614 



16 



to the feathers of the upper surface are almost obsolete, the breast is very strongly marked with broad cross 

 bands of a pale tawny colour : an irregular mark of this colour, sometimes oval in shape, sometimes arrow- 

 shaped, appears in the centre of each feather; and the white interspaces on the flank-feathers are very broad, 

 agreeing in this respect with the adult examples before mentioned ; bars on primaries six, with slight remains 

 of a seventh, on tail five. Total length 13'3 inches, culmen - 65, wing 8 - 0, tail 6'4, tarsus 2"1, middle toe, 

 without claw, 13. 



Asia. 



Cashmere. Lord Walden's collection contains a specimen of a young male obtained in this country in 

 July, at a height of 10,000 feet. The general colour is rather pale brown ; and the tawny markings on the 

 breast are also rather light, and thinly distributed; bars on primaries six, on tail five. Total length 11-5 inches, 

 culmen 0'65, wing 7'6, tail 6'0, tarsus 2 - l. 



India. Lord Walden has lent us several specimens from different parts in India. Two adult males of 

 the true Sparrow-Hawk are in his collection from the Sutlej valley and Mussooree, the one from the last- 

 named locality being a very old male with rufous breast, collected by Dr. Jerdon. Neither of these birds 

 presents any differences from European specimens, as far as we can perceive. Total length 12 inches, culmen 

 - 65, wing 8 - l-8 - 3, tail 6'8, tarsus 2"15, middle toe, without claw, L35. A young male, shot near Umballah 

 by Dr. Scott in February 1867, exhibits considerable remains of the edgings to the feathers of the upper 

 surface ; but these are very pale, and almost incline to whitish ; on the under surface the arrow-shaped tawny 

 markings on the breast are very plain, but have almost entirely disappeared on the belly ; bars on primaries 

 seven, on tail five. Total length 12'8 inches, culmen - 65, wing 7 - 9, tail 6'2, tarsus 2 - l, middle toe, without 

 claw, 1'3. A young female, shot by the late Captain Beavan at Maunbhoom on the 23rd of December, 1864, 

 is rather dark brown in colour, and all the margins to the feathers on the upper surface are quite obsolete ; the 

 breast is thickly barred, but closely resembles European specimens of about the same age, though the throat is 

 more marked with longitudinal stripes than is usual; bars on primaries seven, on tail six, on outer rectrix 

 seven. Total length 14"8 inches, culmen - 8, wing 9*1, tail 7"2, tarsus 2 - 25, middle toe, without claw, 1-6. 

 Another immature female, of large size, shot by Dr. Scott at Umballah in January 1867, is also in Lord 

 Walden's collection. It is pale brown above; and the remains of the margins on the wing- and tail-coverts are 

 very light fulvous, almost whitish ; underneath the bird is whitish, with pale cross bars of tawny, the breast 

 having several conspicuous arrow-shaped markings in the centre of the cross bar ; bands on primaries six, on 

 tail five. Total length 15 inches, culmen 0'8, wing 9 - 5, tail 7 - 8, tarsus 2 - 5, middle toe, without claw, 1"6. 



We now come to consider Mr. Hume's Accipiter melaschistus, from the Himalayas, which he named in 

 his ' Rough Notes ' (p. 128) ; and, thanks to Lord Walden, we have examined a fine female from Simla in his 

 collection. We believe that this is a good species, and that Mr. Hume was right in giving it a separate desig- 

 nation ; for we have discovered another female in the British Museum, among Hodgson's Nepaulese specimens. 

 The dark colour of the upper surface causes the white eyebrow to stand out more plainly; and this was a 

 character which attracted our attention on the first examination of both the above-named examples. The 

 name is well chosen, the bird being of an inky slate-colour, almost black on the head, while its large size also 

 serves to distinguish it. Lord Walden's bird is a female, received from the late Captain Beavan, in whose 

 handwriting there is the following note on the ticket : — " Sent in by Begbie, from Kotgurh." The bands on 

 the primaries are six in number, on the tail five, on the outer feather six. Total length 14'8 inches, culmen - 9, 

 wing 10 - 1, tail 8 - 5, tarsus 2'6, middle toe, without claw, 1*7. The length of wing and tail is sufficient to show 

 the preponderance in size of A. melaschistus over the ordinary Sparrow-Hawk; and it is altogether a more 

 powerful bird. It will be noticed that our measurements of the tarsus exceed those given by Mr. Hume ; and 

 it may therefore be well to state that ours are made on the under surface, from the bend in the joint. The 

 young female previously described would appear, from the length of the tarsus, also to belong to A. melaschistus. 

 The nearest approach to this length of tarsus was in Mr. T. E. Buckley's Macedonian specimen, which had this <- 



