inhabiting the South of Africa. 381 



tail ; more brown upon the belly and sides ; the thighs and 

 tarsi have a j^ater proportion of white; and the interscapu- 

 lars are edge^with yellowish white. 



Varies according to age, being in different specimens more 

 or less spotted with brown, more or less varied on the upper 

 parts with white, with a more or less distinct white stripe 

 over eyes, and with brown and white more or less irregularly 

 dispersed on the breast. The greater part of the belly is often 

 white, and variegated by some small brown spots ; tbe feathers 

 of the thighs rayed transversely, and the tail, towards ex- 

 tremity, with three transverse bands, the first of which, or 

 that next the base, is broadest ; iris a beautiful yellow. 



Le Vaillant only found this species amongst the woods of 

 Antiqualand. He says it is more ferocious than the other 

 African species of the genus, that it avoids inhabited places, 

 and lives quite isolated. Its flight is rapid ; and it often 

 destroys partridges by suddenly pouncing upon them from the 

 top of a tree, where it places itself to observe their mo- 

 tions. As I have only met with one bird resembling that just 

 described, and had not the opportunity of examining it for 

 more than a few minutes, I cannot pretend to say that it was 

 actually the booted buzzard of Europe. As both Cuvier and 

 Temmink consider the bird figured by Le Vaillant under the 

 name of "■ Buse Gantee," as identical with the Falco (Buteo) 

 Lagopus of Linnaeus, I have preferred giving the description 

 of it by the latter author, to furnishing from my own notes 

 what could only be a very imperfect detail. 



Buteo tachardus. 



Falco Tachardus, Daud. — Le Tachard, Le Vaillant Ois. 

 d'Afrique, pi. 19. 



B. supra brunneus, subfiavo aut rubro-albo variegatus ; subtus 

 albus, striis et maculis brunneis notatis ; femoribvs plerumque 

 fvbro-brunneis ; cera et tarsis fiavis ; oculis brunneis; rostro 

 nigro ; Jlavo maculato. 



Male. — Bill black, with the base of lower mandible, and a 

 jmall portion of the under adjoining it, yellow ; -cere yellow; 

 eyes brown; head, neck, back, and rump brown, with the 

 edges and tips of the feathers light grayish brown, or reddish 

 yellow, and the bases of many of them, particularly on the 

 head and neck, white ; tajso many of those of neck, back, and 

 shoulders clouded, spotted, or crossed by irregular white 

 streaks; under parts white, with the throat streaked by nar- 

 row longitudinal brown lines, and the breast and posterior 

 part of belly more or less spotted with oblong or roundish 

 brown blotches ; thighs dirty reddish brown. Primary quill 

 feathers black, with the exception of the inner vanes towards 

 quills, which are white; secondaries brown, with blackish ir- 



