226 A Description of the Birds 
eyes yellow; head and neck variegated blackish brown and 
rufous, the latter most abundant on the sides of the last 
named part ; interscapulars and back an uniform dark brown, 
with the exception of some very slight variegations, occasioned 
by many of the feathers being indistinctly tipt with rufous ; 
shoulder feathers dark brown, tipt and edged more broadly 
with light rufous; tail coverts white. Chin, throat, and breast 
light rufous, wore or less variegated by longitudinal stripes of 
dark brown or blackish brown; belly and thighs marked by 
alternate narrow bands of dirty black and pale rufous ; pri- 
mary and secondary quill feathers nearly as in old specimens; 
tail blackish brown, crossed by four white bands, besides each 
feather having a white tip and some spots of a like color 
near quill; legs and toes yellow ; claws horn coloured. 
This bird occurs, though not very abundantly, throughout 
the whole of the known parts of South Africa. Le Vaillant 
found a nest in the month of September, which contained 
three young ones. It was constructed, externally, of small 
flexible twigs; internally, it was lmed with feathers, and 
occupied the cleft of a Mimosa tree. It is, perhaps, more 
common about the banks of the Oliphant River, in the district 
of Clan Wilham, than in any other part of the colony. 
ACCIPITER MINULLUS. 
Falco Minullus, Latham.—Le Minule, Le Vaillant Ois d@ Afr. 
pl. 34. 
A. supra, ceruleo-niger ; subtus, albus nigro-fusco fasciatus ; 
crissum album maculis cordiformibus subnigris notatum ; remiges 
nigro brunneee, pogoniis internis fasciatis ; rectrices ad apicem 
albee et pogoniis internis tribus maculis albis notatis. 
Male.—Bill black; cere yellow; head, neck, and inter- 
scapulars shining bluish black or deep slate color, with, in 
some lights, a tinge of green; back less shining, though of 
the same color; shoulders varied with light tints of olive; 
upper tail coverts white, with transverse blackish bands or 
spots, the one nearest the tip of each feather somewhat tri- 
angular. Chin and throat white, slightly mottled or indis- 
tinctly rayed with brownish black; breast and anterior part of 
belly pure white, transversely rayed with close set brownish 
black bands, sides of former, indeed sometimes of both, a 
little tinged with rufous or tawny; hinder part of belly and 
under tail coverts also banded, but with the lines much more 
apart. Primary and secondary wing coverts dark brown ; pri- 
mary wing feathers brownish, the inner vanes banded trans- 
versely with dusky black; secondaries brownish, with the 
exception of a little white on the inner edges of inner vanes, 
which last are distinctly crossed by dusky black bands; insides 
(28) 
