258 



FALCONIDiE. 



The adult phimage of Neopus seems to be gained by a partial 

 moult on the upper surface, while the brown edgings to the crown 

 and feathers of the under surface gradually occupy the whole of the 

 feathers and produce a uniform appearance. 



Adult female. All over black, the quills mottled with white near the 

 base ; tail-feathers more or less distinctlj' barred with ashy above, ap- 

 pearing as if mottled with white underneath ; cere and gape deep yel- 

 low; bill greenish horny, black at tip; feet deep yellow ; iris dark brown. 

 Total length 29-5 inches, culmcn 205, wing 22-7, tail 12-8, tarsus 3-4. 



Ifab. The same as that of the genus. 



a. Ad. sk. India. Prince Frederick of Schleswig- 



Holstein [P.]. 



b, c. Ad. sk. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. 



d. Ad. st. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. 



e. Ad. st. Ceylon. H. Cuming, Esq. [C.]. 

 /. Imm. sk. Malayan archipelago. Leiden Museum [P.]. 



43. SPIZIASTUR*. 



Spizastnr, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 3 (1841) . . . . 



Type. 

 S. melanoleucus. 



.^#.^^ 



Foot of Spiziastur melanoleucus. 

 Range. From Guatemala in Central America southwards to Brazil. 



1. Spiziastur melanoleucus. 



Buteo melanoleucus, Vieill. N. Diet. iv. p. 482 (1816) ; id. et Oud. 



Gal. Ois. pi. 14 (1825). 

 Falco atricapillus, Temm. PI. Col. i. pi. 79 (1823). 

 Morphnus atricapillus, Vigors, Zool. Journ. i. p. 325 (1824). 



* This genus is often ascribed to Lesson, who, however, only used the name 

 "Les Spisiastures" for a group of Hawks in the same way that he used " Les 

 Gymnogenes" (Compl. Buff, vii. p. 92, 1837). 



