80. P0LI0AETU8, 453 



white extending further on the secondaries, which have also ashy- 

 brown cross bars ; tail fulvous brown, mottled all over with dark 

 brown, except at the tip, which is uniform dark brown, forming a 

 very distinct band. 



The bird above described, though full-grown, is evidently imma- 

 ture as regards its plumage. The second stage is very similar to 

 the adult hereafter described, but is by no means so grey on the 

 head and throat ; and the tail is nearly uniform brown in a specimen 

 of Mr. Hodgson's in the Museum ; only on the inner web are the 

 mottlings apparent which indicate the gradual approach of the 

 white tail. As will be seen in the description, the young specimen 

 was further advanced as regards its tail, so that it is possible that 

 the changes from first to second plumage are not effected in any 

 regular sequence, as is the case also in other Accipitres. 



Adult male. Above brown, paler on the interscapulary region and 

 darker on the wings, the primaries blackish ; under surface of wing 

 leaden brown, with a whitish spot at base of primaries ; tail white, 

 with a broad terminal bar of brown ; entire head and neck all round 

 clear ashy grey ; breast broAvn, a little lighter than the back ; belly, 

 vent, thighs, lower flanks, and under tail-coverts pure white ; under 

 wing-coverts uniform ashy brown ; cere and bill blackish ; feet 

 dirty yellowish white ; iris brown. Total length 26 inches, culmen 

 2-3, wing 18, tail 10, tarsus 3-75. 



Adult female. Similar to the male but larger. Total length 

 29 inches, wing 20-4, tarsus 3-9. 



After a careful examination of Mr. Hodgson's plates, I have not 

 been able to distinguish his H. plumbeus. In size and general ap- 

 pearance it would appear to resemble P. JmmUis ; but I have never 

 seen a specimen of either of these species at all approaching a uni- 

 form leaden grey like the bird represented, and the drawing is, per- 

 haps, unfinished. The hinder figure on the plate of H. plumbeus I 

 am able to identify among Mr. Hodgson's specimens, as also all the 

 other Hawks figured by him, excepting the gTey one in question. 

 Although the uniform tail he figures more resembles P. humilis 

 (which is now known to extend to Assam, and may therefore well 

 occur in Nepal), there is not a specimen in Mr. Hodgson's collection ; 

 and as all his other birds of these species are in the Museum, and 

 as he also figured a true P. ichthyaetus on the same plate, I con-» 

 sider H. plumbeus to be probably an unfinished picture of the large 

 species. 



Hah. India, Nepal, Malacca, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Celebes. 



a. c? ad. st. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P.l. 



b. 2 ad. St. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. 'P. J. 



c. 2 juv. st. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. 'P.^ 



d. e. 5 ad. sk. Nepaul. B. H. Hodgson, Esq. [P. 

 /. 2 ad. St. Java. J. R. Reeves, Esq. [P.]. 

 g. 2 ad. sk. Java. Hon. East-India Co. [P.]. 

 )(. c? ad. sk. Sumatra. A. R. Wallace, Esq. [C.j. 

 I. Sternum. 



