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“T have unfortunately no measurements of C. Spi/onotus taken 
from birds in a fresh state. The only note I can find in my 
Journals is the following, made on a male, shot at Amoy, the 
27th December, 1859 :—‘ Bill, bluish black, paler on the base ; 
cere, light greenish yellow ; eyes, fine waxen or primrose, yel- 
low ; inside of mouth, leaden blue ; legs, yellow ochre, with black 
claws.’ ‘The females of this species have yellowish brown irides, 
and so much resemble those of the Marsh Harrier (C. Grugino- 
sus) that Mr. Blyth identified an example I sent him, as of that 
species ; but as 1 had frequently seen individual, brown birds, in 
company with the pied cones, I was led to doubt the assertion. 
On the rush-grown sand flats, at the mouth of the Changchow 
river, near Amoy, these birds are particularly common during 
winter, but they are nearly always females. I do not know for 
what reason ; but in this locality, the adult male is peculiarly 
rare until the spring, when a few may occasionally be met with. 
In many points of habit, this bird seems to connect the Harriers 
with the Govinda Kites, feeding largely on offal and carrion, 
as well as on Batrachians and small mammals. AIl these ob- 
jects I have found in the stomachs of those I have dissected ; 
but remains of birds never. In its heavy sailing flight, this 
species also more resembles Kites than a Harrier. They are 
such offensive birds, that I did not care to preserve more than a 
few for identification. 
“Mr. Gurney writes me, that he has seen specimens of C. 
Spilonotus from Singapore, as well as from the Philippines.” 
Now, in the first place, I must remark that I do not think 
that it has as yet been satisfactorily determined by dissection, 
that the adult females of MJe/anoleucus are identical in plumage, 
with the males.—If any one has done so, I wish they would let 
me know. LHvery black and white bird examined by Tytler at 
a time when he shot many, was a male. Both specimens in the 
Asiatic Society’s Museum were males. The adult female may 
be like the male, but it has not I conceive been as yet proved. 
Secondly, even if this be conceded, this is no reason why the 
supposed Spi/onotus (I refer here not to Kaup’s bird, but to the 
figure in the Ibis) should not be a female, in the transitional 
stage, between the young and old. Mr. Gurney sets them 
down as males; but the context leaves it doubtful, whether Mr. 
Swinhoe himself ascertained the sexes; and supposing them to 
be females, the dimensions given by Mr. Gurney are not very 
unlike what we might have expected, with reference to the size 
of the males, while the bill and tarsus would of cowrse be stron- 
ger. Dr. Jerdon’s bird though larger than a very fine male Mela- 
noleucus in my Museum, with which I compared it, was rather 
