152 
gulls are often represented in pictures, the head and body por- 
tion of the bar (if I may so express myself,) beimg rufous and 
the wings dark brown. ‘The sides are very rufous. ‘he lower 
abdomen and tibial plumes are buffy white with still narrower 
transverse arrow head brown bars. The lower tail coverts, 
yellowish white, each faintly tipped rufous. This is a veritable 
young bird, the rufous edgings to the whole upper plumage 
shows this, but how different it is to a young of the veritable 
Nisus sent me from Kumaon by my friend, Mr. R. Thomp- 
son. In this, the central tail. feathers have four, the ex- 
ternal laterals six instead of five throughout, as in this. The 
chin, throat, and breast are white with huge, central, longitudi- 
nal, umber brown streaks, the abdomen and tibial plumes have 
very broad, transverse, rufous brown bars, and the lower tail 
coverts, truly cordate brown spots. ‘The wing measures 7°6 ; 
the tail, 6:4; the tarsus, 2°2 ; the mid toe without the claw, 1°45. 
I cannot doubt the distinctness of the species, and though I 
am fully conscious that more specimens are required to enable 
us to characterize it as it should be done, I think the best way 
to ensure the matters being cleared up, is to insert this notice, 
imperfect as it is. I call this the Dove Hawk, because both 
specimens that I shot, had killed Doves (7. Rupicola) ; the one 
struck a Dove before my eyes, at the back of Jacko (Simla) and 
fell to my shot at the same moment, the other was perched on a 
bare branch, between Simla and Kalka, devouring a Dove, 
when I killed it. This may be accidental but I mention it, 
because I doubt whether the true Wisws (especially the male as 
one of mine was) would strike so large a bird. 
The only specimens that I know of were shot, more or less in 
the interior of the Himalayas. I know nothing as yet of its 
nidification or breeding habits. 
No. 25. Accipiter Virgatus, Term. 
Tue Besra. 
Of the nidification of this species nothing seems known, Mr. 
R. Thompson is confident that they breed from March to May, 
in the Gurhwal forests, he says,—‘t I have never found the nest 
of this bird though it breeds in our forests. I haye seen, caught, 
and shot the young birds during the rainy season : conclusive 
evidence, I should think, of their breeding with us.’ Dr. Jer- 
don’s descriptions do not fully apply to many specimens I 
possess, all of which I believe to belong to this species. 
