290 FALCONIDJ3. 



Genus ROSTRHAMUS, Less. 



Rostrhamus sociabilis ( Vieill.}. 



Rostrhamus leucopygus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. i. p. 328 (1874). 

 Rostrhamus sociabilis, var. plumbeus, Baird, Brewer, fy Ridgw. N. Amer. 



Birds, iii. p. 209 (1874). 

 Rostrhamus sociabilis, Set. fy Huds. Argent. Orn. ii. p. 72 (1889) ; 



Bendire, Life-Hist. N. Amer. Birds, i. p. 180, pi. v. figs. 6 & 7 



(1892) ; Sharpe, Hand-l. i. p. 269 (1899) ; von Ihering, Rev. Mus. 



Paulista, iv. p. 271 (1900). 



An egg of the Hook-billed Kite is of a narrow oval shape, 

 almost elliptical, smooth in texture, and with a faint gloss. It is 

 pale greenish white, marked with confluent blotches of brown at 

 the larger end and progressively smaller blotches and spots up to 

 the smaller end. It measures 1'87 by 1-35. 



1. Florida (Henshaw Coll}. Salvin-Godman Coll. 



Genus ELANUS, Savign. 



Elanus cseruleus (Desf.). 



Falco inelanopterus. Thien. Fortpjlanz. yes. Vog. tab. xliv. fig. 6 a, b 

 (1845-54) ; Bree, Birds Eur. i. p. 108, pi. (1866). 



Elanus melanopterus, Baedeker, Eier Eur. Vog. tab. 18. fig. 4, tab. 49. 

 fig, 3 (1855-63) ; Bree, op. cit. 2nd ed. i. p. 127, pi. (1875). 



Elanus cseruleus, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. i. p. 336 (1874) ; id. ed. 

 Layard, Birds S. Africa, p. 52 (1875-84) ; Leyge, Birds Ceylon, p. 85 

 (1878) ; Dresser, Birds Eur. v. p. 661 (1880) ; Barnes, Journ. Bomb. 

 Nat. Hist. Soc. iii. p. 219, pi. . figs. 1-3 (1888) ; Gates ed. Hume, 

 Nests $ Eggs Ind. B. iii. p. 177 (1890) ; Seebohm, Eggsof Brit. Birds, 

 p. 11 (1896) ; Sharpe, Hand-l. i. p. 269 (1899) ; Nehrk. Kat. Eier- 

 samml p. 8 (1899). 



The eggs of the Black-winged Kite are of an oval or elliptical 

 shape and occasionally spheroidal. They show scarcely any gloss. 

 The ground-colour varies from white to cream-colour and brownish 

 white. The majority of the specimens are very thickly streaked, 

 blotched, and smeared with reddish brown of several shades, very 

 little of the ground-colour being left visible. In a certain number, 

 the markings are less dense and cover little more than half the 

 ground. In some, the markings form a cap at one end of the egg, 

 the remainder of the shell being comparatively free of them. One 

 example is merely marked with a zone of spots round the middle, 

 the two ends being almost plain. A series measures from 1-45 to 

 1'68 in length, and from 1/14 to l - 27 in breadth. 



1. Cape of Good Hope (E. L. Layard). Crowley Bequest. 

 9. Berg River, S. Africa (E. L.L.). Seebohm Coll. 



2. Sambhur, India, 14th Aug. (R. M. Hume Coll. 



Adam}. 



1. Deesa, Aug. (E. A. Butler). Crowley Bequest. 



1. Poona, 21st June (J. H. Yule}. Hume Coll. 



2. Poona, 19th July (J H. Y.). Hume Coll. 



