Mr. E. Swinlioe on Chinese Ornithology . 267 
Mr. Keulemair’s excellent handiwork gives life to the de¬ 
scription of the specimen I now transcribe from my notes. 
Total length 17 inches; wing 13; second quill 2’6 longer 
than the first and ‘9 shorter than the third, which is *2 shorter 
than the fourth or longest in the wing. First to fifth quills 
notched on the edge of the inner web; the third to fifth on 
outer web. Tail 8‘5, of nearly equal feathers; under tail- 
coverts 3 inches short of tail-tip. Tarse 2*7 long, including 
the upper feathered portion, which extends *9 from joint 
downwards; middle toe 1*2, its claw *4. 
Upper parts light brown, the feathers on the back dark¬ 
stemmed. Crown, nape, and scapulars blackish brown in 
centre of feathers, with broad yellowish red magins. Under¬ 
parts light buff, with yellowish brown streaks, broad and darker 
on breast; tibials and vent chestnut-buff, with darker stems 
to feathers. Quills brown, tipped light, with lightish stems, 
and barred across inner webs more obscurely towards their 
tips; axillaries reddish cream, with reddish brown spots ; under 
wing whitish cream, with conspicuous bars. Upper tail- 
coverts greyish white; tail whitish brown, with three broad 
bars; a fourth, indistinct bar crosses near base of tail. Tail 
viewed from below, outer rectrix brownish white faintly bar¬ 
red with brown; the rest of a similar ground-colour, but 
with broad blackish brown bars. 
Cere, base of bill, rictus, and skin round eye greenish yellow. 
Bill bluish black. Iris ochreous yellow. Tarsi and toes 
yellow, claws fine bluish black. 
Mr. Fleming was the first that got this species in China. 
He procured the adult at Tientsin (P. Z. S. 1862, p. 315). I 
did not meet the species till October 1873; when on the lakes 
near Ningpo one morning in that month, I observed one in 
immature plumage sitting on a ridge of mud. I did not suc¬ 
ceed in securing it. 
The Shanghai specimen above described is the only other 
that I can speak of with certainty. 
The plains of China, with their flat wet fields under paddy 
cultivation in summer, do not seem to find favour with these 
roving birds of prey; and I have not heard of a- single species 
