89 
Mr. R. B. Sharpens Catalogue of Accipitres. 
Namaqua Land*, it has not been met with by any subsequent 
explorer of those regions; and the accounts given by Le Vail- 
lant of the localities frequented by le Bacha/^ of its food, 
its nidification, and the colour of the irides are all at vari¬ 
ance with what is known as regards these points in the case 
of Spilornis cheela and its near allies, from one of which 
latter Le Vaillant’s figure appears to have been taken. 
So far as I know, the only author, since LeVaillant, who 
speaks of having seen a Spilornis of undoubtedly African 
origin is the late Mr. Cassin, who mentions an immature 
specimen brought by Du Chaillu from the Gaboont; but it 
seems probable, as suggested by Mr. Sharpe in a foot¬ 
note to p. 279 of his volume, that the bird thus referred to 
was in reality an example of Dryotriorchis spectabilis. It 
would, however, be very desirable that the speeimen, which 
probably still exists in Philadelphia, should be compared with 
one of the latter species, and that a positive identification of 
it should thus be arrived at. 
The genus Spilornis is a difficult one to deal with, as it 
comprises some geographical races-which seem scarcely to 
be entitled to specific distinction, whilst others are more 
decidedly separable. - On some of these points I have formerly 
expressed opinions which I now believe to be erroneous; and 
my present observations on the birds of this genus will there¬ 
fore not be found to tally in all respects with some of my pre¬ 
vious ones. 
The largest, and at the same time the most northerly 
speeies of the genus Spilornis is S. cheela (Lath.) of Mr. 
Sharpens Catalogue. Mr. Sharpe gives the range of this 
species as Himalaya mountains eastward to China,^^ and 
admits as a distinct subspecies, under the name of S. me- 
lanotis (Jerd.), the Spilornis inhabiting Central and South¬ 
ern India.^^ 
The specific name of cheela was founded by Latham on a 
specimen for which he only gives India as a locality, 
* Vide Le Vaillanfis ‘Oiseaux d’Afrique,’ vol. i. p. 68, pi. xv* 
t Vide ^Proceedings of tlie Academy of Natural Sciences of Phila¬ 
delphia ’ for 1865, p. 2. 
