442 ACCIPITER VIRGATUS. 



to specimens which Mr. Gurney would call A. stevensoni, 

 the birds being, as before, adult males : — 



From the above table of measurements it is evident that the 

 Chinese bird runs a little smaller, and has the middle toe 

 shorter than in true A. virgatus. As regards the females of 

 the two species, I am not able to speak with certainty, as the 

 Museum has no fully adult specimens of the heu bird of 

 A. stevensoni; but Mr. Gurney's remarks would lead us to infer 

 that it is white below barred with brown, and without the 

 rufous of A. virgatus. These are questions to be determined 

 by the acquisition of a larger series. 



Meanwhile I may state that my conclusions are as follows : — 



1. A. virgatus is the ordinary form of India and Ceylon, 



ranging through the Indo-Chinese countries to the 

 Philippine Islands, and found in Java, where it is 

 rather smaller. 



2. In the inner Himalayas there is a larger race. 



3. A. stevensoni is a paler breasted form of J. virgatus with 



a shorter middle toe, the female being barred 

 underneath with brown, but not with rufous. It 

 ranges from China down the Malayan Peninsula, to 

 Java and Timor, visiting these localities in winter. 



4. In Japan and (according to Mr. Gurney) in Formosa 



there is a large form, in colour resembling A. stevensoni j 

 but as large or larger than A. virgatus. 



[This note received, I fear fully eighteen months ago from 

 my friend Mr. Sharpe, was unfortunately mislaid. I have now, 

 I am glad to say, found it, and hasten to publish it, the more 

 so that it treats of the same large race of Accipiter virgatus or 

 gularis which is discussed by Mr. Gurney in the next article.— 

 Ed., «. P.] 



