Ca 
72 MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE [Feb. 2, 
produce a uniform “ Marsh-Harrier” plumage for their Harrier, 
while Réunion birds never show the striped breast; but these are 
characters which only a large series can determine. 
[ subjoin the measurements of all these Harriers examined by me 
up to the present time. 
Total length. wing. tail. tarsus. 
m. in. im. in. 
Juv. Réunion (mus. Lugd.) .... 20 13°9 23 3°05 
Ad. Réunion (mus. Lugd.)...... 20 14°} 9:3 3°35 
Juv. Réunion (mus. Lugd.) .... 22 15°2 10°0 3°5 
Ad. Joanna (mus. Norv.) ...... 22 16°8 10°5 3°7 
Ad. Madagascar (mus. Brit.) .. 22 16°9 11°0 3°55 
Imm. Madagascar (type of C. ma- 
erascelss) 20, Aa.e dee Sk Se 22 15°0 11:0 3°85 
The last three specimens are rather larger, though in measuring 
the tarsi of all with compasses in exactly the same way I cannot allow 
the last-mentioned bird 4 inches for his tarsus. The wing is rather 
abraded in this bird, and may measure longer in a perfect specimen. 
I subjoin a description of the typical example of Cireus macro- 
scelis, as well as of the adult bird now in the national collection. 
Immature (type of C. macroscelis). Above brown, most of the 
feathers with a faintly indicated paler margin, some of the intersea- 
pulary feathers slightly tinged with rufous ; head and neck lighter 
than the back, the crown slightly washed with rufous and streaked 
with fulvous, the hind neck streaked with white, all the bases to 
the feathers being of this colour; eyebrow whitish, as also the sides 
of the face; the ear-coverts streaked with light brown, and en- 
tirely of this colour on the hinder margin ; cheeks also whitish, nar- 
rowly streaked with brown; facial ruff fulvous, all the feathers 
broadly centred with dark brown; throat dull whitish, slightly 
streaked with pale brown; rest of under surface of body ful- 
vous, with broad rufous-brown streaks to all the breast-feathers, nar- 
rower and more indistinct on the under tail-coverts, the central streaks 
very narrow and linear on the thighs; under wing-coverts coloured 
like the breast, but the streaks darker and not so rufous, the lower 
series whitish at base, ashy brown at tip, resembling the inner lining 
of the quills, which are fulvescent at base, browner towards the tips, 
with indications. of several ashy brown bars; upper wing-coverts 
brown like the back, many of them washed with rufous on their 
margins and haying a whitish spot; primary coverts uniform brown 
like the quills, the primaries rather darker than the secondaries, which 
have a slight purplish shade, the inner primaries showing three or 
four dark bars, principally on the inner web ; upper tail-coverts pure 
white, many with two and all with a single subterminal spot of rufous 
brown ; tail-feathers light brown, the centre ones shaded with ashy, 
the outer ones with rufous and crossed with six bands of darker brown. 
Total length 22 inches, culmen 1°6, wing 15, tail 11, tarsus 3°85. 
Adult. Above blackish, the feathers of the crown and hind neck 
margined with ochraceous buff or whitish, probably the remains of 
immaturity ; the dorsal feathers with a slight greyish lustre, some of 
