BIRDS OF EASTERN AND SOUTHERN ASIA, 



ences of any permanent distinction whatso- 

 ever. 



Ilypotriorchis suhhuteo {Falco subhuteo ; 

 the ' Hobby.') All Europe, Asia and Africa ; 

 migratory : common in the Himalaya ; rarer in 

 S. India ; a cold weather visitant in Lower 

 Bengal, toe;etlier with an affiued species, H. 

 severus. Both are somewhat crepuscular in 

 habit. 



ErytJiropm vespertinus. {Falco rujipes ; the 

 ' Red-footed Falcon.') Europe, Asia, and N. 

 Africa : rare in Britain : not uncommon in India, 

 in larse flocks, which visit Lower Bengal during 

 the rainy seasou. 



Erythroims cenchris. {Falco tinnunculoides 

 of Yieiilot.) Resembles E. vespfertiuus in 

 structure and habits and both appear to be ex- 

 clusively insectivorous, siezing their prey on the 

 ground, and not habitually on the wing (like 

 the ' Hobby'). Geographical range also si- 

 milar, or nearly so ; but this has not been 

 known to stray into Britain. Both are migra- 

 tory. 



Tinnunculus alaiidarius . {Falco tinnunculus 

 the ' Kestrel.') All Europe, Asia, Africa, 

 with the great Asiatic archipelago. Very com- 

 mon in India, sometimes in large flocks. The 

 commonest bird of prey ia England and 

 France. 



Astur palumbarius. (' Goshawk ') Europe, 

 Asia, and N, Africa : rare in Britain ; much 

 commouer in Scandinavia, and generally over 

 Europe, where migratory : common in the 

 Himalaya. 



Accipder nisus. (' Sparrow-hawk,') Europe, 

 Asia, and N. Africa: common in the hilly parts 

 of India ; rare in the plains, where abundantly 

 replaced by Micronisus badius. Migrates par- 

 tially in northtrn regions. There is a nearly 

 afiined raCH in the Malay countries, Acc. nisoides, 

 distinguished by having a white throat with 

 three distinct dark stripes, and no rufous 

 on the ui»der-parts of the adult male. In other 

 respects, quite similar to Aco- nisus ; and by no 

 means to be confounded with Acc. virgatus, 

 ■which likewise has the throat-stripes. 



Buteo vulgaris. (' Common Buzzard. ') 

 Europe, N. Africa, Asia Minor : iii^her moun- 

 tains of India ; beina common in the W. Hima- 

 laya, rare in the Nilgiris, and replaced on the 

 plains by B. canescens. Bare, and to the north 

 ward and far west only, iu America : mostly 

 migratory in Scandinavia. 



Fernis apivora. / Honey Buzzard.') Europe, 

 Asia, N. Africa : migratory. In India common 

 (if identically the same), in addition to P. cris- 

 tata. In the crestless or subcrested Indian 

 specimens (adults), there is a marked tendency 

 to the development of three dark stripes on a 

 white throat, and in the Astur trivirgaius 

 and sua.lry other Indian species. Can such 



be of a hybrid race between P. apivora and 

 P. cristata ? 



Circus oeruginosus. (' Marsh Harrier.') Eu- 

 rope, Asia, N. Africa : very common iu Inula. 

 Miijraies iu Scandinavia. 



Circus cyaneus (' Hen Harrier.') Europe 

 Asia, Africa : the American C Uliginosus bare, 

 ly if at all, separable. In India common iu the 

 Sub Himalaya region and its vicinity : being 

 replaced southward by C. Swainsonii {jyallidus 

 of Sykes.) 



Circus clneraceus. (C Montagui ; Montagu's 

 Harrier.') Europe, S. Asia, Africa : very com- 

 mon in Iiulia. 



Circaetus gallicus is a bird of South Europe, 

 Asia, and Africa, which is common iu India, and 

 has been killed in Denmark ; but never in the 

 British Islands. 



Bubo maxlmus. (' Eagle Owl.') Europe, 

 Siberia, China, Asia Minor, Babylonia, Barbary ; 

 Himalaya ? If so, very rare. 



Scops Aldrovandi. (' Scops eared Owl.') 

 Europe, Asia Minor, N. Africa : migratory. T" 

 India replaced by affined species ; more especi- 

 ally So. bekkaraoena [the Scops suniu et penna- 

 ta of Hodiison) which seems to be generally 

 diffused over the country. Sc. Aldrovandi is 

 admitted in the Catalogue of species from Nepal 

 anfi 'I'ibet presented to the Britisli Museum by 

 Mr. Hodgson ; but referring doubtless to a grey 

 specimen of the bakkamoena. Gradations from 

 the grey to the chesnut-coloured varieties of 

 Sc. bakkamoena may be seen in the museum of 

 the Asiatio Society, Calcutta. 



Asio oius. iOtus vulgaris; ' Longeared 

 Owl') Europe, N. Africa, Asia Minor, N. Asia, 

 N. America : in India, confined to the Hima- 

 laya, where not uncommon. 



Asiobrachyotus. {Otus brachyotus ; 'Short- 

 eared Owl.') Europe, Asia, Africa N. and S. 

 America : migratory. Common in ludia. 



Syrnium aluco. (S. stridulum ; ' Tawny 

 Owl') Europe, N. Africa, Asia Minor, N. Asia 

 to Japan (Temminck). S. nivicolum, common 

 in the W. Himalaya, rarer eastward, is barely 

 separable. 



Athene psilodactyla. {Noctua passerina ; 

 'Little Owl.') Europe, N. Africa, W. Asia, 

 Afghanistan, N. W. Himalaya. A much lar- 

 ger species than the true Ath. passerina 

 [Strix acadwa of Temminck) of N. Europe, 

 which has not been observed in the British 

 Islands. 



Turdus vi,scivorn&. I* Missel Thrush.') 

 Europe, W. Asia: its representative in the W. 

 Himalaya appears to be constantly a little 

 larger and has more of the whitish hne upon the 

 outermost tail-featht-rs ; upon which slight 

 differences, M. Homeyer distingimshes it by the 

 name T. Hodgsoui. 



II 



