60 FALCONID^. 



innermost uniform with the back ; the under surface of the wings 

 blackish, with a good deal of white on inner webs of the quills, 

 especially the median ones, but no bars ; rump blackish, with 

 white tips to the feathers ; upper taU-eoverts white ; tail silvery 

 ash-colour, with remains of a black subterminal band and a few- 

 spots of the same on the outer feathers, the under surface of the taU 

 whiter, especially on the inner webs ; sides of face and of neck 

 entirely black, the latter streaked with white ; lower sui-face of body 

 pure white, including the under wing-coverts and axillaries ; the 

 throat and breast broadly streaked with black, diminishing to nar- 

 row shaft-lines on lower breast. Total length 20 inches, culmen 

 1-45, wing 14-1, tail 9-3, tarsus 3-35, middle toe 1-75 {Mus. Liufd.). 



Hah. Reunion and Joanna Island. 

 «. Pull. sk. Reunion. R. B. Sharpe, Esq. [P.]. 



6. Circus maurus. 



Falco maiunis, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 461 (1828). 



Circus lalandii, Smith, S. Afr. Q. Journ. i. p. 383 (1830). 



Circus mam-US, Less. Traite, p. 87 (1831) ; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 32 



(1845); Smith, III. Zool. S. Afr. Aves, pi. oS (1841) ; Strichl. Oni. 



Si/n. p. 153 (1855) ; Grill, Zool. Anteckn. p. 48 (1858) ; Luyard, 

 ' B. S. Afr. p. 35 (1867) ; Gurney, in Amlerss. B. Dam. Ld. p. 33 



(l'^^2). 

 Strigiceps maurus, Kaup, Mus. Senck. iii. p. 258 (1845). 

 Circus ater, Gray, Cat. Accipitr. p. 80 (1848). 

 Strigiceps ater, Bp. Consp. i. p. 35 (1850). 



Young. Above deep chocolate-brown, with broad margins of rufous 

 buff to the feathers ; the head deep brown, the hinder part with 

 broad rufous margins to the feathers; nape varied with white ; a 

 distinct eyebrow, and the sides of the face huffy white, the hinder 

 ear-coverts tinged with rufous and (as well as the cheeks) narrowly 

 lined with brown ; behind the ear a facial ruff of brown feathers ; 

 sides of neck and under surface of body deep ochraceous buff, the 

 breast-feathers marked at the base with dark brown, taking the 

 form of stripes on the flanks ; under wing-coverts coloured and 

 marked with brown like the breast ; axillaries dark brown, with 

 large spots of white on both webs ; primaries ashy grey, tipped with 

 fulvous, barred across with brown, more particularly on the inner 

 web, these bars plainer underneath where the inner web is white ; 

 the secondaries coloured like the back, the lower surface bro^vn, 

 with distinct bars of ashy grey; upper tail-coverts white, the lower 

 ones slightly marked with brown ; tail black, broadly tipped with 

 huffy white and crossed with four bars of ashy grey, the base of the 

 tail white. 



Adult. General colour brownish black, decidedly browner below ; 

 the under wing- and taU-coverts blackish like rest of under surface ; 

 upper tail-coverts white, the lower ones subterminally spotted with 

 black ; primary coverts blackish, barred across with ashy grey ; 

 primaries externally ashy grey, brown at tips ; the longer primaries 

 brown, externally silvery grey ; the secondaries brownish black like 



