258 
On Dr. Jerdon’s c Birds of India.’ 
80. Glaucidium brodiei. 
Obtained by Col. Tickell in the mountainous interior of the 
Tenasserim provinces (J. A. S. B. xxviii. p. 416). Athene syl- 
vatica (Muller), Bonaparte (Consp. Av. i. p. 40), would appear 
to be an equally diminutive species inhabiting Sumatra. 
It will be remarked that a large proportion of the diurnal 
birds of prey are common to India and Europe—in fact, all of 
the ordinary European species, except Archihuteo lagopus, Ha- 
liaetus albicilla, and Milvus ictinus, perhaps also Aquila ncevia as 
distinguished from A. clanga of Pallas; while the only Euro¬ 
pean Owls which extend to India are Otus brachyotus , and in 
the Himalaya only O. vulgaris, and, as extreme rarities just 
within the Indian boundary, Bubo maximus and Athene per sic a. 
The small Indian and East Asiatic Scops-Owl is barely separa¬ 
ble from the European race, but is commonly of a bright cin¬ 
namon or rufous-chestnut colour, which seems never to occur 
in the other. The only generally admitted Indian bird of 
prey whose geographical range extends to Australia is the 
maritime and very Gull-like Blagrus leucogaster, though, if 
Prof. SchlegePs views be adopted, we should have to add the 
Australian Peregrine and Hobby, still, however, as distinct 
varieties of the European species, or vice versa , with equal 
reason ! whilst Mr. Gurney (followed by Mr. Gould, as we have 
seen) identifies the smaller individuals of the common Indian 
Kite with the Australian Milvus affinis. In this I do not 
concur, inasmuch as I do not believe that two definite races 
could possibly be distinguished apart anywhere in India, but 
that every gradation would be fonnd, from the largest to the 
smallest. Lastly, three rare stragglers of the family Falconidce 
from Eastern China and Japan have been met with either 
just within the Indian boundary or close on its confines, and 
a fourth ( Buteo asiaticus) very probably appertaining mainly to 
the Mongolian subregion north of Tibet—the home also of the 
gigantic Berkut Eagle, the Haliaetus pelagicus , and the grand 
Tibetan Haven. Buteo asiaticus seems to hold pretty much the 
same relation towards other Buzzards. 
[To be continued.] 
