594 Mr. J. H. Gurney's Notes on 



Museum, exhibits this peculiarity very strongly, the buff tint 

 being most noticeable on the winglet and on the tertials, and 

 the paler portions of the latter being of a rich fawn-colour, 

 and not merely of a buffy white, like other pale parts of the 

 upper surface. 



So little is known as to the localities where H. candicans 

 nests that I think it may be well, in conclusion, to call 

 attention to a recent notice by Mr. H. C. Hart in the 'Zoo- 

 logist ' for 1880, p. 121, of an eyrie of H. candicans " amongst 

 lofty cliffs near Cape Hayes, lat. 79° 44','^ where the old birds 

 were observed on 19th August 1875 and again on 21st August 

 1876. 



Having now concluded my remarks on the Falcons, I may 

 pass on to the final section of Mr. Sharpe's volume, in which 

 the genera Pandion and Polioaetus are grouped together 

 under the heading of " Sub-order Pandiones.^^ 



I have already dealt with the genus Polioaetus in my 

 observations on the Sea-Eagles {vide Ibis, 1878, p. 455); 

 and I then left for subsequent consideration that of Pandion 

 as " a very peculiar and isolated form,^^ though I think hardly 

 sufficiently so to merit its elevation into a distinct " sub- 

 order.'^ 



The Osprey, amongst other peculiarities, has been observed 

 to possess some characteristics which seem to ally it to the 

 Owls, and thus to justify its being located next to that group 

 in any tabular arrangement. For further details upon this 

 head I would refer to Sclater's translation of Nitzsch's 

 ' Pterylography,' p. 54 (foot-note) and to the ' Recherches 

 Anatomiques ■■ on the Fossil Birds of France, by Milne- 

 Edwards, vol. ii. p. 413*. 



In 'The Ibis' for 1867, p. 464, I expressed the opinion 

 that the genus Pandion is in reality composed of but one 

 species, and that the Osprey is in fact referable to the same 

 species throughout the entire area of its almost cosmopolitan 

 rangef. It must, however, be admitted that some slight 



* I am indebted to the kindness of Professor Newton for calling my 

 attention to the remarks of Mons. Milne-Edwards on this subject. 



t Full details as to the geographical distribution of the Osprey will be 



