THE CRESTED HONEY-BUZZARD. 207 



Genus PEBNIS, Cuvier. 



580. PERNIS PTILORHYNCHUS. 

 THE CRESTED HONEY-BUZZARD. 



Falco ptilorhynchus, Temm. PL Col. 44. Pernis cristata, Cuv. Rbyne Anim. i. 

 p. 335; Jerd. B. 2nd. i. p. 103; Hume, Rouyh Notes, ii. p. 330. Pernis 

 brachypterus, Bl. J. A. S. B. xxi. p. 436; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 36. Pernis 

 ptilorhynchus, Salmd. Ucc. Born. p. 9 ; Hume, Nests and Eyys, p. 55 ; Bl. B. 

 Bunn. p. GO ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 571 ; Hume Sf Dav. S. F. vi. p. 23 ; 

 Hume, S. F. viii. p. 82 ; Gurney, Ibis, 1880, p. 203 ; Oates, S. F. x. p. 181 ; 

 Kelham, Ibis, 1881, p. 3C9. Pernis ptilonorhynchus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. 

 Mus. i. p. 347 ; Leyye, Birds Ceylon, p. 89. 



Description. Young bird brown above, the feathers more or less edged 

 with lighter; head and neck usually paler, sometimes rufous-brown, at 

 other times whitish, with central dark streaks more or less developed ; 

 beneath white, sometimes only faintly streaked, at times with large streaks, 

 more rarely with large oval brown drops, and with or without a central 

 dark chin-stripe and two lateral ones. 



In a further stage the brown above becomes darker and more uniform, 

 and the lower parts assume a pale rufous-brown tinge, with the central 

 streak more or less developed according as it was in the young bird, and 

 the incomplete tail-bauds are more clouded. 



The adult has the plumage above rich brown, the head and lores gene- 

 rally, but not always, suffused with ashy grey, and the lower parts uniform 

 darkish brown, with the dark streak almost obliterated; the tail is 

 brownish ashy, faintly clouded with dusky, and with two wide dark black 

 bars, and a third almost concealed by the upper tail-coverts ; the terminal 

 bar is tipped white or greyish. 



In most birds in a transition state the feathers of the lower parts are 

 banded brown and white, especially on the lower abdomen, thigh- coverts, 

 &c., and some of these feathers are generally to be found at all ages. 

 (Jerdon.) 



Iris bright yellow ; cere and bill dark brown, bluish at the base of the 

 lower mandible; legs yellow; claws dark horn-colour. Younger birds 

 have the legs dull yellow. 



Length 24 inches, tail 11, wing 16, tarsus 2, bill from gape 1*6, cere *5. 

 The female is hardly larger than the male. 



The variations of plumage of this bird are so great that a detailed 

 description to embrace all the changes would be impossible. Dr. Jerdon's 

 description appears to me to comprise in a brief form all that is necessary 

 to be said. 



P. ptilorhynchus differs from its European ally P. apivorus chiefly in 

 possessing a crest ; but most birds from Burmah appear to be somewhat 



