12. Elanus. 



47 



of a blackish brown, many of the feathers margined with white ; 

 under surface of the primaries and the Lirger series of their 

 coverts ashy brown, becoming white frecl<;led with brown on the 

 margins of the inner webs ; a small blackish brown patch at the 

 base of primaries ; margins of the slioulders white. 



Habitat. — Gulf of Carpentaria, Cape York, Kockingham Bay, 

 Port Denison, Wide Bay District, Bichmond and Clarence Bivers 

 Districts, New South Wales, Interior, Victoria, South and West 

 Australia. 



A. 1 9 ad. sk. 

 A. 2 (^ ad. sk. 



A. 3 o^ ad. sk. 



B. 1. 2 riot quite ad sk. 

 B. 2. (^ not quite ad. sk. 



Petersham, Sydney, N. S. Wales. Pres. 



Nowra, Shoalhaven, N. S. Wales. Pres. 



New South Wales. Pres. 



New South Wales. Pres. 



New South Wales. Pres, 



2. Elanus scriptus. 



The Letter-winged Kite. 

 Elanus scriptus, Gould, Proc. ZooL Sor., 1842, p. SO; Gray, Gen. Uds., 

 vol. i, p. 26 (1845) ; Gould, Bdfi. Austr., vol. i, pi. 24 (1848) ; Sturt, 

 Exped. Cent): Aw^tr., vol. ii, App. , p. 15(1849); Bonaj). Coiiyj. 

 Av., torn, i, p. 26 (1850) ; Gou/d, Handhk. Bds. Austr., vol. i, p. 

 55, sp. 24 (1865); Gray, Hand-list Bdn., vol. i, p. 28 (1869); 

 Sharpe, Gat. Bds. Brit. Mus., vol. i, p. 340 (1874) ; Gurney, Ibis., 

 1879, p. 334 ; id., List Diurn. Bds. Prey, p. 84 (1884) ; Broadb., 

 Proc. Roy. Sac, Qiieensld., vol. iii, p. 25(1887); Bamsay, Tab. 

 List Austr. Bds., p. 1 (1888) ; North, Nests and E;/f/s Austr. Bd-i., 

 p. 15 (1889) ; Bamsay, Bull. No. 1, Dept. Agri. 'n.S. W., p. 240 

 (1890); Shar2)e, Index Gould's If o?V.-.s, p. 99(1893); Gurney, jun.. 

 Cat. Bds. Prey, p. 26 (1894) ; Keartl. Aves, Horn Exped. Centr. 

 Austr., p. 107 (1896); id., Vict. Nat., vol. xiii, p. 61 (1896), 



Adult female. Above delicate ashy white, forehead, sides of 

 the face, margins of the shoulders and of the wings, and the 

 whole of the under surface, pure white, spot on the lores and 

 narrow ring round the eye black ; shoulders above and all the 

 upper wing-coverts, except the largest series, black ; small 

 leathers at the base of the primaries concealed by the spurious 



