459 
Mr. R. B. Shay'pe^s Catalogue of Accipitres. 
the tarsus is not scutellated_, as in Haliaetus and in Polioaetus, 
but is reticulated^ very much as is the case in Circaetus; and 
a larger portion of the upper surface of the toes is also reticu¬ 
lated in Gypohierax than in the other genera of Sea-Eagles : 
the claws in Gypohierax resemble in their structure those of 
Haliaetus, possessing the groove in the lower surface, which 
is absent in Polioaelus and in Pandion. 
The only East-African locality given by Mr. Sharpe for 
Gypohierax angolensis is the island of Pemba, near Zanzibar; 
but since his volume was published an immature specimen 
obtained by Mr. Ayres in Transvaal has been recorded in 
^ The Ibis ^ for 1877, p. 340. 
The next group of genera which seems to me to present 
itself in natural sequence amongst those comprised in the 
very wide range of Mr. Sharpens subfamily Aquilinse is 
that of the Milvinse, or Kites, in which I would include the 
following— Gypoiclima, Haliastur, Milvus, and Lophoiclinia. 
Taking Milvus as the typical genus of this group, we must 
admit that Gypoictinia is a somewhat aberrant one; but I 
agree with Mr. Sharpe in the opinion expressed in his note 
upon the sole species of this genus in the P. Z. S. for 1875, 
p. 339, that the bird is a Kite, and not a Buzzard,^^ though 
referred to the genus Buteo in Mr. Grould^s original descrip¬ 
tion"^ : it differs from the birds of the three other Milvine 
genera in having the front of the tarsus reticulated, rather 
than transversely scutellated, and in the much greater de¬ 
velopment of the upper mandible of the bill, both of which 
peculiarities indicate the propriety of arranging the genus 
Gypoictinia next to Gypohierax, in which these character¬ 
istics are also apparent. 
Gypoictinia melanosternon appears to be a species of ex¬ 
treme rarity. One of Mr. Gould^s type specimens is, if I 
mistake not, in the Museum of Philadelphia, and another in 
that.at Leyden; the Museum at Brussels is also fortunate 
in possessing a specimen, as is the British Museum in having 
recently acquired one. These are the only examples that I 
know of, with the exception of one, which was exhibited in 
^ Vide P. Z. S. 1840, p. 162. 
