inhabiting the South of Africa. 383 



B. ferrugineus ; gutture, pectore et tectricibus inferiorihus 

 caudce subalbidis ; abdomine nigro notatis ; remigibus primori- 

 bus nigriSj cauda subtus ferruginea infra grisea indistincte 

 fasciata; roslro ct tar sis flavis ; oculis rubris. 



Male. — Bill and cere yellow; eyes red; head, neck, back, 

 and belly ferruginous red ; the latter with dashes of black ; 

 throat, breast, and under tail coverts grayish white. Pri- 

 mary quill feathers black. Tail ferruginous red above, gray- 

 ish white, with indistinct transverse bands, beneatli ; legs and 

 toe3 yellow ; claws black. Size considerably below that of 

 the Buteo Jackals, or most common South African buzzard. 



Female. — She rather exceeding that of the male, and the 

 ferruginous tint is less deep and brilliant. 



This species I have never met with, and am therefore 

 forced to have recourse to the works of Le Vaillant. He 

 states that it inhabits the more retired spots of South Africa; 

 that it feeds upon rats, moles, mice, and even insects ; and that 

 its cry resembles much that of the common European buzzard. 

 It places its nest in bushes ; constructs it externally of dry 

 twigs, internally of wool, hair, and feathers ; and lays from 

 three to four eggs. 



GENUS. CIllCUS, Auct. 



Bill moderately strong, cur- 

 ved from the base; nostrils 

 oviform; tarsi elongated; acro- 

 tarsia scutellate ; toes for the 

 most part short; the third quill 

 feather longest ; sides of the 

 head with a circle of decom- 

 posed silky feathers, as in the 

 owls. 



Rostrum mediocre, a basi 

 aduncum ; nares subovales ; 

 tarsi elongati; acrotarsia scut- 

 ellata ; digit i plerumque breves ; 

 Remex %tius. longissimus . Ca- 

 pitis latera plumarum circulo 

 instructi disco capitali strigium 

 persimili; cauda cequales. 



Circus Lalandii. 



C. nigro- fuscus, tectricibus superioribus caudce albis ; remigi- 

 bus, primariis albo, nigro-fusco et cano notatis; cauda nigro 

 fusca cum fasciis canis inslruciis. 



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

 the portion of the edge of upper adjoining it yellow; cere 

 and eyes yellow; head, neck, back, rump, shoulders, and all 

 the under parts brownish black, verging on pure black; the 

 bases of the feathers of the nape pure white. Piimary quill 

 feathers hoary gray on outer vanes, on inner, towards quills, 

 white, and elsewhere grayish brown, or grayish black ; se- 

 condaries with the outer vanes hoary, the inner nearly white, 

 and both towards tips crossed by a broad blackish band; upper 



