Mr. R. B. Sharpe's Catalogue 0/ Accipitres. 475 



which A. nisus is the type, namely that which is composed of 

 those species which assimilate in the character of their mark- 

 ings and coloration to the Asturine subgenus Urospizias. 

 These are three in number, viz. A. cirrhocephalus, A. rubri- 

 coUis, and A. erythrauchen, respecting which I have only to 

 remark : — with reference to A. cirrhocephalvs, that Tasmania 

 should be added to the localities given for it by Mr. Sharpe ; 

 and with regard to A. erythrauchen (the immature stage of 

 which is not described by Mr. Sharpe), that a young speci- 

 men from Gilolo, in the Norwich Museum, closely resembles 

 in its plumage an immature specimen of its nearly allied con- 

 gener, A. rubricollis, from Ceram, in the same collection. 



I may add that Mr. Sharpe does not include Ceram amongst 

 the localities of A. rubricollis, but it is given by Mr. Wallace 

 in 'The Ibis ^ for 1868, p. 7. 



Proceeding to the consideration of the most typical section 

 of Sparrow-Hawks, the group of which A. nisus may be 

 considered the central species, I think it will be convenient 

 to refer, in the first place, to the four species of this group 

 which inhabit the American continent, viz. A.fuscus, A. chi- 

 onogaster, A. erythrocneniis, and A. ventralis. 



With regard to A. fuscus, I may note that the Norwich 

 Museum possesses an adult female from New Jersey, in which 

 the rufous tints of the underparts are as bright and very nearly 

 as dark as those of a male bird in normal adult plumage ; 

 also that an adult male from the southern slope of the 

 volcano of Chiriqui has all the underparts of a much darker 

 rufous, and the white interspaces much narrower and less 

 conspicuous, both on the sides of the breast and on the 

 thighs, than is the case in any other specimen which I have 

 examined. 



The slate-colour of the upper parts is also very unusually 

 dark in this individual, especially on the upper surface of the 

 head, which is almost black. 



This curious specimen forms part of the fine collection of 

 Messrs. Salvin and Godman, to whose kindness I am in- 

 debted for the opportunity of examining both it and also 

 many other rare and interesting American Accipitres. 



SER. III. VOL. V. 2 m 



