210 
BIRDS OF BRITISH BIJBMAH. 
(wliich has, I may mention, in some lights a greenish tinge) is found to 
be confined to a broad terminal band ; the basal portions of the feathers 
are a somewhat pale drab-brown ; the smallest scapulars are the richest 
and warmest in colouring, the longest the dullest ; the rump and upper 
tail-coverts much about the same tint as the longer scapulars. The tail a 
rather pale drab-brown, with a subterminal brownish black band, and three 
other moderately dark brown bands, the third almost entirely hidden by 
the upper tail-coverts ; the quills have the outer webs brown, banded 
obscurely but broadly with darker brown, the inner web a rather dark 
drab-brown at the tips and white at the bases, with several broad black or 
blackish-brown transverse bands ; the primaries, especially the earlier ones, 
are considerably darker on the outer webs, and have a greyish tinge on 
the interspaces of these webs ; the tertiaries are much paler brown ; the 
lesser coverts along the ulna and at the carpal joint are almost black ; the 
greater coverts are about the same colour as the ground of the tail ; the 
median coverts somewhat darker ; all the quills are white-tipped, the 
secondaries most conspicuously so, and a few of the median coverts are 
also tipped in the same way. There is more or less of a purple gloss over 
the whole upper surface of the wings and tail. 
The lores and an inconspicuous band under the eye and the base of the 
ear-coverts grey, the feathers darker-shafted ; the rest of the ear-coverts and 
the lateral portions of the throat fulvous, the feathers more or less dark- 
shafted ; chin and throat pure white, or with the faintest yellowish tinge, 
with a narrow but very conspicuous black central stripe ; upper breast 
mingled white and a pale somewhat brownish rufous ; lower breast, sides, 
flanks, axillaries and abdomen white, with broad regular transverse brownish- 
rufous bands, darkest on the sides and flanks ; vent and lower tail-coverts 
white, with a dingy yellowish tinge, with here and there a trace of a trans- 
verse rufous band ; the wing-lining is yellowish white, with rufous bars 
and mottlings ; the lower surfaces of the quills are, at the tips, pale french 
grey, with black transverse bands ; higher up they are white, with pale 
greyish-brown bands ; the lower surface of the tail greyish white, the dark 
bands showing through more conspicuously on the outer webs and less so 
on the inner webs except of the four central tail-feathers ; all the tail- 
feathers are tipped with drab -brown, paling at the extreme tip almost to 
white; this tipping is about a quarter of an inch wide on the central, and 
three quarters of an inch on the exterior tail-feathers. {Hume.). 
Legs and feet white slightly tinged with blue; irides bright yellow; 
claws, upper and tip of lower mandible and cere blackish ; the base of the 
lower mandible paler. {Davison.) 
Length 18-5 inches, tail 9*6, wing 13*1, tarsus 1-6, bill from gape 1-35. 
{Davison.) 
The Sumatran Kite-Falcon was obtained by both Mr. Davison and 
