35 
Mr. J. H. Gurney on the Kestrel of Madagascar . 
cimen from the Seychelles, I find such a difference of size and 
colouring as to lead me to believe that they are not examples of 
Tinnunculus gracilis, but that they belong to a distinct and 
undescribed species. The following Table will show the measure¬ 
ments of these birds as compared with Tinnunculus gracilis, and 
also with a male specimen of Tinnunculus punctatus from the 
Mauritius. 
Total length. 
Length of 
wing from 
carpal joint. 
Tarsus. 
Middle toe 
with claw. 
inches. 
inches. 
inch. 
inch. 
Tinnunculus gracilis. 
Madagascar Kestrel: 
Q3 * 
6 
n 
If 
Specimen A, $ . 
10f 1 
7i 
4 
Specimen B, $ . 
ii ; 
i 2 
Tinnunculus punctatus, $ 
lii 
7k 
it 
if 
From the above Table it will be apparent that the Madagascar 
Kestrel exceeds the Seychelles species ( T. gracilis) in all the above 
dimensions, whilst it is itself exceeded by the Mauritius bird 
( T '. punctatus ) in all except the length of the wing from the 
carpal joint. 
The colouring of the two birds sent from Madagascar is not 
precisely identical. In specimen A, the feathers on the upper 
part of the head and on the back of the neck are of a dark 
grey, slightly tinged with rufous, with a darker shaft-mark 
passing down the centre of each feather. The back and scapulars 
are rufous, of a tint paler than that of the same parts in T. 
gracilis, but darker than in T. punctatus, and much resembling 
the colour of the back in T. rupicola (Daud.). The scapulars 
are spotted with darker ovate spots, one at the end of each fea¬ 
ther, which are larger in proportion as they are further removed 
from the bird's head and neck. The wing-feathers are of a 
brownish black, the primaries being barred with rufous on their 
inner webs, and the secondaries and tertiaries on both webs. 
On the secondary feathers, the brownish-black bars are broader 
than the rufous; but on the tertiaries this is reversed. The 
* Allowing half an inch to cover an accidental defect in the end of the 
tail-feathers : this is a full allowance. 
D % 
