THE SUMATRAN KITE-FALCON. 209 



thighs and under tail-coverts black ; scapulars white, broadly edged with 

 black, which nearly conceals the white when the feathers are properly 

 arranged ; primaries and secondaries black ; the later primaries and all the 

 secondaries with a chestnut patch on the outer webs ; tertiaries white at 

 base, black at the ends, tinged with chestnut on the outer webs ; under 

 aspect of wing ashy. 



The young do not appear to differ in any material respect from the adult 

 except in being duller. 



Male : cere dull blue ; bill a lighter blue, shaded with horny at tip ; iris 

 lake-brown ; legs and feet whitish blue ; claws dark horny. Female : iris 

 dark brown or purplish brown. (Bingham, MS.) 



Male: length 12'55 inches, tail 5*8, wing 9'35, tarsus 1, bill from 

 gape 1, crest 1-5. Female : length 13'2 inches, tail 6*2, wing 9'8, tarsus 

 I'l, bill from gape 1, crest 2*5. 



The Black-crested Kite- Falcon is said by Mr. Ely th to occur in Arrakan 

 and Tenasserim. In the latter Division Mr. Davison found it rare and appa- 

 rently confined to the souther a portion ; but Gapt. Bingham states that it 

 is common in the Thoungyeen valley. I have never met with it in Pegu. 



It occurs in India from Bengal down the east coast to Ceylon. On the 

 south it has frequently been met with at Malacca ; and Dr. Tiraud states 

 that it is common in Cochin China. 



This species frequents thick forests and appears' to be more or less gre- 

 garious ; it seats itself on the topmost branches of high trees and makes 

 short sailing nights after insects. Nothing is known about its nidification 

 so far as I am aware. 



582. BAZA SUMATEENSIS. 

 THE SUMATRAN KITE-FALCON. 



Aviceda sumatrensis, Lafresn. Rev. Zool. 1848, p. 210. Baz \ sumatrensis, 

 Sharjje, Cat. Birds B. Mus. i. p. 357, pi. xi. fig. 1 ; Hume, S. F. iii. p. 313 ; 

 Hume $ Dav. S. F. vi. p. 25 ; Hume, S. F. viii. pp. 83, 444 ; Gurnet/, Ibis, 1880, 

 p. 471. Baza incognita, Hume, S. F. iii. p. 314. 



Description. The forehead and a broad but inconspicuous band from the 

 latter over the eyes to the nape pale whity brown; the shafts darker 

 brown ; the crown, occiput, nape and sides of the neck rufescent buff, the 

 feathers broadly centred with dark brown; the crest black, narrowly and 

 obsoletely barred, the feathers with pure white tips ; the interscapulary 

 region and scapulars are a rich dark brown with a decided purplish gloss. 

 All the feathers with an excessively narrow marginal rufescent or fulvous 

 fringe ; on raising the feathers the rich brown with the purple gloss 



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