234 Mr. Blyth^s Commentary 



wings just reach to the tail-tip; and a conspicuous fold of skin 

 is continued from beneath the ear to the throat underneath, 

 which is little more than indicated in the African example ; 

 moreover the throat is quite bare in the Indian species, thinly 

 clad with short white feathers in N.percnopterus, and with short 

 black feathers in N. pileatus. The last appertains properly to 

 the Ethiopian region (south of the Great Desert), the second to 

 the southern half of the Eastern Atlantic region, and the first to 

 the Indian region. Other African white Rachamahs 1 find to 

 have black bill and claws, but not any Indian ; and referring to 

 Vultur meleagris of Pallas, I remark that he describes the 

 black-billed race as a scarce bird in the Tauric Chersonesus 

 (Crimea) ; while the Indian race is that figured in the collection 

 of drawings presented by Mr. Hodgson to the British Museum. 

 This bird appears to be the Vultur ginginianus of Latham (Ind. 

 Orn. i. p. 7, and Gen. Hist. B. i. p. 27, pi. 5), founded on the 

 "Vautour de Gingi ^^ of Sounerat (Voy. Ind. ii. p. 184). 



8. Falco peregrinus. 



Having now examined numerous British specimens, I can 

 perceive in thein no difference whatever from the Indian "Bhyri." 

 Professor Schlegel considers the Peregrines from all America (to 

 the Straits of Magellan) as not differing from those of Europe ; 

 but " la variete accidentale foncee de PAustralie," F. melanogenys, 

 he recognizes as only a variety of F. peregrinus, occurring rarely 

 in Java (and there preying on Jungle-fowl), and being probably 

 the true F. peregrinatur of Sundevall. Now in India (as in 

 North America) F. peregrinus is a thorough "Duck-Hawk '," and 

 I should not think it preys often on Jungle-fowl, which are more 

 likely to fall victims to the Spizaeti and to Lophospiza trivirgata ; 

 and the Australian species also is described by Mr. Gould as 

 emphatically a "Duck-Hawk:" but the Indian "Shahiu" {F. 

 peregrinator) is much more of a forest-bird, and may now and 

 then regale upon Jungle-fowl*. F. melanogenys has always 

 appeared to me to be a good definite species, intermediate in 



* In his account of F. jugger. Dr. Jerdon truly remarks : — "While the 

 Bhyri prefers the sea-coast and the neighbourhood of lakes, rivers, and 

 wet cultivation, and the Shahin delights in hilly and wooded regions, the 

 Laggur, on the contrary, frequents open dry plains and the vicinity of 

 cnltivation " (B. Ind. i. p. 31). 



