180 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



557. ASTUR SOLOENSIS. 

 HORS FIELD'S GOSHAWK. 



Falco soloensis, Horsf. Trans. Linn. Soc. xiii. p. 137. Micronisus soloensis, 

 Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 17. Astur soloensis, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. Mus. i. p. 114, 

 pi. iv. fig. 1 ; David et Oust. Ois. Chine, p. 8 ; Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 8; 

 Hume, S. F. viii. p. 81. 



Description. Adult male and female. The whole upper plumage, wings 

 and tail and sides of the head dark bluish ashy ; the tail browner and 

 crossed by four or five bands of dark brown, indistinct on the central pair 

 of feathers, more distinct on the others ; the bases of all the quills more or 

 less white ; the whole lower plumage pale ferruginous, paling on the vent 

 and thighs ; chin and throat paler, with indications of a brown stripe down 

 the centre of the throat ; under wing-coverts unmarked pale buff; axillaries 

 buffy white ; the bases of the feathers of the upper plumage mostly white 

 and showing up on the nape and sometimes on the scapulars. 



The young are brown above with rufous edges to the feathers ; the lower 

 surface white, the chest streaked and the breast and flanks barred with 

 pale rufous ; under wing- coverts buff. 



The legs and feet bright orange; claws black ; cere and nostrils orange; 

 gonys and base of upper mandible plumbeous ; rest of bill black ; irides 

 bright yellow. (Davison.) 



Length about 11 inches, tail 5*4, wing 7*8, tarsus 1*7, bill from gape '75. 

 The male is rather smaller. 



The above descriptions are taken from Chinese specimens in the Swinhoe 

 collection ; the adult plumage is described from an extremely old female. 



Horsfield's Goshawk occurs in the extreme south of Tenasserim, where 

 it will probably be found to be not uncommon. 



It is met with in China, Cochin China, the Malay peninsula and the 

 islands as far as New Guinea. 



A. cuculoides, an allied species found in China, may possibly visit Burmah 

 at times ; it has the under wing-coverts pure white. 



