Major J. Biddulpli on the Birds of Gilgit. 43 



plumage^ shot in December, and two adult females,, shot in 

 March and April, had the irides light yellow. 



20. Circus mackurus (Gmel.). 



Appears at the beginning of April, during which month it 

 is very common, disappearing about the middle of May. It 

 appears again for a short time at the end of September, on its 

 way south. I shot a female (while devouring a half-grown 

 chicken it had carried off) which measured — length 19 inches, 

 wing 13'85, tail 9*5, tarsus 2'65 ; irides light brown. In 

 this specimen Mr. Hume^s diagnosis (see ' Stray Feathers,'' 

 vol. i. p. 160) does not hold good, the third and fourth quill 

 being equal, while in the other specimens it does hold good. 



Two males shot in April and October in immature plu- 

 mage ; both had the irides gamboge-yellow. 



21. Circus ciNERACEUs (Mont.). 



Not common, and only appearing in spring and autumn. 

 An adult female shot 19th March measures — length 18*5 

 inches, wing 15*15, tail 10"4, tarsus 2"36 ; iris orange-yellow, 

 bill black, legs yellow. 



A male in not quite adult plumage was also shot by Dr. 

 Scully. 



22. Circus ^RUGiNosus (Linn.). 



The collection contains twelve specimens, of which four 

 are females and eight males. 



One of the former, shot in April, is in the uniform choco- 

 late stage of plumage, with the throat and top of the head 

 and nape buff, sharply defined ; the feathers on the head 

 dark-centred, while those of the throat are merely inconspi- 

 cuously dark-shafted, the lower ones being nearly white. 

 The other three specimens, shot on the 13th and 29th March 

 and 23rd April respectively, show, in addition to the buffy 

 patches described above, a more or less complete broad luteous 

 band across the lower breast, while on the mantle, back, and 

 wing-coverts many of the feathers are broadly margined with 

 this colour, some being entirely luteous white, with dark 

 centres. The irides were dark brown, and the cere pale 



