52 LITTLE BED-BILLED HAWK. 
has ever occurred in Europe, and omits it from his list; but he gives 
no reasons for his doubt, and as in addition to the above authorities, 
Mr. Gurney writes me he has no reason to disbelieve the statements 
of its occurrence in Greece, I introduce it here. 
Mr. Gurney informs me that this bird has a musical whistle, and it 
will therefore belong to the sub-genus Melierax formed by G. R. Gray 
in 1840, with two, if not three, other species which are known to 
have a peculiar musical whistle. I have therefore added the sub-genus 
below that of Falco in the heading of this notice. 
I have deviated a little from the arrangement of M. Temminck, in 
placing the sub-genus Astur before that of Aquila. In this I have 
followed Schlegel, and I shall do the same with the only species I am 
called upon to describe of the sub-genus Circus. There are, I think, 
many sound reasons why these sub-genera should be close to each 
other. Falco and Astur contain the most typical or perfect divisions 
of the family, while the Harriers form a good passage from the Hawks 
to the Eagles. 
Falco Gabar is a native of eastern, southern, and western Africa, where 
it was discovered by Le Vaillant, the end of the last century. He 
says it was not uncommon; that it built in the fork of a high tree; 
and that its egg, like that of its congener the Goshawk, was white. 
The following is from Hueglin's " Nord Ost Africas:" — "This bird, 
which is called by Sundeval Micro-nisus niloticus, belongs in North- 
East Africa, to the commoner birds of prey. It is found in cultivated 
lands and on the islands of the Nile, in Nubia, Sennar, and in the 
Abyssinian coastland, on the Marab, in Takah and Kordofan; more 
rarely on the Upper Bahr-Abiad. On the other hand, it is not observed 
in the forest region or the tableland of Abyssinia." Its most northern 
boundary, according to Heuglin, was between Wadi-Halfa and Der; 
Schlegel says a specimen was killed at Suez. It takes up its position 
as a resident bird, principally in date plantations in pairs and families. 
It is idle in its habits rather than bold, and its flight is heavy; but 
it is not at all shy. Several pairs keep true together through the 
whole year, and the male at pairing time (July and August) becomes 
in a high degree excited, uttering notes of endearment, and hovering 
about the neighbourhood where the female has settled. Its cry some- 
times reminds one of the Singing Hawk. The nest is placed between 
the leaf stems of date palms and on the crowns of acacias. Its food, 
in which it is not particularly choice, consists of the remains of small 
mammals, singing birds, grasshoppers, lizards (species of Julus), and 
cockchafers. It is a true African species, being found in the west and 
south as well as in the east. 
