16 
Birds of Celebes: Balconidae. 
Figures and descriptions. Temminck a I] Schlegel b TI-, ? Gould c //; Sharpe dl; 
Salvadori 2. 
Adult. Above brownish slate-grey, paler on ear-coverts; a broad collar of rufous on 
hind-neck and upper mantle; fore-neck and breast paler rufous, almost 
uniform on jugulum, but taking the form of narrow pale rufous bars on a whitish 
ground on breast, sides, abdomen and under wing-coverts; under tail- 
coverts whiter, thighs almost without bars; tail like the ujDper parts, below whitish 
grey, crossed with 10 — 12 almost obliterated dusky bars: wing 256 mm; tail 200; 
tarsus 61 ; middle toe with claw ca. 45; culmen from cere 20 (ad. Dammar Id., near 
Timor: Riedel — Nr. 6690). 
Measurements, cj' adult wing 195 mm, Q adult wing 230 mm (Hartert d 2], 
Young. “Above brown; the feathers wliite at the base, some of this white being shown on 
the hind-neck; all featliers margined with rusty rufous; shoulders deep rufous. 
Under.side white; cliin, throat, and breast longitudinally striped with brown; abdomen 
with more rounded pale rufous spots. Thighs entirely rufous, the feathers with paler 
edges. Quills more distinctly barred than in adult birds” (Hartert d 2). 
Distribution. Java?, SumbaAva, Flores, Samao, Timor, Bahhar, N. & W. Australia, New 
Guinea, Waigiou, Batanta (cf. Schlegel h 1, b 5; Salvadori 2, 6). In the Oolebesian 
Province — Djampea and Kalao Islands (Everett d 2). 
In the above treatment of this species we have followed Count Salvadori, 
though it should be pointed out that the late J. H. Gurney, J. II. Gurney 
jun., and Dr. E. P. Ramsay hold a different opinion in regard to its distinctness 
in Australia and New Guinea. Temminck originally recorded its distribution 
as N. Australia, Timor, and the Moluccas. Several specimens were recently ob- 
tained by Mr. Everett. in Djampea and Kalao between Flores and Celebes, and 
recorded by Mr. Hartert, hence the inclusion of the species in the Celebes list. 
In Mus. P.-B. Astures, 1862, 42, Schlegel recorded under Nisiis cruentus 
a ad. (Nr. 10) said to have been collected in Celebes by Rein war dt. Later 
(Rev. Acc. 1873, 88) it was included by him with 67 other specimens from various 
localities under the title N. rufitorques, but the locality, Celebes, was then can- 
celled and stated to be erroneous. This specimen is included by Count Salva- 
dori in the synonymy of A, griseigidaris of the Ilalmahera group. 
An Astiir torquatus labelled “?Celebes” is recorded by Mr. Hartert in his 
Katalog der Vog. Frankf. Mus. 1891, 180. As in the case of a specimen of 
A. hiogaster in the Dresden Museum similarly labelled “? Celebes”, no authority 
is given for the locality, and both in all probability are incorrect. 
GENUS TACHYSPIZIAS Kaup amended by Guriiey. 
A small migratory Hawk, in structure very like Astur\ wing rather long 
and pointed, 3'’'* quill longest, from carpus to the tip of the secondaries only 
three-fifths of the length of the wing; bill moderate, tomia furnished with 
a large festoon or almost-semicircular tooth, cere very large, convex 
and bloated-looking; tarsi slender, upper fourth feathered anteriorly. Food: 
