Mr. J. H. Gurney on the Lesser Buzzard of South Africa. 361 



The Black-and-white Kingfisher begins to breed about the 

 commencement of April, and I extract the following description 

 from my note-book of one of the first nests examined : — 



" April 7th, 1862, Baroskour, near Damietta. — This morning 

 a Kingfisher was seen near a likely-looking bank, and, on ap- 

 proaching it, another, probably the female, flew out of a round 

 hole about 3 feet above the level of the river. It was just 

 large enough to admit the hand ; and after digging hori- 

 zontally for about 4 feet, we arrived at the nest — an enlarged 

 chamber, the bottom covered with small bits of dry dirt and 

 broken fish-bones. The eggs were five in number, of a clear 

 polished white, 1 inch 3 lines in length, 11 lines in breadth, 

 slightly tapering from the middle towards each end. This pecu- 

 liarity in shape was noticed in the first specimens, and was more 

 or less observable in all those subsequently taken. The usual 

 number is five, occasionally four, and now and then six." 



XLI. — Remarks on the Lesser Buzzard of South Africa and its 

 Congeners. By John Henry Gurney, M.P., F.Z.S. 



In an article recently published by M. 0. DesMurs in the 

 * Revue et Magasin de Zoologie,' * attention is called to the fact 

 of the bird described and figured by Le Vaillant under the title 

 of " Le Tachard " being in reality a Pern (Pemw), and not a 

 Buzzard [Buteo), as has been frequently supposed to be the case. 

 M. DcsMurs mentions in this article the circumstance of Mr. 

 G. 11. Gray having come to this conclusion as long ago as in 1849, 

 and I am able to add that Mr. Gray has recently expressed to me 

 that he still entertains the same opinion. 



I have myself no doubt that the " Tachard " of Le Vaillant, 

 and consequently the Buteo tachardus of Daudiu, is identical 

 with Pernis upivorus, a species which I have twice received from 

 the colony of Natal. 



Most ornithologists have erroneously attributed the name of 

 Buteo tachardus of Daudin to the Lesser Buzzard of South Africa, 

 for which M. DesMurs now suggests the new specific appella- 

 tion of Buteo delalandi. This is, as it seems to mc, unnecessary; 



* Vol. xiv. (iy(;2) 1). 4f>. 



