ORD. RAPTORES. 



TRIBE— FALCON I DM. 



FAM. ACCIPITRINjE. 

 GEN. ACCIPITER. 



PLATE IV. 



ACCIPITER BESRA—Jerdon. 



THE BESRA HAWK. 



Synon. — Accip. minutus, Auct. ? — Ace. Dussumierii of Sytes' Catalogue 1 — Ace. fringilla- 

 nWjJerdon — Catalogue No. 35? — Ace. BeSra do.. No. 34, Madras Journal, No. xxiv. 

 Besra, (tlie female.) Dliotee, (the male,) in Hindustani. Vaishtapa Byaga, in Teloogoo. 

 Oor cMtlee, Canarese of tlie Halapyk caste. 



At No. 34 of my Catalogue of Birds of Southern India, I very briefly indicated 

 this species, from Mr. Elliot's notes, never having to my knowledge at that time seen the 

 Besra, while under No. 35, I described a Hawk procured by me on the Coonoor pass of the 

 Neilgherries in thick forest, which, if not identical with the Besra, is a very closely allied 

 species. Since that Catalogue was published I have seen two living specimens of the 

 Besra, and have procured the skin of another, and am thus enabled to present to the 

 scientific world the accompanying figure and description, which latter, however, is much 

 less complete, than I could have wished, as I am at present unable to give an account of the 

 changes of plumage of this Hawk, so necessary to a full knowledge of the species. I trust 

 however to be enabled to do so before this publication is finished. Although I suspect that 

 the Besra may be the Accipiier minutus of authors, which though originally described from 

 Malta, is said by Lesson to have been received from Ceylon and the Coromandel coast, yet 

 as there is another small species of Sparrow Hawk (the Khandesra) also found here, I 



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