in the vicinity of Calcutta. 91 



N.B. I am uncertain whether to include the Uttle PsittacuJiis ver- 

 7ialis, S\v., which is brought in great numbers to the shops of the 

 Calcutta dealers, most probably from the hilly parts of Bengal. It 

 abounds in many districts of the South of India, and in the Tenas- 

 serim provinces. 



5. Falco chicquera. Not unfrequent. A particularly handsome 

 species as seen alive. The name Shikra is bestowed by the Benga- 

 lees generally on any small hawk or falcon, though more especially 

 on the female Astnr Dussmnieri. 



6. F. subbiiteo. Visits the neighbourhood of Calcutta during the 

 hyemal months. 



7. F. tinnunculus. Common. 



8. F. tinminculoides . Somewhat rare. 



9. Astur Dussiimieri ; Accipiter Dukfmnensis , Sykes, and A. scu- 

 tarius, Hodgson — the young. Very common. I arrange this bird 

 in Astur, as Mr. Gould has arranged the allied Australian species — 

 A. approximans and A. cruentus. 



10. Accipiter nisosimilis, Tickell (Journ. As. Soc. Beng. ii. 571) ; 

 A. nisus Y.fringiUurius of Jerdon and others, but distinguished from 

 the European A. nisus by its greater size, white superciUary lines, 

 &c. Not common near Calcutta, but very frequent in India gene- 

 rally. 



11. Circus melanoleucos. Common. Both sexes alike. 



12. C. Swainsonii, A. Smith; C. pallidus, Sykes. Common. 



13. C, Montagui. Less common than the two preceding species. 



14. C. rufus. Common. 



15. Circaetus tindulatus ; Hcematornis nndulatns. Vigors and Gould. 

 Not common within a few miles of Calcutta, but becomes so at that 

 distance. One or two pairs may frequently be seen hovering over 

 Barrackpore Park. 



16. Spizaetus niveus ; Falco niveus, Tem. ; Nisaetus Nipalcnsis, 

 Hodgson (Journ. As. Soc. Beng. v. 229) : not the doubtfully cited 

 N. niveus, Jerdon, which is A^ grandis, Hodgson (ibid.) : probably jP. 

 caligatus, Raffles (Lin. Trans, xiii. 278). Common about high jungle, 

 and much resemblmg Buteo vulgaris in its habits. The young have 

 the pure white under jjarts spotless or nearly so, a dark central streak 

 on each feather increasing at each moult ; and I have shot one fe- 

 male (which was paired with a mate of the ordinary colour) that was 

 wholly dusky-black, with an ashy tinge on the back, the irides, as 

 usual, brilhant yellow, and contrasting finely with the blackish plu- 

 mage. 



17. Haliaetus Macei ; H. albipes, Hodgson, and the young — H. uni- 

 color, Hardwicke and Gray. Not uncommon along the river, and 

 descends (as I am informed) occasionally on carrion. 



18. H. Pondicerianus. A very common and conspicuous species, 

 abundant along the river, and generally observed near water ; has a 

 peculiar strange bleating cry. It is amusing to remark the differ- 

 ences of opinion expressed by different observers concerning its sy- 

 stematic station. Thus, Dr.W. Jameson writes — "No person who has 

 ever studied this bird in its native haunts on the Hooghly or the 



