CIRCUS SWAINSONII.— Smith. 
Aves. — Plates XLIII and XLIV. 
C. pallid^ griacus, flavo-griseo umbratus ; subtus albus, gutture pectoreque griseo- tinctis ; caucla; tectricibus 
superioribus albis, maculis, fasciisque flavo-griseis notatis ; rectricibus duabus intermediis griseis, flavo- 
griseo tinctis, lateralibus partim griseis partim albis fasciis brunneis sex notatis. Rostro livido-nigro ; 
cera, pedibus, oculisque flavis. 
Longit'udo I 9 unc. 
Circus Swainsonii, Smith. — South African Quarterly Journal, vol. i. page 384, 1830. 
Circus pallidus, Sykes.— Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1832, page 80. 
(Adult Male. Plate XLIII. Fig. 1.) 
Colour. — Above ash-grey, clouded with yellowish-grey, d he front, the 
eye-brows, the upper tail-coverts, the inner surface of the shoulders, and all 
the under parts snow-white, the throat and breast tinted with pearl-grey, 
and the tail-coverts blotched and barred with yellow or brownish-grey. 
Lesser wing-coverts, primary and secondary quill-coverts, scapulars, tertiary 
quill-feathers, and a few of the innermost secondaries the same colour as the 
back ; the secondary quill-coverts narrowly tipped with white, and like the 
tertiaries and innermost secondaries broadly edged internally with the same 
colour. The basal half of the inner vane of each primary quill-feather white, 
variegated with incomplete brown bars, the last half dark liver-brown, passing 
into white at the extreme points ; outer vanes towards the tips brown, more or 
less deeply tinged with grey, the three or four outermost grey towards the 
quills. The two centre tail-feathers ash-grey clouded with yellowish-grey, 
and with faint indications of dark bars on each side of the shafts ; the next 
two of each side, more or less of the same colour, and with six imperfect dull 
brown bars, each obscurely edged anteriorly and posteriorly with dirty white ; 
the three outermost feathers white with six incomplete brownish-grey bars, those 
of the outer vanes on some of the feathers being connected with each other 
externally by the same colour, the bars of the exterior feather of each side 
ti ng ed with buff-orange ; the tips of all the feathers white. Under surface of tail 
white, with the dark bars obscurely marked. Bill livid black, with a yellow 
blotch on the edge of both upper and under mandible near base ; cere, legs and 
toes yellow. Claws a dark horn colour. Eyes yellow. 
The feathers of all the upper parts of this bird have a distinct silky lustre. 
Form, &c.— Figure long and slender. Bill delicate and strongly hooked, 
the cere covered°with strong recumbent bristles; cervical collar distinctly 
marked, wings when folded reach beyond the commencement of the last third 
