ASTUR MELANOLEUCUS. 



Young. — The top and sides of the head, and the back and sides of the 

 neck dull nmbei-brown ; the base and edges of each feather light yellowish 

 brown ; the lunber-brown on the sides of the head and neck in particular 

 appears almost disposed in longitudinal streaks. The back, shoulders, quill 

 coverts, tertiary quill feathers brown, each feather tipt with yellowish brown ; 

 under parts white, shaded delicately with yellowish brown, and each feather 

 streaked with umber brown in the course of the shaft ; the streaks narrow, 

 and broadest towards the points of the feathers ; primary and secondary quill 

 feathers brown, freely barred with white ; the secondaries and several of the 

 innermost primariestipt with yellowish brown. Tail, above brown, below 

 livid white, and on both aspects crossed by five broad dark brown bands ; 

 the two or three outermost feathers of each side have the spaces between the 

 dark bars more or less clouded with tawny white ; the tips of all the tail 

 feathers are of the same colour. Bill blackish brown, with slight indications 

 of yellow upon the festoon and the base of the lower mandible. 



In specimens more advanced in age than the one represented in the plate, the upper parts 

 are of a dull lunber-brown, and the lower parts irregularly mottled, black and white. 



The form and strength of the legs and bill of this species clearly entitles it to be ranked as an 

 Astur, if we are warranted in forming such a genus. It is a bird rarely found in South Africa, 

 and with its habits I am quite unacquainted. It occurs most commonly in districts covered 

 with liigh wood ; yet specimens have been killed not far from Cape Town, where nothing beyond 

 a few dwarf trees existed. 



