PALCONID.^ MELIERAX 361 



a. Upper tail-coverts white, contrasting with slaty- 



grey back M. fjahar, p. 364. 



b. Upper tail-coverts black like the rest of the 



plumage above and below M. nif/cr, p. 366. 



545. Melierax canorus. Chanting Gosliaivk. 



Le Faucon chanteur, Levaill. Ois. (VAfi: i, p. 117, pi. '27 (1801). 



Falco canorus, Bislach in Thunb. Diss. Ac. iii, p. 264 (1799). 



Falco musicus, Daud. Traite ii, p. 116 (1800); Burchell, Travels, i, p. 

 394 (1822) [Junction of Orange and Vaal rivers]. 



Melierax musicus, Grill, K. Vet. Akad. Handl. ii, no. 10, p. 49 (1858) 

 [Oudtshoorn] ; Layard, B. S. Afr. p. 31 (1867) ; Gunieij, Ibis, 1868, p. 

 145 ; Layard, Ibis, 1869, p. 71 ; Ayres, Ibis, 1869, p. 289 [Limpopo] ; 

 Gurney in Andcrsson's B. Damaraland, p. 26 (1872); Ayres, Ibis, 1877, 

 p. 340 [Potchefstroom] ; Holub ^- Pelzeln, Orn. Siid-Afrihas, p. 32 

 (1882); Bryden, Kloof and Karroo,^. 152 [Willowmore] (1889.) 



Melierax canorus, SJiarpc, Cat. B. M. i, p. 87 (1874; ; BucMey, Ibis, 1874, 

 p. 359 ; Sliarpe, cd. Layard'sB. S. Afr. pp. 17, 795 (1875-84) ; Gurney, 

 Ibis, 1875, p. 235 ; Gates, Matabeleland, p. 298 (1882) ; Flecl:, Joiirn. 

 Ornitli. 1894, p. 392 [Gt. Namaqualand] ; Shelley, B. Afr. i, p. 151 

 (1896) ; WoodwardBros. Natal B. p. 141 (1899) ; Reichenow, Vbg.Afr- 

 i, p. 542 (1901). 

 " Blaauw Valk " of the Dutch colonists. 



Description, Adult male. — Above, slaty-grey, darkest on the 

 crown of the head, the primary quills, the inner secondaries and 

 round the eye ; most of the coverts paler grey ; inner secondaries 

 white, vermiculated and spotted with grey forming a band along the 

 wing ; upper tail-coverts white ; tail-feathers like the back, all but 

 the two centre ones tipped with white, and with increasing patches 

 of white on the inner webs so that the outer pair are almost wholly 

 white ; below, chin and upper breast pale slaty-grey, rest of the 

 under surface, including the thighs and under tail-coverts, white 

 with narrow transverse bars of slaty-grey; under wing-coverts 

 white slightly mottled with grey. 



Iris deep reddish-brown ; bill bluish-black ; cere and base of bill 

 orange or bright brick-red ; legs red ; claws black. 



Length (in the flesh) 20-0 ; wing 13-5 ; tail 8-5 ; culmen 1-5 ; 

 tarsus 4" 35. 



The young bird is brown above with traces of paler edges and 

 tips to some of the feathers, the primaries white at the base, paler 

 on their inner edges and barred with black ; the upper tail-coverts 

 white with V-&haped marks of brown ; tail dark brown barred with 



