68 CIRCUS ^RUGINOSUS. 



which proved to be males by dissection, from which it would appear that the 

 females do not so readily attain that peculiar stage of plumage, if they do so 

 at all. My specimens vary extremely among themselves : one has the head 

 and chest cream-colour, marked with longitudinal spots of rufous brown, and 

 is an extremely handsome pale specimen from Damietta. Another one, from 

 Nubia, is of a general dark brown colour, head and shoulders varied with 

 buff, tail entirely grey, and wings well marked with the same colour, the 

 underpart of the wing of a deep brown, very sparingly marked with buff ; 

 while in my other six specimens the same part of the wing varies from pure 

 white to very pale cinereous brown. My Nubian specimen was a diseased 

 bird.'^ 



Captain L. H. Irby, "on Birds observed in Oudh and Kumaon" (Ibis, 

 1861, vol. iii. p. 220), remarks that it is "most abundant during the cold 

 season near all swamps and jheels. It is very annoying to the wildfowl- 

 shooter, driving up the ducks, but never seems to catch any but wounded ones. 

 The adult birds are more frequently seen than the immature." 



Mr.Thomas Ayres, in " Birds of the Trans- Vaal Republic," communicated 

 by Mr. John Henry Gurney (Ibis, April 1871, 3rd ser. vol. i. p. 147), speaks 

 thus : — "A male was shot by myself in December 1869. I have never seen 

 one before or since ; so that it must be decidedly scarce in the neighbourhood 

 of Potchefstroom. [This is the only specimen of C ceruginosus which I have 

 seen from any locality south of the equator ; the specimen sent appears to be 

 a bird of the year. — J. H. G.] " 



Mr. R. Swinhoe (Ibis, July 1874, 3rd ser. vol. iv. p. 268) ^'procured 

 this species at Swatow, Amoy, Formosa, and Hainan in the brown dress, 

 sometimes with whitish head, but never with the mature greyish-blue 

 wings." 



