20 Falco Barharus in India. 



pass over the eyes, their extreme points joining in front of the 

 eyes, the monsttichial stripes, which extend along tlie sides of 

 tiie neek. The occiput and nape are covered by a rufous half- 

 collar, marked with three black spots, of which the centre one 

 forms a band on the nape. The back and the wings are a 

 light bluish grey, with large spots and irregular bars of bluish 

 black. 



" The tail which is a lighter grey than the back, is barred 

 transversely with black bands, very narrow towards the bases 

 of the feathers, but widening gradually towards their ends, the 

 tips of which are white. 



" The chest is pure isabelline" (in mine, slightly rufous creamy.) 

 " The flanks, vent, and abdomen are of the same color ; but the 

 feathers bear very narrow longitudinal striae and little triangular 

 black spots. The base of the beak is yellow, but the point blue. 

 The cere and the feet are beautiful yellow, and the orbital skin 

 orange. The male is about 14"o inches [he says a little more 

 than 13 French inches which are equal to 14''24 English inches.) 

 The female not larger than the male F. Feregrlnus." 



I defy any one to write in as few words a more absolutely 

 accurate description of my birds than the preceding, except in 

 the one single point, that the horse-shoe in my birds is dark 

 siaty and not black. I can add nothing to the description. The 

 nearly white chin, throat, and sides of neck, the spotless 

 rufescent creamy breast, the tiny triangular spots of the abdo- 

 men, the huge, broad, rufous collar with the three dark spots, 

 and the small size serve to distinguish this species from every 

 other yet observed in India. The upper surface is as pale as a 

 very old Bahylomcns, but the lower surface, which in this 

 latter species grows darker as the bird grows older, is far paler 

 than in any adult Babylonicus I have yet seen, and I have 

 examined a good many. I have now two specimens, and both 

 are exactly alike, except as regards size. The male was pro- 

 cured early in 1872, by Dr. Stoliczka, in Cutch ; the female was 

 shot by F. R. Blewitt, Esq., in the Nursingpoor district (Central 

 Provinces,) on the 16th December, 1869. None of us distin- 

 guished these birds — all of us set them down as very pale Babi/- 

 lonieiis, and it was only when I came to compare them with 

 my specimens and others kindly lent for comparison of this latter 

 species, that I fnlly realized that they were distinct : then I 

 referred to the measurements and then Temminck^s figures and 

 Salvin's in the Ibis (which latter is excellent, though in my birds 

 the bars on the sides have almost all become mere triangular 

 spots) occurred to me ; and once on the right track, I soon saw 

 that there was no possibility of mistaking the identity of this 



