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species is sometimes of an uniform, dark chocolate brown, all 
over. I have seen only two such examples, one from India, and 
one from Abyssinia. This is out of, at least, thirty specimens 
of the bird, which I have at different times seen ; whether this 
is accidental, or a regular plumage, I cannot tell; but being so 
rare, in proportion to those in the usual dress, I am disposed to 
consider it an accidental variation.” 
Clearly, the Buzzards thus referred to are identical with my 
supposed Puliginosus, of which I have now twelve specimens 
before me, varying a good deal in many respects, but only one 
of them approaching at all closely any (and those only the most 
dingily colored) of the enormous series of the typical Canesccns 
that my collection contains. 
The plumage of this Buzzard varies of course very consider- 
ably, even in the pale or Canescens stage, just as it does in that 
which constitutes my supposed Fuliginosus, but the specimens 
representing these two stages, (if they really are only stages), 
constitute groups so separate, that in scarcely any case can 
a moment’s doubt exist as to which group they are to be referred 
to. The only explanation I can give of this, is, that all my 
specimens have been obtained between the Ist of November, 
and the end of March, with the exception of two of the very 
dark ones, obtained in the Himalayas during the summer. 
In the typical Feroz, (assuming Prox and Canescens to be really 
identical,) the chief variations in plumage are as follows: At one 
end of the series, the whole of the chin, throat, breast, abdomen, 
vent, and lower tail coverts, in fact, the whole lower parts are 
white, with only the faintest possible fulvous tinge in some 
places, and a few only of the feathers with dark shafts. A few of 
the feathers of the sides have irregular, patchy, rufous brown 
bars. The axillaries are pure white, with a faint rufous spot 
towards the tips; the tibial plumes are pale rufous, mottled 
with rufous white; and the tarsal plumes are white, broadly 
barred with pale rufous. At the other end of the series, the 
chin, throat, breast, and lower tail coverts, are a rich rufous 
buff, all the feathers, except those of the lower tail coverts, with 
conspicuous dark shafts, and rich brown, or rufous brown, linear, 
lanceolate, shaft stripes. The whcle of the sides, abdomen, vent, 
tibial and tarsal plumes, a very rich rufous brown, edged with 
brighter rufous, and the axillaries pure cinnamon colour. Be- 
tween these two extremes, there is every intermediate type of 
colouring of the lower parts. Then again of the upper parts, 
especially of the tail, there is an equally marked amount of vari- 
ation. ‘Taking the tail first; in some, the whole of the tail 
feathers are pure pale cinnamon colour, becoming albescent 
at the shaft, towards the base of the central feathers, and pure 
