Raptorial Birds of the Malay Archipelago. 1 1 



As Dr. Kaup has placed this species as a synonym of A. tor- 

 quatus without a word of explanation, I have again carefully ex- 

 amined the two, and find them perfectly distinct. The form of 

 the wing alone would distinguish them, since A. torquatus has 

 the fourth primary longest and the third considerably shorter. 

 The size is greatly different. Schlegel's measures of A. torquatus, 

 converted into English inches, are — wing 8*7 to9'9in., tail 6"5 

 to 7*5 in. Dr. Kaup says A. torquatus has ten bands on the 

 tail ; Prof. Schlegel gives it fifteen or sixteen ! I make about 

 twelve or fourteen. We have therefore marked differences of 

 colour, size, and structure to separate these birds ; and I maintain 

 that, under any definition of the word "species," this is one. 



12. AcciPiTER TORQUATUS (Tcmm.) j PI. Col. 43, 93 ; Astur 

 cruentus, Gould, B. Austr. i. pi. 18; Accipiier cruentus, Wall., 

 P. Z. S. 1863, p. 484 [ex Timor) ; Nisus torquatus et N. cruentus, 

 Schlegel, Mus. P.-B. Astures, pp. 39, 40. 



Hab. Timor, Flores, Bouru [Wall.)-, Java, Sumbawa [Mus. 

 Lugd.). 



Bill lead-colour, cere greenish-yellow ; iris and feet orange- 

 yellow. Length 14*25 to 16*5 inches. 



I now agree with Messrs. Kaup and Schlegel in regarding 

 my Timor specimens as A. torquatus; but a careful examination 

 has satisfied me that these gentlemen are wrong in retaining A. 

 cruentus as a distinct species. My specimens agi'ee exactly with 

 Mr. Gould^s figure and description as well as with Temminck's, 

 although the latter is very badly drawn. The Australian Spar- 

 row-Hawk to which Vigors and Horsfield (who are followed by 

 Mr. Gould) erroneously gave the name of A. torquatus (Tr. Linn. 

 Soc. XV. p. 182) is really the Spai'vius cirrhocephalus of Vieillot 

 (N. Diet. H. N. X. p. 328). {Cf. Schlegel, Mus. P.-B. Astures, 

 p. 38.) These birds are so marvellously alike in colour and 

 markings, that there is no w^onder mistakes should have arisen, 

 the figures not always showing the characteristic diff"erence in 

 the length of the middle toe. Both Mr. Gould^s and Temminck's 

 figures, however, agree in showing that the tail is rounded, the 

 outer feathers being decidedly shorter than the succeeding one 

 within ; whereas in A. cirrhocephalus the outer feathers are equal 



