NOTES ON THE BIRDS OF UPPER ASSAM. 567 



As all these specimens were of a very pale phase in plumage and suspected 

 of being referable to some eastern form, I submitted this small series 

 along with a supposed A. nisus melanoscMstus from the Nepal-Sikkim Frontier 

 to Dr. Hartert who kindly promised me a report on them when dealing with 

 the Sparrow Hawks for his " Paleearctic Birds." Under cover of a letter, 

 17-2-14, while stating that the latter bird is undoubtedly me/fmosc/w'siMS. 

 No. 3473 belongs to the race " nisosimilis." The adults of these two forms 

 are very distinct but it is not always possible lo distinguish the young 

 birds only melanoscMstus would occur in the summer while nisosimilis would 

 be by far the commoner bird in winter. I am of the opinion that both 

 the young males from Rungagora, Dibrugarh, are " A. n. nisosimilis and not 

 melanoscJiis tus." 



Note. — No. 3473. Wing 8'5", iris gamboge yellow ; cere greenish-yellow ; 

 bill horny black, at base blue ; tarsus deep ochreous yellow ; claws 

 black. 



This Sparrow Hawk had its quarters in the vicinity of the bungalow and 

 was shot with a sparrow in its talons which it had taken out from the 

 verandah at evening. 



No females secured, Accipiter affinis, Grurney, and possibly other 

 eastern forms as Accipiter virgatus confusus, Hart., may occur. No specimens 

 of these two Sparrow Hawks have however been obtained. 



349. Accipiter gularis (Temm. and Schleg.) [1248, part.] — Sparrow-Hawk. 

 Rungagora, Dibrugarh, 7-4-01, S , No. 134, in adult plumage ; iris 



golden yellow ; cere pale lemon yellow ; bill leaden grey, black at tip ; 

 tarsus yellow. 



Dr. Hartert identified this specimen as this species. Blanford makes 

 gularis a synonym of virgatus. Hartert treats it for the present as a good 

 species though it might be a sub-species of A. virgatus but not of A. affinis. 



350. Pernis cristatus elliotti, Jerdon. [1249]. — Crested Honey-Buzzard. 



Pernis cristatus, Blanford, F. B. I., Vol. iii., p. 406. 



Rungagora, 15-4-01 $ (19), Mokalbari (Dibrugarh), Dejoo, 12-4-08, 

 6 (16); 15-8-08, $ (18); 2-10-08, $ (17). 



No. 19. Iris golden yellow ; bill blackish-horn ; gape and base of lower 

 mandible bluish tinge ; tarsus dull yellow. 



Nape and head extremely light and rufous; the breast suffused with a 

 ruddy tinge especially the under tail coverts, striie almost obsolete 

 except on upper breast. "Wing 17". 



No. 16. Iris red brown ; bill, dark horn upper mandible, bluish-dark 

 horn lower mandible ; tarsus dull yellow ochreous ; claws dark, stomach 

 and gape contained remains of insects, flies and honeycomb, wing 15-5", 

 very dark plumage ; upper breast without any white markings. 



No. 17. Wing 16". Breast and abdomen crossed with white markings and 

 heavily blotched. 



No. 18. Iris golden yellow in somewhat similar plumage to No. 16, 

 though somewhat abraded and white markings more in evidence. This 

 bird had hung about in the vicinity of the Factory buildings for some 

 days previously, it had been shot, at on the Saturday previously, heavy 

 forest a few miles away, yet these Buzzards seem very partial to the 

 vicinity of habitations. 



Dejoo, 12-10-07,* a pair beating over the grass lands m Rungagora, 

 portion of garden. 



Dhoolohat-Silonibari, 29-1-10,* a fine adult bird at rest in tree on road 

 side. 



Dejoo, 3-5-10,* a single bird beating over the Rajghur, cold, wet day 

 11-10-10,* a single noted. 



