CIRCUS JARDINII, Gould. 
Mas. Circ. vertice, genis,phmisqi(e auricularibus intense castaneis,fusco longitudinaliter notatis ; disco 
fasciali,nuchd, dorso snperiore, pectore necnon dorso imo, scapularihuscpie, intense cinereis, his alho 
leviter notatis ; humeris, alis subtiis, ubdoniine, femoribiis, crissoque, castaneis, cdbo perpulchre nota- 
tis ; tectricibus alarum fusco-cineraceis, irregidariter albo 7iotatis ; secondariis cineraceis, fasciis 
tribus fuscis anguste notatis, fascidque lata terminali ; primariis ad basin cervinis, jxr reliquas 
partes nigris ; tectricibus cauda svperioribus fuscis, fascias albas, apicentque album ostendentihus ; 
Cauda cinereo fuscoque alternatim fasciatd ; rostro nigro ; pedihus Jlavis. 
Long. tot. 19 unc. ; alee, 16 ; caudce, 10 ; tarsi, 3|^. 
Male. Crown of the head, cheeks, and ear-coverts dark chestnut, each feather ha\ ing a mark of brown 
down the centre ; facial disk, back of the neck, upper part of tlie back, and chest uniform dark grey ; 
lower part of the back and scapulars dark grey, most of tlie feathers being blotched and marked at the tips 
with two faint spots of white one on either side of the stem ; slioulders, under surface of the wing, abdo- 
j men, thighs, and under tail-coverts rich chestnut, the whole of the feathers beautifully spotted with M'hite, 
I the spots regularly disposed down each web, and being largest and most distinct on the abdomen ; 
\ greater and lesser wing-coverts brownish grey, irregularly barred and tipped with a lighter colour ; 
1 secondaries dark grey, crossed with three narrow lines of dark brown, and tipped with a broad band 
j of the same colour, the extreme tips being paler ; primaries black for two-thirds of their length, their 
i bases brownish buff; upper tail-coverts brown, barred and tipped M-ith greyish white ; tail alternately 
barred with conspicuous bands of dark brown and grey, the brown band nearest the extremity being 
■ the broadest, and the extreme tips greyish white ; bill black ; legs yellow. 
' Syn. Circus Jardinii, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc, Part V., 1837, male. 
Circus assimilis, Jard. and Selb. 111. Orn., vol. i. pi. 51, female ? 
Remark. I am induced to believe that the bird figured by Messrs. Jardine and Selby under the 
name of Circus assimilis will prove to be the female of this bird ; but as I am not quite certain, I have 
thought it best to characterise the present bird under a new name ; at all events, the term assimilis 
only applies to a young bird or a female. 
Habitat. Australia : locality. New South Wales. 
