Mr. R. B. Sharpe's Catalogue of Accipitres. 367 



on the river Okavango, in Ovarapo Land, on 12th May, 1859, 

 and the second at Elephant^s Vley, a short distance further 

 to the south, on the 9th August following*. They were both 

 ticketed by Mr. Andersson as females ; but, from the difference 

 in size between them, there is, I think, no doubt that only 

 the immature bird is really a female, and that the adult is a 

 male. Mr. Andersson did not attach any specific name to 

 either specimen ; and in the assortment of his collections on 

 their arrival in this country, these birds passed as skins of 

 Scelospizias polyzonoides. 



The following description of these two specimens and the 

 accompanying plate of the adult (Plate VI.) will probably 

 suffice for the future identification of this species, which, as 

 it was first obtained in Ovampo Land, I propose to designate 

 as Accipiter ovampensis. 



The adult, which I presume to be a male, bears a remark- 

 able resemblance in the general appearance of its plumage to 

 the adult of Scelospizias polyzonoides, from which its mark- 

 ings and coloration only differ in the absence of any rufous 

 tmge from the transverse pectoral and abdominal bands, in 

 the character of the markings on the under surface of the 

 wings, and also in that of the markings on the tail. 



The general colour of the upper surface in this specimen 

 is a rather dark ashy grey, paler on the sides of the neck, and 

 with a little white showing towards the base of the feathers 

 on the nape ; the upper tail-coverts, which are of the same 

 colour as the back, have also a pure white spot about the 

 middle of each feather, but rather nearer to the base than to 

 the tip. 



The upper surfaces of the primaries are greyish brown, 

 barred transversely with darker brown ; above the notch the 

 intervals between these dark transverse bars are white on the 

 inner web, as they are throughout the whole length of the 

 feathers on its under surface. On the secondaries and ter- 

 tiaries there are traces of similar markings, but much less 

 distinct. 



* These particulars were given on Mr. Andersson's tickets attached to 

 the specimens ; but I can find no remarks respecting them in his MS. notes. 



