Onychotes grueberij Ridgivay. 397 



The genus Onychotes appears to me to be in many respects 

 allied to the most typical section of the genus Buteo, from 

 which, however, it is distinctly separated by the conspicuous 

 shortness of the wing, a character which evinces its rela- 

 tionship to the genus Asturina. 



The barring on the tail, which is almost exactly alike in 

 the two specimens, is remarkable for the narrowness and 

 multiplicity of the dark transverse bars. In the type specimen 

 the number of these bars on the central rectrices is ten^ be- 

 sides a broader, but indistinct, dark terminal band. In the 

 other example the transverse bars are eleven, besides the ter- 

 minal band, which, in this case, is more distinct than in the 

 type ; the breadth of these bars is about one tenth of an inch, 

 and that of the terminal band about four times as much. 



Barring of this description on the tail is usually indicative 

 of immaturity in the Falconidse, the transverse caudal bars 

 in most cases becoming fewer and broader as age advances ; 

 but, notwithstanding this, I am disposed to consider the type 

 specimen of O. grueheri nearly, if not quite, adult, whilst 

 the other specimen seems to me to be a younger bird gra- 

 dually progressing towards the assumption of the fuliginous 

 plumage, which in this species is, I think, probably charac- 

 teristic of mature age. 



A reference to the accompanying plate will show the prin- 

 cipal differences of coloration between the two specimens ; 

 but I may observe that in the paler bird the scapulars, the 

 major and median wing-coverts, and the upper tail-coverts 

 are rather conspicuously crossed by dark-brown bars, between 

 which are paler greyish-brown interspaces ; these latter are 

 palest on the inner webs of the feathers, except in the case 

 of the tail-coverts, where they are paler on the outer web 

 than on the inner. The number of these dark bars is from 

 five to seven on each feather; in the type specimen these 

 bars are less numerous, and only exist on the hidden portion 

 of the feather; so that the external appearance of these parts 

 of the plumage is, in that specimen, whole-coloured. 



In both examples there are dark transverse bars on the 

 secondaries and tertials ; but these appear more clearly on 



