428 Lieut, C. G. Fiuch-Bavies on [Ibis, 



South-West Protectorate and iu Ovambolaiid. From what 

 I saw of it, it a[)pcared to resemble the previous species iu 

 babitsj except that I generally found it in rather denser 

 bush country. The crop of a s[)ecimeu I shot contained a 

 mouse. 



22. Micronisus gabar (Daud.). Gabar Goshawk. 



23. Micronisus niger (Bonn, et Vieill.). Black Gabar 



Goshawk. 



1 have not the sliglitest doubt that the bhick Gabar is 



only a melanistic form of the grey Gabar, as has already 



been suggested by other authors ; botii are equally common 



in the South-West Protectorate, the only part of South 



Africa where I have met with the species, and thei'e I have 



frequently observed pairs, one of which was black aud the 



other grey. 1 was, however, never lucky enough to find a 



nest belonging to one of these mixed pairs; it woidd have 



• been interesting 1o see what the young birds were like, but 



I believe that the young of the black form are black from 



the time that they are hatched, so that one never meets with 



birds changing Irom the normal juvenile plumage to the 



black plumage. I have shot a black female with one of 



the secondaries Avith a broad white tip as in the normal 



form. Another which I took to be a young bird had two 



normally coloured barred feathers on the flanks. I have 



also noticed that the intensity of the black coloration 



varies in ditferent specimens. Some are intensely black, so 



that even the barring on the tail and larger wing-feathers is 



more or less obscured, while others are a more greyish 



black. There is a very interesting specimen in the Albany 



Museum. This is a grey bird, but of a much darker grey 



than usual; the dark bars on the breast and flanks are 



broader and darker, and there are dark grey, almost black, 



bars on the normally white upper tail-coveits. It appears 



to me that this example was a variation iu the direction of 



the black form. Some sjiecimens of the black form have 



the tarsi and feet yellow, others red. I believe the yellow- 



leo-oed birds to be juveniles. I have noticed that among 



