489 



male blackish brown, and in the remaining two instances both sexes had the underparts white. 

 This, I think, clearly proves that the dark plumage is not that of the female alone ; and the con- 

 clusion at which I arrive is that, like several of the Buzzards (amongst which I may especially 

 name my bid American friend, Archibuteo sancti-johannis), the present species is subject to great 

 variation in the coloration of the plumage in both sexes irrespective of age. In Spain these 

 dark varieties do not appear to be very common ; and Lord Lilford informs me that of the 

 numbers he saw he only observed one individual in the dark brown plumage. 



The specimens figured are : — on the one Plate a female in light plumage, and in the back- 

 ground another bird with reddish brown underparts, both from Spain ; on the second Plate are 

 figured the two nestlings in Mr. Howard Saunders's collection, with the dark female in the 

 background ; and on the same Plate, with the old specimen of Nisaetus fasciatus, an old bird, 

 showing the white shoulder-spots, from the collection in the British Museum, is figured. 



In the preparation of the above article I have examined the following specimens : — 



E Mus. H. E. Dresser. 



a, 6. Seville, 1869 {Lord Lilford). b, $. Almoraima, near Gibraltar, May 4th, 1871 (H. L. Irby). c, $. 

 Castellejo, Spain, May 14th, shot from nest {H. E. D.). d, 2 . Villemayor, New Castile, May 1865 {Lord 

 Lilford) . e, d . Turkestan {Severtzoff) . 



E Mus. Brit. Beg. 



a, 6 juv., b, pull. Europe, c, 6 ad. Spain. d,2 juv. Egypt {W. B. D. Turnbull). e, 2 ad. South Africa. 

 /, 2 juv. Nepal (B. H. Hodgson). 



E Mus. H. J. Elwes. 

 a, <j, b, $ . Buyukdere, near Constantinople, April 15th, 1869 {Alleon) . 



E Mus. Howard Saunders, 

 a, 6 , b, 2 , c, d, pulli. Soto de Roma, Spain, June 20th, 1870. 



3c 



