630 ON THE OEXITHOLOGY OF THE PHILIPPIOTIS. [1878. 



brown bands. Upper surface of body and head dark brown, with rusty margins and bases to the 

 feathers. Thigh-coverts spotted with light ruddy brown. 



Mr. Gurney observes on these specimens as follows : — The hawk " marked a on the ticket 

 is a female of Acci])iUr stevensoni in the ordinary adult dress ; that marked h I believe to be the 

 same ; but I have never before seen & female with so rufous a breast, though it much resembles 

 the figure of the male type specimen (now somewhat faded) in the ' Ibis ' [l. s. c). The two 

 PZ.S.1878, Ta.e^i\mg^m^j he either A. stevensoni ox A. virgatus. We have a very similar one from Java; 

 but as both species are found there, I am not sure to which it belongs, but probably to A. vir- 

 gatus, as I suspect that A. stevensoni is only a winter visitor to Java. Judging from the size of 

 the tarsus and foot, I think the larger nestling, marked c, is a female though marked male, and 

 that the smallei', marked d, is a male." 



Having expressed to Mr. Gurney some doubts about the correctness of identifying example 

 h with the female of A. stevensoni, that gentleman kindly favoured me with the following 

 remarks : — 



" Your rufous-breasted hawk from the Philippines, which I marked b, is certainly nearer to 

 A. stevensoni than to any other species that I am acquainted with ; but since returning it to you 

 I have felt some doubt as to whether it will not prove to belong to a distinct and undescribed 

 species. 



" Your bird differs in having the wing shorter than any of our females, and larger than any 

 of our males. Our three males have but four transverse bars on the tail. Of our four females 

 three have five bars, and the fourth (an immature bird from Java) four, like the males, whereas 

 your specimen h has six, as mentioned in your letter. 



" None of our females have any rufous on the breast ; and in all our males it is hardly moi-e 

 than a tinge of buff. Our type specimen (a male, figured in the 'Ibis' for 1863, pi. 11) is 

 perhaps somewhat faded ; but our Curator is confident that it was never so rufous as is 

 represented in the ' Ibis ' plate ; and in this I believe he is right. 



" Your bird is more like the male of A. stevensoni than it is to the female ; but as your 

 collector has marked it $ , it probably is so. 



" Specimens of A. stevensoni are scarce, and we hardly know the limits of variation to which 

 it is liable ; and on this account I should be glad if additional specimens like your skin h could 

 be obtained, before venturing to publish it as a species distinct from A. stevensoni ; but at the 

 same time, if it should ultimately prove distinct, it would by no means surprise me. 



" I ought to add that as A. stevensoni has not yet been met with when paired, we have no 

 positive proof that the bird which I suppose to be its female (the type being a male) is so, though 

 I do not myself entertain any doubt of such being the case." 



9. Spiloenis holospilus (16). 

 [Zamboanga, 6 2 , April and May.] 



10. Elanus htpoleucus (18). 



[Zamboanga, d juv.. May: iris light yellow-brown; biU black; cere greenish yellow; feet 

 pale chrome ; claws black.] 



