180 FALCONID^. 



of the feathers of the lower breast tipped with creamy buff, the 

 under taU-eoverts inclining to this colour, as also the middle of the 

 breast ; the throat and chest narrowly streaked with dark brown ; 

 the thighs and flanks more uniform rufous, somewhat shaded with 

 ashy brown ; under wing-coverts creamy buff, with rufous central 

 streaks, the outermost and greater series inclining to ashy brown ; 

 upper wing-coverts dark brown, margined with rufous like the back ; 

 primaries black, externally shaded with ashy grey; the secondaries 

 lighter bro^\ni, tipped with whit}- brown ; the under surface of quills 

 white at base of inner web, shading into ashy white gradually to- 

 wards the tips ; upper tail-coverts rufous at tip and on outer web ; 

 tail rufous, yellowish at tip, with an indistinctl)' indicated subter- 

 minal bar of brown ; shafts white, all the feathers shading off into 

 brown on their outer margin, the external feather shaded with clear 

 ashy grey : cere lemon-yellow ; bill dark lead-colour, lighter near 

 throat and cere ; feet lemon-yellow ; iris light hazel or yellowish. 

 Total length 21 inches, culmen 1-55, wing 13-4, tail 7'8, tarsus 3. 



Like the other Buzzards of the Old World, this species gradually 

 gets darker with age, and the tail appears to alter to an almost 

 uniform smoky brown, tipped with fulvous and washed with rufous, 

 with indications of bars more or less distinct. The few examples 

 examined from Northern Africa appear larger than others from India 

 and Africa proper, and approach more nearly certain stages of Buteo 

 ferox. The birds described are South- African examples, as being 

 the typical birds. 



Eah. The whole of Africa above and below the Sahara, South- 

 eastern Europe, and the entire Indian peninsula. 



Zoological Society. fC/lSclater, 



List. Vertebr. p. 211, sp. o.] 

 Sir A. Smith [C.]. 

 Sir A. Smith [C.;. 

 Purchased. 

 Purchased. 



B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.]. 

 Dr. Jerdon. 

 Purchased. 

 Dr. Strader [C.]. 



(Plate VII. fig. 1.) 



Circu.s phimipes, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844). 



Buteo plumipes, Hodgs. P. Z. S. 1845, p. 37 ; Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 11 

 (1849) ; Kaup, Contr. Om. 1850, p. 77 ; Bp. Cotisp. Av. i. p. 19 

 (1850); Strickl. Orn. Syn. p. 38 (1855); Jerd. B. Ltd. i. p. 91 

 (18G2); Bli/th, Ibis, 1863, p. 21, et 1866, p. 245; Gray, Hand-l. 

 B. i. p. 7 ('1869) ; mmie, Rovgh Notes, ii. p. 285 (1870) ; Jerd. 

 Ibis, 1871, p. 340 ; Blanf. Ibis, 1872, p. 87. 



Archibuteo plumipes, Bli/th, J. A. S. B. xix. p. 338 (1850). 



Falco buteo japonicus, Temm. ^- SehL Faun. Jap. p. 16(1850). 



Buteo vulgaris japonicus, iid. id suprA, pis. vi. & vi. B. 



Buteo japonicus, Bp. Consp. i. p. 18 (1850); Schl. Mus. P.-5. Bute- 

 ones, p. 7 (1862) ; Blakist. Ibis, 1862, p. 314 ; Gray, Hand-l. B. i. 

 p. 6 ( 1869) ; Swinh. Ibis, 1870, p. 87 ; Jerd. Ibi^, 1871, p. 337 ; 

 j^cld. Revue Aceipitr. p. 106 (1873). 



