Mr. R. B. Sharpe's Catalogue 0/ Accipitrcs. 459 



the tarsus is not scutellated, as in Haliaetus and in Polioaetus, 

 but is reticulated, very much as is the case in Circaetus ; and 

 a larger portion of the upper surface of the toes is also reticu- 

 lated in Gypohierax than in the other genera of Sea-Eagles : 

 the claws in Gypohierax resemble in their structure those of 

 Haliaetus, possessing the groove in the lower surface, which 

 is absent in Polioaetus and in Pandion. 



The only East-African locality given by Mr. Sharpe for 

 Gypohierax angolensis is the island of Pemba, near Zanzibar ; 

 but since his volume was published an immature specimen 

 obtained by Mr. Ayres in Transvaal has been recorded in 

 ' The Ibis ' for 1877, p. 340. 



The next group of genera which seems to me to present 

 itself in natural sequence amongst those comprised in the 

 very wide range of Mr. Sharpe's ''subfamily Aquilinse'^ is 

 that of the Milvinse, or Kites, in which I would include the 

 following — Gypoictinia, Haliastur, Milvus, and Lophoictinia. 



Taking Milvus as the typical genus of this group, we must 

 admit that Gypoictinia is a somewhat aberrant one ; but I 

 agree with Mr. Sharpe in the opinion expressed in his note 

 upon the sole species of this genus in the P. Z. S. for 1875, 

 p. 339, that '' the bird is a Kite, and not a Buzzard,^' though 

 referred to the genus Buteo in Mr. Gould's original descrip- 

 tion* : it differs from the birds of the three other Milvine 

 genera in having the front of the tarsus reticulated, rather 

 than transversely scutellated, and in the much greater de- 

 velopment of the upper mandible of the bill, both of which 

 peculiarities indicate the propriety of arranging the genus 

 Gypoictinia next to Gypohierax, in which these character- 

 istics are also apparent. 



Gypoictinia melanosternon appears to be a species of ex- 

 treme rarity. One of Mr. Gould's type specimens is, if I 

 mistake not, in the Museum of Philadelphia, and another in 

 that at Leyden ; the Museum at Brussels is also fortunate 

 in possessing a specimen, as is the British Museum in having 

 recently acquired one. These are the only examples that I 

 know of, with the exception of one, which was exhibited in 

 * Vide P. Z. S. 1840, p. 1G2. 



