158 



FALCONIFORMES 



and Asia north of the Himalayas; extending further south in winter, 

 but represented in Soutli Africa by A. rufiventris and A. ovampen- 

 sis with white-spotted rectrices. It is bluish-grey above, with 

 white mottlings on the nape and rufous cheeks, the white-tipped 

 tail exhibiting from three to five dark bands, and the buffish-white 

 under parts red-brown bars. Other species are blacker or browner, 

 or more rufous below ; A. rubricollis and A. erythrauchen of the 

 Moluccas have the nape red ; the latter, A. rhodogaster of Celebes, 



Fig. 40. — Ne.st of Sparrow -Hawk. AocipiUr nisus. (From Poachers.) 



A. virgatus of India and East Asia (including A. niso'ides), A. 

 JiartlauM of the G-aboon, and A. ventralis of Venezuela, Colombia, 

 and Ecuador, have nearly uniform ruddy under parts ; A. erythro- 

 cnemis of Brazil and Bolivia, and A. cMonogaster, ranging from 

 Guatemala to Venezuela are almost white beneath ; A. hicolor of 

 Central and South America having grey-blue for the white. A. 

 melanoleucus of North -East, West, and South Africa is deep 

 black, with brown bars on the rectrices, and some white on the 



