Mr. R. B. Sharpens Catalogue of Accipitres. 477 



it is uot now possible to ascertain the exact locality of either 

 example. 



The next genus to which I propose to allude is Buteola. 

 Mr. Ridgway^ in his account of Onychotes yruheri, from which 

 I have just quoted, speaks of that species as agreeing '^ very 

 nearly in size with Buteola minuta and brachyiira ;" but Mr. 

 Sharpe treats Buteola minuta as a synonym of B. brachyura ; 

 and in this I think he is correct, as Von Pelzeln's original 

 description of the Buteo minutus of Natterer's Brazilian Cata- 

 logue appears to be founded on two normal immature speci- 

 mens and one melanistic adult of B. hrachyura. 



Von Pelzeln^s reason for considering Natterer's B. minutus 

 to be distinct from Vieillot's B. brachyurus is that the type 

 of the latter is described by Pucheran (Rev. et Mag. d'Orn. 

 1850, p. 86) as being " remarquable par la brievete de la queue 

 et par suite par Tallongement des ailes, qui depassent d'un 

 pouce les rectrices ;" but as in ordinary specimens of B. bra- 

 chyura the wings do not reach to the tip of the tail, I think 

 it probable that the peculiarity observed by Von Pelzeln in 

 the type specimen may be due to some defect in preparing 

 or mounting the skin, as it often happens that the apparent 

 relative length of the tail as compared with the wings is either 

 unnaturally curtailed or extended through lack of care or 

 skill on the part of the taxidermist. 



The " distinct central tubercle ''•' in the nostril which dis- 

 tinguishes the genus Buteola {vide Sharpens Catalogue, p. 158) 

 very frequently disappears in the process of preserving the 

 skin ; and when this has happened it is not always very easy 

 to distinguish at first sight between melanistic specimens of 

 Buteo brachyura and similarly coloured examples of Buteo fu- 

 liffinosus*. It appears to me that the former, when newly 

 moulted, are blacker than B. fuliginosus on all parts except 

 the interspaces between the dark transverse bars on the tail, 

 which are usually greyer, but sometimes partly white ; when, 

 however, the plumage has been somewhat worn, it assumes 

 everywhere, but especially on the breast, abdomen, tibije, and 



* On the subject of the specific validity of Buteo fuliginosus as distin- 

 guished from Buteo swainsoni, vide antea, p. 235. 



