468 Mr. J. H. Giirney^s Notes on 



In the article on this species by MM. Milne-Edwards and 

 Grandidier^ to which I have already referred;, the plumage 

 which I have last described is spoken of, not as the fully adult 

 dress, but as a '' plumage de noces ; " and the large oppor- 

 tunities which were possessed by M. Graudidier of observ- 

 ing this Kestrel in a state of nature gives great weight to 

 his opinion. But if this Kestrel is realh^ subject, as he im- 

 plies, to an absolute seasonal change of coloration, such a 

 phenomenon (so far as I know) is quite unique amongst the 

 Falcons, and, moreover, appears to be hardly compatible with 

 the dates at which some of the under-mentioned specimens 

 were procured. 



Professor Newton possesses a male in full adult white- 

 breasted plumage, obtained in July, and a female in the like 

 dress, but not quite so complete, taken with her eggs on 

 17th September. A similar female, shot on the 13th September, 

 is in the Norwich Museum, which likewise contains a rufous- 

 breasted male aud female, also obtained on 13th September, 

 and another rufous-breasted male killed 28th September. 

 The last-named four specimens were all collected, sexed, and 

 presented to the Norwich Museum by Mr. Edward Newton, 

 to whom that Museum is also indebted for two males, both 

 killed on the 10th January — one a newly-moulted specimen 

 in white-breasted plumage, but still showing immature dar]^ 

 cross bars on the Aving-coverts, the other a rufous-breasted 

 bird in very faded plumage, evidently nearly approaching the 

 period of moulting. 



Mr. Sharpe remarks that " the rufous individuals have 

 more grey on the head than the white-breasted ones ; " but 

 I find that this difference, though frequent, is not entirely 

 constant. 



As regard T. pundatus of the Mauritius, I have nothing 

 to add to Mr. Sharpens remarks, except to mention that it is 

 said occasionally to occur also in the island of Reunion, 

 (Cy. abis,^ 1869, p. 'M7.) 



Neither have 1 any thing to observe under the head of 

 T. gracilis, except that I do not find the greater breadth of 

 the tail-bands in the female^ mentioned by Mr. Sharpe^ to be 



