THE DECCAN AND SOUTH MAHRATTA COUNTRY. 371 



18.— Cerchneis naumanni, Fleisch. The Lesser Kes- 

 trel. 



Cold weather visitant. Locally common in the Deccan. 

 Davidson observed several hundreds near Sholapur on one 

 occasion. Mr. Fairbank obtained it at Nagar, where it appears 

 to occur also in flocks. In the southern portion of the region 

 it has not yet been obtained, and, if it does occur, must be 

 rare. 



Mr. Hume remarks, not having seen specimens from Southern 

 India, that it is still doubtful whether the form that occurs 

 there may not be C. pekinensis, which differs from the present 

 species in the larger amount of grey on the wings which 

 extends right up to the carpal joint. (S. F., III., 384 ; VII., 

 333.) 



19 bis.— Cerchneis amurensis, Badde. The Eastern 

 Orange-legged Hobby or Kestrel. 



Cold weather visitant. Bare as a rule. I observed a huge 

 flock numbering some thousands passing over Belgaum on the 

 24th November, and shot two fine specimens. It feeds on 

 insects in open country, hovering over the fields exactly like 

 the common Kestrel. It is not included in any of the other 

 local lists, but Mr. Laird told me he had once obtained a 

 specimen in the same district. 



The adult birds differ from the Western form, C. vespertina, 

 in having the under wing-coverts and axillaries pure white, 

 the same parts in vespertina being bluish grey like the 

 breast. 



In both of my specimens, which appear to be in immature 

 plumage, the under wing-coverts are transversely barred with 

 slaty black on a white ground, the front view of the bird 

 closely resembling the common Hobby, as pointed out S. F., 

 II., 528. 



23. — Astur badius, Gm. The Shikra or Indian 

 Sparrow Hawk. 

 Permanent resident in most parts of the region. Common. 



24. — Accipiter nisus, Lin. The European Sparrow 

 Hawk. 



Cold weather visitant. Uncommon, occurring only as a 

 straggler. 



? 26.— Aquila chrysaetus, Lin. The Golden Eagle. 



This species is enumerated in Sykes' list, and we are told 

 that his specimen differs so slightly from the European bird 



