Mr. R. B. Sharpc'ff (kitalogue of Accipitres. 457 



thers' for 1877, to which I have already referred, and also to 

 Mr. Anderson's remarks in the P. Z. S. for 1876, p. 777, the 

 latter being aeconipanied by a good plate of the adult bird. 

 This, however, is unfortunately figured in an attitude whieh 

 does not show the upper surface of the tail, the coloration 

 of whieh constitutes the most marked distinction, from the 

 absence of the white Ikisc in P. plumbeus, between that species 

 and P. ichthijaetus. 



In P. pUimbeus the entire upper surface of the tail is 

 brown, except a narrow white tip to all the rectrices other 

 than the central jjair, and sometimes very slightly apparent 

 on that pair also, though occasionally this white tip is alto- 

 gether absent. 



The inner webs of all the rectrices, except the central pair, 

 arc more or less marked with white or pale brown, the ex- 

 ternal feathers being the most variegated, but this is not 

 apparent when the tail is closed. 



There is a broad subterminal band across the closed tail, 

 slightly darker than the upper part of the tail-feathers; but the 

 difference of tint is often so slight as to be barely perceptible. 



I can perceive no difference in coloration between P. plum- 

 bum and P. humilis, except that in the latter the dark sub- 

 terminal band across the tail is a little more distinct, in eon- 

 sequence of the portion of the rectrices immediately above it 

 being slightly paler than in P. plunibeus ; and I am disposed 

 to consider P. humilis merely a smaller south-eastern race of 

 P. plumbeus, distinguishable as a subspecies, but not entitled 

 to full specific raids.. 



Mr. Sharpe defines the geographical range of P. humilis 

 as " from Assam down the Malayan peninsula to Sumatra 

 and Celebes/' but ]\Ir. Hume* doubts its being found in 

 Assam, and gives, as the nearest point in that direction from 

 which he has seen it, Cape Negrais, on the eastern shores of 

 the Bay of Bengal. In connexion with this question I may 

 mention that Mr. Sharpe, in his list of specimens of P. hu- 

 milis preserved in the British Museum, enumerates a male 

 from India and a male from Assam. I have not had an op- 

 * Vide 'Stray P'ealhois' for 1877. p. 130. 



