68. BAZA. 355 



Avicida buteoides, Lafr. Rev. Zool. 1846, p. 132*. 



Hji;iopus cafer, Sundev. (Efv. K. Teiensk. Forh. Stockh. 1850, p. 110. 



Avicida cuculoides, Ourmy, Ibis, 1859, p. 240. 



Avicida cater, Schl. P. Z. S. 1866, p. 420. 



Baza verreauxii, Gray, Handl. B. i. p. 25 (1869). 



Adult male. Above dark ashy grey, somewhat shaded with brown, 

 crown and occipital crest dark ashy ; quills brown, tipped with 

 whitish, externally shaded with ashy grey ; under surface of wing 

 white for the basal, and shading into greyish white for the apical 

 half ; primaries crossed by a few bars of brown above and below, 

 more indistinct on the inner ones, the secondaries with a broad sub- 

 terminal bar of dark brown ; upper tail-coverts ashy grey at base, 

 brown at tip, appearing slightly banded ; tail slaty grey above, con- 

 spicuously tipped with white, crossed by four bars of black, the sub- 

 terminal one very broad, imder surface whitish, the basal bars more 

 indistinct and represented on the outer feathers by a black patch on 

 the outer web, extending a little across to the inner one ; sides of 

 the face, throat, and chest clear grey ; breast pure white, banded 

 with pale rufous brown, a little broader on the sides of the body, 

 and gradually decreasing in size towards the flanks and under tail- 

 coverts, the latter of which are entirely white ; under wing-coverts 

 barred very thickly A,vith pale rufous and fulvous ; cere and orbits 

 light yellow ; bill black, bluish at base of under mandible ; feet 

 yeUow ; iris lemon-yellow. Total length 1 7 inches, culmen 1 -05, 

 wing 12-7, tail 7-9, tarsus 1-4. 



Adult female. A little browner than the male, and not so clear 

 grey ; bars on the breast broader and more rufous, being equally 

 distinct on the flanks. Total length 17 inches, culmen 1-15, ning 

 12-6, tail 7-9, tarsus 1-45. 



Young. Brown above, the feathers narrowly margined -with ful- 

 vous, much broader on the secondaries ; quills and tail pale brown, 

 banded with blackish brown, the latter tipped with fulvous, espe- 

 cially on the outer rectrix ; sides of head and neck rufous brown, 

 with dark brown centres to the feathers, giving rather a streaked 

 appearance ; under surface of body whitish, streaked on the throat 

 and banded on the breast with pale rufous, the inner face of the 

 thighs also rufous ; on the breast and flanks some feathers with dark 

 brown oval spots, less distiuct on the under tail-coverts ; crest less 

 developed than in the adult and dark brown in colour ; iris very 

 light brown. 

 Hab. Natal. 



E. Wilson, Esq. [P.]. 

 J. H. Gumey, Esq. [P.]. 

 Purchased. 



* The type of this species is said to have come from Zanzibar ; it has not been 

 met with by Dr. Kirk or any subsequent observer, and is omitted in the great 

 work on the birds of Eastern Africa by Drs. Finsch and Hartlaub. I have, 

 however, little doubt that, if the locality should prove to be correct, the bird 

 from Zanzibar will be identical with that of South Africa. 



2b2 



