290 FALCONID^. 



Genus ROSTRHAMUS, Less. 



Rostrhamus sociabilis ( VieUl.). 



Rostrhamus leucopygus, Skarpe, Cat. Birds B. M. i. p. 328 (1874). 

 Rostrhamus sociabilis, var. plumbeus, Baird, Brewer, 8f Ridgw. N. Amer. 



Birds, iii. p. 209 (1874). 

 Rostrhamus sociabilis, Scl. ^ Huds. Argent. Om. ii. p. 72 (1889) ; 



Benilire, Life-Hist. N. Amer. Birds, i. p. 180, pi. v. figs. 6 & 7 



(1892) ; S/iarpc, Rand-l. i. p. 269 (1899) ; von Ihering, Rev. Mus. 



Faulista, iv. p. 271 (1900). 



An egg of the Hook-billed Kite is of a narrow oval shape, 

 almost elliptical, smooth in texture, and with a faint gloss. It is 

 pale greenish white, marked with contiuent blotches of brown at 

 the larger end and progressively smaller blotches and spots up to 

 the smaller end. It measures 1*87 by 1-35. 



1. Florida {Henshaw Coll.). Salvin-Godman Coll. 



Genus ELANUS, Savign. 



Elanus cseruleus (Desf.). 



Falco melanopterus. Thien. Fortji/Janz. ges. Vdg. tab. xliv. fig. Q a, b 

 (1845-54) ; Bree, Birds Eur. i. p. 108, pi. — (1866). 



Elanus melanopterus, Baedeker, Bier Bur. Vdg. tab. 18. tig. 4, tab. 49. 

 lig. 3 (1855-63) ; Bree, op. cit. 2nd ed. i. p. 127, pi. — (1875). 



Elanus cifinileus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. i. p. 336 (1874) ; id. ed. 

 Lagard, Birds S. Africa, p. 52 (1875-84) ; Leyge, Birds Ceylon, p. 85 

 (1878) ; Dresser, Birds Eur. v. p. 661 (1880); Barnes, Journ. Bomb. 

 Nat. Hist. Soc. iii. p. 219, pi. — . tigs. 1-3 (1888) ; Oates ed. Hume, 

 Nests ^- Eggs Ind. B. iii. p. 177 (1890) ; Seebohm, Eggsof Brit. Birds, 

 p. 11 (1896) ; Sharpe, Kand-l. i. p. 269 (1899) ; Nehrk. Kat. Eier- 

 saminl. p. 8 (1899). 



The eggs of the Black-winged Kite are of an oval or elliptical 

 shape and occasionally spheroidal. They show scarcely any gloss. 

 The o-round-colonr varies from white to cream-colour and brownish 

 white. Ttie majority of the specimens are very thickly streaked, 

 blotched, and smeared with reddish brown of several shades, very 

 little of the ground-colour being left visible. In a certain number, 

 the markings are less dense and cover little more than half the 

 ground. In some, the markings form a cap at one end of the egg, 

 the remainder of the shell being comparatively free of them. One 

 example is merely marked with a zone of spots round the middle, 

 the two ends being almost plain. A series measures from 1'45 to 

 1-68 in length, and from 1-14 to 1-27 in breadth. 



1. Cape of Good Hope {E. L. Layard). Crowley Bequest. 

 9. Berg River, S. Africa (E. L. L.). Seebohm Coll. 



2. Sambhur, India, 14th Aug. {R. M. Hume Coll. 



Adam). 



1. Deesa, Aug. (E. A. Butler). Crowley Bequest. 



1. Poona, 21st June (/. H. Yule). Hume Coll. 



2. Poona. 19tli .Tulv (.7 H. Y.). Hume Coll. 



