220 A Description of the Birds 



eyes yellow; head and neck variegated blackish brown and 

 rufous, the latter most abundant on the sides of the last 

 named part ; interscapulars and back an uniform dark brown, 

 with the exception of some very slight variegations, occasioned 

 by many of the feathers being indistinctly tipt with rufous ; 

 shoulder feathers dark brown, tipt and edged more broadly 

 with light rufous ; tail coverts white. Chin, throat, and breast 

 light rufous, more or less variegated by longitudinal stripes of 

 dark brown or blackish brown ; belly and thighs marked by 

 alternate narrow bands of dirty black and pale rufous ; pri- 

 mary and secondary quill feathers nearly as in old specimens ; 

 tail blackish brown, crossed by four white bands, besides each 

 feather having a white tip and some spots of a like color 

 near quill; legs and toes yellow; claws horn coloured. 



This bird occurs, though not very abundantly, throughout 

 the whole of the known parts of South Africa. Le Vaillant 

 found a nest in the month of September, which contained 

 three young ones. It was constructed, externally, of small 

 flexible twigs; internally, it was lined with feathers, and 

 occupied the cleft of a Mimosa tree. It is, perhaps, more 

 common about the banks of the Oliphant River, in the district 

 of Clan William, than in any other part of the colony. 



ACCIPITfeR MIKULLUSk 



Falco Minullus, Latham. — Le Minule, Le Vaillant Oisd'Afr. 

 pi. 34. 



A. supra, cceruleo~niger ; subtus, albus nigro-fusco fasciatns ; 

 crissum album maculis cordiformibus subnigris notatum ; remiges 

 nigro binnnece, pogoniis intcrnis fasciatis ; rectrices ad apicem 

 albce et poganiis internis tribus maculis albis notatis. 



Male.— Bill black; cere yellow; head, neck, and inter- 

 scapulars shining bluish black or deep slate color, with, in 

 some lights, a tinge of green ; back less shining, though of 

 the same color; shoulders varied with light tints of olive; 

 upper tail coverts white, with transverse blackish bands or 

 spots, the one nearest the tip of each feather somewhat tri- - 

 angular. Chin and throat white, slightly mottled or indis- 

 tinctly rayed with brownish black ; breast and anterior part of 

 belly pure white, transversely rayed with close set brownish 

 black bands, sides of former, indeed sometimes of both, a 

 little tinged with rufous or tawny ; hinder part of belly and 

 under tail coverts also banded, but with the lines much more 

 apart. Primary and secondary wing coverts dark brown ; pri- 

 mary wing feathers brownish, the inner vanes banded trans- 

 versely with dusky black ; secondaries brownish, with the 

 exception of a little white on the inner edges of inner vanes, 

 which last are distinctly crossed by dusky black bands ; insides 



