ORD. RAPTORES. 



FAM. BUTEONID^. 



GEN. BUTEO. 



PLATE XXVir, 



BUTEO RUFIVENTEE, 



RUFOUS BUZZARD. 



Synon. — B. Mufiventer, Jerdon Cat. — No. 21 bis. Suppl. 



I have only obtained this species of Buzzard on the Neilgherries, where indeed it is 

 very rare, as I only procured two specimens, one of which was seated on the edge of a 

 swamp, and the other on a solitary tree on the side of a hill. It does not appear to fre- 

 quent woods. The stomach of one I procured contained the remains of a lizard. I have 

 occasionally seen one of the kind seated near the lake of Ootacamund, and a marsh in the 

 neighbourhood, and fancy that it occasionally at least feeds on frogs. 



I know nothing else of its habits, nor even if it is a permanent resident on the hills. In 

 plumage it is closely allied to Hodgson's fine Buteo canescens, my longipes. 



I add a brief description of its plumage. Above pale brown, each feather edged with 

 rufous, especially on the head and neck; rump and upper tail coverts uniform brown ; 

 tail pale rufous, with narrow brown bars, the last widest ; quills grey brown, white on the 

 inner web with brown bars, except at the tip, beneath nearly pure white, forming a con- 

 spicuous broad white patch on the centre of the closed wing ; cheeks and throat whit- 

 ish, each feather centred rufous brown ; rest of plumage beneath bright rufous or chesnut, 

 barred with white ; thigh coverts darker and not barred. Irides brown — cere and legs 

 yellow. 



Length about 21 inches, wing 15, tail 8> bill (at gape) ItV, tarsus StV, wings reach 

 nearlv to the end of the tail. 



