inhabiting the South of Africa. 383 



B. ferrugineus ; gutture, pectore et tectricibus inferioribus 

 caudce subalbidis ; abdomine nigro notatis ; remigibus primori- 

 bus nigris, cauda subtus ferruginea infra grisea indistincte 

 fasciata ; rostro et tarsis 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, beneath ; legs and 

 toes yellow ; claws black. Size considerably below that of 

 the Buteo Jackals, or most common South African buzzard. 



Female. Size 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. CIRCUS, Auct. 



Hostrum mediocre, a basi 

 aduncum ; nares su~bovales ; 

 tarsi elongati ; acrotarsia scut- 

 ellata; digiti plerumque breves; 

 Remex 3 KtM - longissimus. Ca- 

 pitis later a plumarum circulo 

 instructi disco capitali strigium 

 persimili ; cauda cequales. 



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. 

 CIRCUS LALANDII. 



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

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

 fusca cumfasciis canis instructis. 



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. Primary 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 



