inhabiting the South of Africa. 387 
neo, ferrugineo et albo notatis; subtus ferrugineus cauda, fasciis 
transversis, nigro-brunneis et griseis ; tarsis flavis ; rostro nigro. 
Male.—-Bill black, with a shade of yellow on lower mandi- 
ble near base ; eyes and cere yellow; front and crown brown, 
varied with tawny ; back of neck and interscapulars dirty dark 
brown, the feathers edged with pure or reddish white ; back 
and rump brown, with tawny tips; upper tail coverts ferru- 
ginous and brown, with whitish tips; shoulders mottled dark 
blackish brown, ferruginous and pure white; cervical collar 
blackish brown and white; chin, throat, and breast dirty 
brown, the feathers edged and tipt with dirty reddish white. 
Primary and secondary wing coverts blackish brown, with 
gray transverse bands; primary quill feathers with the outer 
vanes marked by alternate transverse bands of deep hoary 
gray and brownish black; inner with a considerable propor- 
tion of bluish gray, variegated by partial transverse blackish 
bands, and the inner edge of vanes, towards quills, clear 
white ; towards tips, the feathers all nearly uniform brownish 
black ; secondaries brown and deep bluish gray, in alternate 
transverse bands; inner edges of inner vanes white. Tail 
with about five blackish brown transverse bands, and with six 
deep bluish gray ones, besides bluish gray tips to all the 
feathers. In many of the feathers, more particularly the 
lateral ones towards quills, there is a strong tinge of chesnut. 
Legs and toes yellow; claws black. Length from bill to base 
of tail nine inches ; length of latter nine inches. 
Female——The colors are rather less bright, but in other 
respects resembles the male. 
This species is found about marshy situations, over the 
greater part of South Africa. In those it skims along close 
to the reeds, rushes, or long grass with which they are gene- 
rally more or less supplied, and feeds on mice, rats, lizards, 
and such like animals as resort to these damp situations. It 
builds its nest sometimes on trees or bushes in the vicinity of 
marshes, but more commonly on the ground, amongst the 
luxuriant vegetation of those spots. The nest is formed ex- 
ternally of dried twigs or rushes; internally of hair, wool, &c., 
and it lays three or four white eggs. 
Circus Le VAILLANTII. 
C. fronte vertice nucha, cervice et pectore albis aut fulvo- 
albis ; dorso brunneo ; gutture abdomineque, sub-ferrugineis ; 
cauda brunnea fasctis transversis subfulvis variegata; rostro 
nigro ; tarsis cera et oculis flavis. 
Male.—Bill black ; base of lower mandible yellow ; front, 
chin, nape, cervix, and part of breast, white or reddish white ; 
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