OF XOETHITMBERLAIfD AND DtnRHA3I. 7 



even from the time of their capture never attempting to bite, or 

 strike with their talons, as all other rapacious birds do. 



MacgilliTray has changed the name of this species to that of 

 Beehawk, but apparently without any good reason. One of my 

 captives, on being offered some fresh honeycomb, made a chuck- 

 ling noise of delight and ate it with avidity, preferring the honey 

 apparently to the bees which were in it, for which it did not care 

 much. It also ate pieces of the flesh of birds, picking the bones 

 clean, and leaving them as well as the feathers. When the 

 honey failed I gave it some strawberry jam, made very sweet by 

 adding sugar ; it took this with apparent relish. 



The crop of several iadividuals examined contained a great 

 number of pupae and larvae of wasps, as well as a few mature 

 wasps.. In one instance I found the crop to contaia bees and 

 recently hatched birds ; in another were found pupae of i^Toctuae 

 and the remains of Coleoptera. 



The plumage of this species varies much, scarcely two indivi- 

 duals being found alike ; but the changes do not appear to be 

 clearly understood. There are two principal complexions or 

 varieties, — one dark, the other pale, affecting equally the sexes, 

 the adult and the immature individuals. 



The adidt male of the first or dark variety has the upper 

 parts dark brown ; the under parts have the feathers white, each 

 having three or four wide transverse brown bands, the brown 

 predominating ; towards the head the feathers are streaked longi- 

 tudinally with dark brown ; the front of the head is of a clear 

 ash grey, the feathers of the crown and nape white, tipped with 

 brownish buff ; tail with three or four broad brown bands, and 

 smaller intermediate wavy ones tipped with white ; quills dark 

 brown or black ; irides, cere, and feet, yellow. 



The adult male of the second, or pale variety, has the upper 

 parts uniformly brown, the under parts white, with a few brown 

 transverse broken bands or streaks of brown on the neck, flanks, 

 and under tail coverts ; head with the front and sides of a clear 

 ash colour ; tail and quiUs as in the dark variety ; irides, cere, 

 and feet, yeUow. 



The adult female of the first or dark variety is the same as the 



