of North-Eastern Africa. 73 
One of the natives killed a specimen of Melierax in the year 
1853-1854, on the upper Bahr el Abiad, between 6° and 7° 
N. lat. His attention had been directed to the bird by its habits 
being very different from those of M. polyzonus. Although its 
general form was extremely similar to that of the species named, 
and to that of M. musicus, a more accurate comparison appeared 
to be necessary, and considerable differences were soon disco¬ 
vered. Not venturing, however, to found a new species on my 
sole authority, I have sent the unique specimen to Dr. Hartlaub 
of Bremen, who declares it certainly to be a good and new 
species, and I therefore hasten to make it known. 
Comparing this bird with M. polyzonus and M. musicus, we 
observe that the head and ocular region are of the same colour, 
whilst the latter is black in the two other species ; the transverse 
streaks on the belly and on the upper and lower coverts of the 
tail are broader and more intense; the upper and inner (not 
lower) surfaces of the fore-arm are not variegated with white; 
there are more numerous and more intensely coloured transverse 
bands on the tail; the pure white extremities of the rectrices are 
less broad; there are four or five white, somewhat greyish- 
dotted cross-bands on the third rectrix, besides the white spot on 
the extremity. The hind-toe with nail is more than 2 lines 
longer than in M. polyzonus , male. The lateral upper coverts of 
the tail are not white as in F. musicus , but transversely striated 
as in M. polyzonus. The tarsus is 2 inches long, from the end 
of the feathers to the base of the toes. 
I am not able to give any details concerning the habits and 
distribution of this species. Perhaps it is not rare on the Bahr 
el Abiad, but generally confounded with M. polyzonus. 
Melierax polyzonus (a species very distinct from M. mu¬ 
sicus) lives in North-Eastern Africa, from 17° or 16° N. lat. 
southwards, in the southern parts of Nubia, in Kordofan, Taka, 
Sennaar, Abyssinia, and in the Somali country. It is by no 
means a rare bird (except in the higher mountainous parts), 
not shy, and easily tamed. I found an apparently new nest in 
February 1857, in the Bajada Desert, on a high, thickly-leaved 
Mimosa. It was necessary to make a great noise in order to 
induce the bird to leave the nest, and we had then no time to 
