197 



FALCO ELEONOR.E. Gene. 



Vol. I, Page 44. 



In the first volume, page 44, I have given a figure 

 of the adult of this species, (from Bonaparte's "Fauna 

 Italica,") which, though somewhat stiff in its attitude, 

 is, I believe, a very good drawing of the bird. It 

 varies, however, very much in plumage, and owing to its 

 unfortunate confusion with F. concolor, Temm., many 

 erroneous descriptions and figures have found their way 

 into ornithological works. Thus Hueglin, in his List 

 of Birds collected on the Red Sea, (Ibis, vol. i, p. 338,) 

 gives F. eleonorce as synonymous with F. concolor, Riip- 

 pell, and describes the old male as "black schistaceous 

 grey." Professor Blasius, however, (Ibis, vol. ii, p. 432,) 

 is given as an authority for stating that the eggs of the 

 birds described by Hueglin as F. eleonorce, from the 

 Archipelago of Dahalak, were those of F. concolor and 

 not F. eleonorce. There is also a tendency on the 

 continent towards the belief in the identity of the two 

 birds. Swainson, however, who was a most accurate 

 observer, in describing F. concolor, (Birds of Africa, 

 vol. i, p. 112,) remarks that it is seldom we meet with 

 a Hawk which can so readily be distinguished from all 

 others by its peculiar "deep slate colour, somewhat 

 paler beneath, and with a brownish tinge in some parts 

 of the upper plumage, etc." 



Blasius maintains the perfect distinctness of the 



VOL. IV. 2 c 



