414 MR. E. W. H. HOLDSWORTH ON CEYLONESE BIRDS. [Mar. 5, 



19. Circus melanoleucos, Forster. 



This species was first described from, and has since been identified 

 as a visitor to Ceylon ; but I have never met with it. Layard pro- 

 cured it on the west coast. 



Ceylon, India, Tientsin. 



20. Circus jeruginosus, Linn. 



This Harrier is probably only an occasional visitor to Ceylon. I 

 observed a pair of these birds near Aripo in January 1870; and 

 after several ineffectual attempts to get near them, I at last suc- 

 ceeded in shooting the female, a handsome specimen, with grey 

 wings and tail. Layard does not appear to have met with this 

 species ; but it is included doubtfully in the list of birds in Tennent's 

 ' Natural History of Ceylon.' 



Bill black ; irides and cere yellow ; feet deep yellow. 



Europe, Asia. 



21. Halia.stur indus, Bodd. 



Common on the coast, especially on the northern half of the 

 island. Specimens in various states of plumage were obtained at 

 Aripo. I have also seen it at Colombo and Trincomalie. 



Ceylon, India, Borneo. 



22. Milvus govinda, Sykes. 



This bird has very much the same habits and distribution in 

 Ceylon as the last species. Neither of them, however, frequents the 

 towns so much as they both do in India. In early morning at Aripo 

 I have seen a flock of fifty or sixty Pariah Kites, in company with 

 about a dozen of the other species, eagerly clutching at and feeding 

 on the winged Termites which were rising in a cloud from an ant- 

 hill not far from my house. The Crows were busily engaged on the 

 same work, but kept at a respectful distance, apparently not liking 

 to join in the general scramble going on among their more powerful 

 neighbours, the Kites. 



Ceylon, India, Burmah, Malaya, Andamans, China, Formosa, 

 Hainan. 



Note. — There are two, perhaps three, closely allied species of Kite 

 found in India, the smallest of which, Mr. Gurney tells me, is iden- 

 tical with M. affinis of Australia ; and there is some doubt as to 

 which is best entitled to the specific name of govinda. As it is not 

 quite clear to which of these the Ceylon birds belong, the above 

 geographical range may not be strictly correct. 



23. Pernis ptilorhynchus, Temm. 



Given by Jerdon as P. cristata, Cuvier. I had an opportunity of 

 seeing this bird alive in Ceylon ; and Mr. Forbes Laurie has recently 

 shown me a good specimen which he shot on the hills. Lord Walden 

 has also received examples of it from Ceylon. Mr. Laurie's spe- 

 cimen agrees pretty closely in dimensions with those given by 



