-LETTERS TO THE EDITOR. 525 
Rough Notes on the Indian Raptores, I send you one taken 
from this skin, which I imagine from the size belonged to an 
adult female. 
I showed it to Mr. Bowdler Sharpe, so there is no doubt 
about the species. 
Falco severus, Horsf. 
Drscrirtion.—Adult (¢). Above dark slaty blue, darkeet 
on the head, neck and shoulders, which are almost black ; the 
head, nape, moustachial stripe, cheeks and ear-coverts forming 
one homogeneous unbroken black, or slaty black; cap as 
described in the case of F. atriceps, Hume, some of the feathers 
of the forehead being slightly edged with rufescent, which may 
disappear in very old specimens. The feathers of the back, 
upper tail-coverts, tertials, scapulars, and some of the wing- 
coverts have a conspicuous dark shaft, giving those parts a 
striated appearance. : 
Chin and throat, as far as upper breast, buffy white, indenting 
deeply into the sides of the neck, where it becomes rufous, like 
the breast. 
Breast, abdomen, thigh and lower tail-coverts deep ferrugi- 
nous, the breast feathers having a few inconspicuous dark 
blackish central streaks, principally on the sides. Lower 
abdomen and vent inclining to pale buff like the throat. 
~ Wing-lining rufous, like the breast, most of the under- 
coverts having blackish shafts to the feathers, and some of the 
feathers being mottled or patched with dark slate also ; wings 
blackish, the inner webs of primaries and secondaries being 
cross-barred with rufescent or pinkish cream, the bars about: 
‘18 inch in width, commencing about 25 inches from the end 
of the second primary which is the longest, and becoming 
smaller and less distinct towards the tips of the feathers + 
the primary under wing-coverts are similarly marked, but 
on both webs, and the first primary most peculiarly notched, 
as if a piece of the web had been cut out with a pair of 
Scissors. 
Tail, viewed from the underside, cross-barred like the, 
wings, ‘the bars growing fainter in the same way also towards 
the ‘tip ; viewed from the upper side, when the tail is closed, 
inconspicuously barred with dusky, having avery narrow pale 
whitish edging at the extreme tip, and the black bar nearest 
the tip broader than the others, being about ‘62 inch in width. 
Measurements of the dried skin which looked very natural 
and was not overstretched :— 
: Sez, Length, Wing. Tail. Locality. 
Q 11°62, 9°75. 525, Himalayas. 
EK. BUTLER. 
