1844.] 



of the Peninsula of India. 



165 



missure straight; bill at gape 2 j| ; at front 1 4th and 5th. 

 quills equal and longest. 



The legs of this Spizaetus are more lengthened and less 

 robust than in the S. mihoides ; its feet and claws too are 

 proportionally larger, and it differs otherwise in some struc- 

 tural points from that bird, which I would take as typical of 

 this genus, for the Falco Cristaiellus of Temminck, marked 

 by Swainson under this genus, undoubtedly belongs to Hodg- 

 son's genus ' Nisaetus, 9 and this to the ' Aquilince? whereas 

 the Spizaetus mihoides and the present subject undoubtedly 

 belong by their small feet and other points to the Butconine 

 family. I procured a single specimen of this beautiful bird 

 in the valley of the Pennar near Laulpett. It was seated on 

 a high tree ; its stomach was quite empty. The colouring of 

 the lower surface of this bird recalls that of the Tees a (Buteo 

 Teesa), and Mr. Elliot's Meer shikar, to whom I showed it, 

 called it the ' Pharee Teesa 9 — i. e. hill Teesa. 



21. — bis. — -Buteo ruf venter. — New species ? 



Descr. — Above, pale brown ; each feather edged with ru- 

 fous — especially on the head and neck ; rump and upper tail 

 coverts uniform brown ; tail pale rufous, with narrow brown 

 bars, the last widest ; quills grey-brown, white on the inner 

 web, with brown bars (except at the tip) ; beneath nearly 

 pure white, forming a conscpicuous broad white patch on the 

 centre of the closed wing. Cheeks and throats whitish, each 

 feather centred rufous brown ; rest of plumage beneath a 

 bright rufous or chestnut, barred with white ; thigh coverts 

 darker and not barred. 



Irides brown, cere and legs yellow. Length 21 inches ; 

 wing 15 ; tail 8 ; bill at gape 1 ~; tarsus 3 | . 



Bill short, slightly bending from base ; commissure very 

 slightly festooned ; legs feathered in front for 1 inch ; a broad 



