300 



FALCONID^. 



Head of Helotarsus ecaiidatus (reduced). 

 Range. The whole of Africa, below the Sahara. 



1. Helotarsus ecaudatus. 



Le Bateleur, Levaill. Ois. d'Afr. i. p. 31, pis. 7, 8 (1799) ; Stmd^v. 



Krit. om Levaill. p. 24 (1858). 

 Falco ecaudatus, Daud. Traite, ii. p. 54 (1800, ex LevaiU.'). 

 Aquila ecaudata, Dumont, Diet. Sci. Nat. i. p. 356 (1816). 

 Circaetus ecaudatus, Cuv. Hegne An. i. p. 328 (1829) ; Schl. Miis. 



P.-B. Buteones, p. 28 (1862) ; id. Revue Accipkr. p. 115 (1873). 

 Helotarsus typus, Smith, S. Afr. Q. Journ. i. p. 110 (1830). 

 Terathropius ecaudatus, Less. Traite, p. 47 (1831). 

 Helotarsus ecaudatus, Gray, List Gen. B. p. 3 (1840), et Gen. B. i. 



p. 18, pi. 7. fig. 11 (184-5) ; Des Mtirs in Lefebv. Voy. Abyss. 



Ois. p. 66, pi. 11 (1849) ; Bp. Consp. i. p. 716 (1850) ; Strickl. Om. 



Syn. p. 76 (1855) ; Hartl. Om. W.-Afr. p. 7 (1857) ; Grill, Zool. 



Anteckn. p. 51 (1858) ; Pelz. Verh. z.-h.'Wien, 1863 p. 594 ; Layard, 



B. S. Afr. p. 18 (1867) ; Gi-ay, Hand-l. B. i. p. 17 (1869) : Heugl. 



Orn. N. O.-Afr. i. p. 80 (1869) ; Bocage, Jorn. Lisb. ii. p. 337 (1869) ; 



Finsch, Tr. Z. S. vii. p. 202 (1870) ; Blanf. Geol. ^ Zool. Abyss. 



p. 296 (1870) ; Finsch u. Hartl. Vog. Ostafr. p. 51 (1870) ; Gurney 



in Anderss. B. Dam. Ld. p. 10 (1872). 

 Helotarsus brachjoirus, Brehm, J.f. O. 1858, p. 491. 

 Falco brevicaudatus, Pelz. Verh. z.-b. Wien, 1863, p. 594 (ex Natt. 



MS.). 

 Helotarsus ecaudatus, var. fasciatus, Heugl. Orn, N.O.-Afr. i. p. 81 



(1869). 



Nestlitxg. Covered with dense white down, the feathers, which 

 are visible, being blackish brown, with very broad rufous margins, 

 the head and neck almost entirely rufous, with dull brown bases to 

 the feathers. 



Adult male. Head (very much crested) and neck all round, as well 

 as the entire parts, glossy black ; hind neck and back rich maroon, 

 the lower back rather paler than the interscapulary region ; scapu- 

 lars black ; wing-coverts bronzy brown, the greater coverts rather 

 darker and blackish at base ; quills blackish, externally shaded with 

 grey, the secondaries ashy grey, with black tips, the innermost black, 

 like the scapulars ; tail deep maroon, as also the under tail-coverts ; 

 under wing-coverts white ; inner lining of wing grey, the secondaries 

 white underneath ; axUlaries black ; cere and orbits coral-red ; bill 

 black ; feet coral-red ; iris brown. Total length 21 inches, cul- 

 men 2-5, wing 21*2, tail 4-5, tarsus 3'2. 



Adult female. Larger than the male. Total length 25 inches, 

 wing 21-5, tail 5, tarsus 3-2. 



