AFES. 295 



and far from rare in the Anseba. Birds in the young 

 plumage were more numerous than adults. All at Moha- 

 bar were living on Cicadce, and so far as my observations 

 extended, this bird is very much more insectivorous 

 than its Indian representative. 



Mr. Gurney informs me that the West African N. bror- 

 chydactyliis of Swainson is identical with N. sphenurus. 



14. Aquila rapax, Temm. 



Falco rapax, Temm. PI. col. 422 (a very rufous specimen). 



Aqwila albicans, Riipp. Neu. Wirb. p. 34, t. 13, figs. 1 and 2. — 

 Ferret et Gallmier, No. 9. — Des Murs, p. 65. 



A, rapwx, Riipp. Syst. Uebers. No. 15. — Heugl. Syst. Uebers. Nos 

 16, 18, 19, 20 (partly under MS. names). — Brehm, Habesch, 

 Nos. 7 and 8.— Heugl. Orn. N. 0. Afr. No. 45. 



A. nmvioides, Cuv. 



Iris yellowish brown, or yellowish grey much mottled 

 with brown ; gape, cere, and legs yellow ; claws black ; 

 bill dusky. 



A somewhat larger and much more powerful bird, with 

 conspicuously stronger beak and legs, than the closely 

 allied Indian A.fulvescens of Gray. The plumage varies 

 from umber brown to rufous, the latter colour prevailing 

 in adult birds, especially on the head and upper part of 

 the back. Old birds are whitish (A. albicans, Elipp.). 



This bird is common everywhere in Abyssinia ; I ob- 

 tained specimens both on the highlands and in the low 

 plains of Samhar close to the coast. I shot one sitting 

 on a small rocky hill in the latter in August. It breeds 

 on the highlands about January. I saw one nest on the 

 top of an isolated tree near a village, containing a young 

 bird almost full-grown, on March 24th. Several of these 



