194 CALCUTTA SPARROW-HAWK. 



of M. spheniirus, the outer border being unspotted, 

 like the back. But then this distinction will not apply 

 as between M. sphenurus and M. badius, the tail feathers 

 in the latter being barred only on the inner webs; 

 and, as Mr. Jerdon, "Birds of India," p. 49, tells us, 

 this is only the case with the old birds. In the 

 young the bars go quite through. 



Whether, however, there are three, or two, or only 

 one species, I must leave for a more careful exami- 

 nation to make out. It has evidently been the occurrence 

 of one of these birds that has induced Professor 

 Blasius to give A. hadius a place in his list, and by 

 figuring this bird I shall give the means of comparison 

 by which it may be discovered which is the real bird. 

 Had I access to all the back numbers of the German 

 or French ornithological periodicals, I confess that I 

 have not time to wade through books which have no 

 indices to guide us. 



According to the view I have taken, these Sparrow- 

 Hawks, including a small species figured by Smith 

 ("Birds of Africa,") as Accipiter polyzonoides, will 

 stand thus: — 



JUicronisus polyzonoides. The small race. 

 Asiatic and ) M. sphenurus, m^. | Varieties (?) of the 



African types. \ ^^; badius, Gm > uiedian race. 



•' '^ ' M, brachydactylus. ) 



31. gurneyi. ) Examples of the 



European type. A. nisus. J large race. 



All these birds have a close alliance with each other, 

 and I regret that it was thought necessary, from the 

 construction of the toes and tarsi, to form a new 

 genus for the African and • Asiatic forms, and more 

 particularly that they should have given to them the 

 name of Microtiisus, seeing that we are bidding fair 

 to shew a micr'o-nisus larger than a nisus ! 



