294 ZOOLOGY. 



675 in., tail 5-5, but the tail-feathers appear to be not 

 quite fully grown. 



13. N. (Micronisus) sphenurus, Eiipp. 



Falco (Nisus) sphenurus, Eiipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 42. 

 Accipiter brachydactylus, Swains. B. West Afr. vol. i. p. 118. 

 Nisus sphenurus, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 41, p. 6, t. 2. 

 Micronisus guttatus, Heugl. Joum. f. Omith. 1861, p. 430. 

 Nisus badius, Heugl. Orn. N. O. Afr. No. 45. 



Iris yellow, or greenish yeUow in young, orange or 

 scarlet in old birds ; cere yellow ; legs dark yeUow ; bill 

 black. In young birds the breast is spotted, in adults 

 banded, the changes precisely as in N. badius (Cf. 

 Jerdon, B. Ind. vol. i. p. 48). 



When I saw this bird in Abyssinia, it always appeared 

 to me very much smaller than the common Indian 

 Shikra {N'. hadius, Gm.), and the measurements appear 

 to bear out this view, although Schlegel and Von 

 Heuglin unite the two races. The following are measure- 

 ments of three specimens of N. sphenurus : — 



Length. Wing. Tail. Tarsns. 

 in. in. in. in. 



Old female 12 7-4 6-5 1-7 



Young female 1275 7-5 62 17 



Young male 11 7 5-3 1-6 



These agree very fairly with Eiippell's and Von 

 Heuglin's measurements. But the measurements of the 

 Indian N. badius, according to Jerdon, are : — 



Length. Wing. Tail. Tarsus. 



in. in. in. in. 



Female 14 to 15 8^ 7 nearly 2 



Male 12i 7^ 5^ 



N. sphenurus was extremely abundant amongst Tama- 

 risk trees at Mohabar and elsewhere in the Lebka valley. 



