immature state. — J. H. G.] 



AsTUR MELANOLEucus, Smith. Black-and- White Goshawk. 



Male, immature. Iris light dusky brown ; bill dusky bluish at 

 the tip, cere yellowish green ; tarsi and feet pale yellow. This 

 bird was caught alive in a hedge in Pieter-Maritzburg ; its 

 stomach contained rats. 



[The above-named specimen is a very young one, and, from 

 the quantity of down adhering to its feathers, would appear to 

 have quitted the nest prematurely. The colouring of its plu- 

 mage much resembles that of a rufous-coloured individual of the 

 young of A. palumharius. In the adult state, both sexes of this 

 bird are sometimes found with the lower parts white, and some- 

 times with the whole lower surface black. Mr. Ayres, who has 

 sent me both forms from Natal (where, however, the white- 

 breasted appears to be much the commoner of the two), considers 

 them as distinct species ; and this view is strongly supported by 

 Professor Schlegel, who, in his recent work on the Birds of the 

 Leyden Museum, even places the two races in distinct genera, 

 considering the black-breasted to be an Astur, and the white- 

 breasted a Nisus {vide ' Museum des Pays-Bas,' Astures, pp. 15 

 and 37). Dr. Hartlaub, on the contrary, in his work on the 

 Birds of West Africa, treats the white-breasted birds as being 



