POLIOHIERAX SEMITORQUATUS. 55 
sides of the body, and gradually decreasing in size towards the 
- flanks and under tail-coverts, the latter of which are entirely white ; 
under wing-coverts very thickly barred with pale rufous and fulvous ; 
cere and orbits light yellow; bill black, bluish at base of under 
mandible; feet yellow; iris lemon-yellow. Total length, 17 inches ; 
culmen, 1:05; wing, 12°7; tail, 7-9; tarsus, 1-4. 
Adult female.—A little browner than the male, and not so clear 
grey; bars on the breast broader and more rufous, being equally 
distinct on the flanks. Total length, 17 inches; culmen, 1°15; 
wing, 12°6; tail, 7°9; tarsus, 1-40. 
Young. — Brown above, the feathers narrowly margined with 
fulvous, much broader on the secondaries; quills and tail pale 
brown, banded with blackish brown, the latter tipped with fulvous, 
especially on the outer rectrix ; sides of head and neck rufous brown, 
with dark brown centres to the feathers, giving rather a streaked 
appearance; under surface of body whitish, streaked on the throat 
and banded on the breast with pale rufous, the inner face of the 
thighs also rufous; on the breast and flanks some feathers with dark 
brown oval spots, less distinct on the under tail-coverts ; crest less 
developed than in the adult and dark brown in colour ; iris very 
light brown. 
48. PoLloHtHRAX SEMITORQUATUS. African Falconet. 
As duly stated by Sir A. Smith this species probably never reaches 
the latitude of the Colony and has never fallen under our notice. 
He writes as follows: ‘ Only three specimens of this elegant little 
Falcon were procured by the expedition party, and those nearly in 
the same spot among some large mimosa trees a little to the east- 
ward of Old Latakoo. None of them were ever observed soaring 
like other Falcons, and the few individuals that ‘were seen were 
either perched upon the lowest branches of the trees or in the act of 
flying from one tree to another. Considering that this bird was 
never afterwards procured or even seen more to the eastward, it is 
probable that the proper habitat of this species will be found in the 
opposite direction, which I am more inclined to believe, as one of 
our party declared he had seen it on the borders of the Kalahari 
desert during an excursion we made to the westward of New 
Latakoo. In the stomachs of two were found the remains of small 
