PALCONID^ 



BUTBO 



331 



Description. Adult male. — Above, black, most of the feathers 

 with concealed white bases ; primaries ashy becoming black toward 

 the tip,* the greater part of the inner webs below the notch pure 

 white, secondaries ashy to white with narrow bands of dark brown 

 broadly tipped with black ; tail-feathers rich rufous with black 

 subterminal spots more or less developed ; below, the chin, throat, 

 and sides of the breast, black, centre of the breast rich rufous ; 

 abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts black mingled with white 

 and rufous ; tail very pale rufous below ; the coloration of the 

 under surface varies a good deal, white often predominates over 

 the rufous of the breast and also shows on the chin; these are 

 probably not quite adult birds. 



Pig. 112. — Buteojahal. x 3%. 



Iris grey- brown to yellow ; bill dark brown, tip black ; cere 

 and gape yellow ; tarsus yellow ; claws black. 



Length 21*5 ; wing 15'5 ; tail 7'5 ; culmen 1-5 ; tarsus 3'6. 



The female resembles the male but is larger, length 23'0 ; wing 

 16'5 ; tarsus 3-6. 



A nestling in the South African Museum is covered with white 

 down, only the wing feathers which are dark brown are beginning 

 to sprout. 



A young bird is brown above, with paler and in some cases more 

 rufous edgings to the feathers ; wings as in the adult ; the tail- 

 feathers are like the back but tinged with rufous towards the base, 

 and show traces of narrow transverse bars disappearing towards the 



