72 



FALCONID^. 



Gen. Astur. — 6/w. 

 Bill broad at base, compressed to tip, festooned in the middle. 

 Nostrils oval, situated anteriorly in the cere. Wings long; 3rd, 4th, 

 and 5th quills longest. Tarsi long, scutate. 



Astur badius, Kaup. Isis, 1847; Sharpe, Cat. Ace. Br. Mus, 

 p. 109, (Sub-Sp. A.). Micronisus badius, Bp. Gonsp. i. p. 33; Jerd. 

 B. Ind. i. p. 48, No 23; Blyth, Ibis, 1863; Hume, liough Notes, 

 p. 117; Murray, Ildhk., Zool., c^r., Sind, p. 108. Accipiter badius, 

 Strickl. Ann. Mag. N. H. xiii. p. 33. — The Shikra or Brown Hawk. 



Young. — Head, nape, neck behind, back, scapulars, wing and upper 

 tail-coverts ashy, dusky, or pale earthy brown, the feathers on the 

 head slightly darker, and all edged with pale rufous, the feathers of 

 the neck with their white bases showing through. Lores and eyebrow 

 white; sides of the face and ear-coverts pale brown, tinged with ru- 

 fescent and mesially streaked with darker ; chin and throat white, with 

 a mesial dark brown throat stripe; breast and abdomen whitish with 

 large longitudinal drops — oval on the upper breast, — of a pale rufous 

 colour.' Vent and under tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts buff, 

 streaked and bnrred with dark brown; thigh-coverts also barred. 

 Primaries bi'own, their inner webs buffy, and barred with dark brown ; 

 secondaries bi'own, barred darker on both webs and ma-rgined and 

 tipped with buffy. Tail ashy brown with 5 — 6 broad dark brown 

 bands ; narrower and about nine on the outermost feathers, the inter- 

 spaces and tips of all bufiy white. Cere yellow; bill dusky with a 

 bluish tinge. Iris pale yellow ; feet yellow. 



In the adult plumage the upper parts are bluish grey ; the nape 

 is mottled with white, and the white bases of the scapular feathers 

 show through in some specimens ; the primaries are dusky black, with 

 their inner webs of a buff colour and barred darker brown, nearly 

 black ; the secondaries are bluish grey and also barred. The tail is 

 ashy grey, and tipped with white, the bars on the lateral tail feathers 

 9 — 11 in number, and of a dark brown colour. The throat stripe is less 

 distinct than in the young, and the entire lower surface is barred with 

 white and rufescent brown. The abdomen, thighs and under tail- 

 coverts, unspotted white ; rest as in the young. The adult female is 

 like the male but larger. 



Length. — AduJt Male 13"5 inches, wing 7"9, tail 6*3, tarsus 2. 



Adult Female. — Length, 14*5, wing 8"3, tail 6'4, tarsus 2*15. 



Hah. — The Indian Peninsula generally, and Ceylon, extending to 

 Assam and Burmah, and also to Beloochistan, Persia and Afghanistan. 

 Breeds in Sind during April. It is commonly trained by natives, 

 being easily reclaimed and expert in striking a quarry. 



Gen. Accipiter. — Briss. 



Bill short, much compressed, festooned. Nostrils oval, rather oblique, 

 situated on the forepart of the cere, and pax-tly hidden by sette. 

 Wings moderate, rounded, and with the 4th and 5th quills longest. 

 Tarsi long. 



