150 



SECOND YAUKAND MISSION, 



The above is a description of a young bird from Asia Minor, and specimens in almost 

 identical plumage are in the Hume Collection, obtained in the Sirsa district during the cold 

 weather. It is evident that the more definitely spotted plumage of the chest is gained by a 

 change of pattern in the feathers rather than by a moult, the brown colour becoming disin- 

 tegrated near the base of the feathers and disappearing gradually, so as to leave a terminal 

 spot of brown ; the flank-feathers also undergo considerable alteration in the pattern of the 

 brown colour, which is much encroached upon by the white markings of the inner web. At 

 the same time the head becomes gradually lighter and the brown stripes narrower; the 

 feathers of the upper parts are margined with rufous, and the round spots on the tail are very 

 characteristic. I believe that these spots make their appearance gradually on the tail with- 

 out a moult, and that they are seen in the first autumn of the bird's life. 



Several specimens in the Hume Collection are moulting, and it is interesting to note 

 that, as is often the case with other Accipitres, the new feathers on the chest are identical in 

 pattern with those of the worn plumage which preceded them — that is to say, that the brown 

 markings of the chest-plumes have already altered from the longitudinal form to the terminal 

 spot, and that the newly-moulted feathers commence with the latter form. The dorsal plumes 

 are greyish with rufous edges. 



The older the bird, the more rufous does it become on its upper surface ; the tail shows 

 numerous spots and bars, the former being on the outer web and the latter on the inner web. 

 The centre tail-feathers appear to be more or less uniform, showing a return to the condition 

 of the first plumage. 



The following is a list of the specimens now in the Collection of the British Museum : 



a. 2 juv. sk. 



b. Juv. sk. 



c, d. S ad. sk. 



e. S imm. sk. 

 /. c5' ad. sk. 

 g. (S ad. sk. 



h-w. Ad. et imm. sk. 



X. g ad. ; y-d'. 2 ad. et imm, 



sk. 

 e'-z'. 6 ad. et imm. sk. 

 k'. 2 ad. sk. 

 I' J 7n', 7)!. S 2 ad. sk. 

 o'. 2 ad. sk. 



d , cf . 6 imm. ; r\ s', 2 ad. et 

 imm. sk. 



f. 2 imm. sk. 

 ^^^ 2 ^d. sk. 

 v'. Imm. sk. 



w'. Ad. sk. 



w'. S ad. sk. 

 y', z'. Imm. sk. 



South Hungary. 



Asia Minor. 



River Volga. 



South Ural. 



Bala Morghab, N. Afghanistan^ Dec. 14. 



Mehar, "Upper Sindh, Jan. 16, 1872 {A. 0. H.), 



Sirsa district, Punjab, Cold Season, 1870-71. 



Sirsa district, Oct. 1867-70. 



Sirsa district, Nov. 1869-71. 

 Sirsa district, Dec. 21, 1869. 

 Sirsa district, Jan. 1871-72. 

 Sirsa district, Feb. 3, 1870. 

 Sirsa district, March 1870. 



Lahore, Dec. 13, 1869 (C. H. T. Marshall), 

 Bahav^'alpur, Nov. 27, 1867 (C. H. T. M.), 

 Sultanpur, Gurgaon district, Dec. 31, 1878 



{IV. N. Chill). 

 Mussooree (C Wilson). 



Dhurous, Mainpuri, Feb. 28, 1876 {A. Anderson) 

 Nepal. 



A. Baron von Hligel. 

 Old Collection. 

 Seebohm Coll. 

 Dr. H. B. Sharpe [P.] 

 Dr. Aitchison [C.]. 

 Hume Coll. 

 Hume CoU. 

 Hume Coll. 



Hume Coll. 

 Hume Coll. 

 Hume Coll. 

 Hume Coll. 

 Hume Coll. 



Hume Coll. 

 Hume Coll. 

 Hume Coll. 



Hume Coll. 

 Seebohm Coll. 

 Hodgson Coll. 



Of the distinctness of Eierofalco milvipes, Hodgs. {S. hendersoni, Hume), fromil. saker 

 there can no longer be any question. Unlike E. saker, which seems to get lighter on the 



