Chapter XI: Preface (10)

Adult in breeding plumage.--Almost entirely black, with a slight oil-green gloss on neck and under parts; chin dirty white, this color continued backward and upward on each side of neck to back of eye, forming a border, 20 mm. wide, to the gular pouch and naked skin below eye; entire crown, nape, neck on all sides, and throat decorated with long, narrow, soft, white plumes which hide most of the short black feathers; crest glossy black, narrow and about 40 mm. long; each flank decorated with a large patch of long, soft, white feathers; upper back, scapulars, and wing-coverts dull bronze-brown, each feather widely bordered with dark bluish green or with glossy black; quills brownish black; secondaries washed with greenish; tail and its coverts black.

Grant gives the following colors and measurements: "Iris bright emerald-green; naked skin round eye greenish brown; below the eye and on gular sack lemon-yellow; bill grayish brown; dusky along culmen and yellowish white toward base; legs and feet blackish. Length, about 914; culmen, 58 to 81; wing, 317 to 356; tail, 173 to 183; tarsus, 58 to 72."

Adult in non-breeding plumage.--Similar to the above but without the elongated feathers on head, neck, throat, and flanks.

"Young when first hatched are blind and covered with purplish black skin; in the course of a few days they acquire a thick covering of blackish down.

"Young in first plumage (September).--General color above dull brown, somewhat glossed on head, neck, and back with bluish green; feathers of back, scapulars, and wing-coverts with wide dark margins; throat, front of neck, breast and belly white; sides, flanks, thighs, and under tail-coverts dark brownish black. As age advances the fore part of neck and chest become brown.

"Plumage of the second year (September).--Upper parts more like those of the adult, but the plumage is less brilliant and mixed here and there with feathers of the first plumage; feathers of the breast and belly are all widely tipped with brownish black, giving these parts a mottled appearance.

"Plumage of the third year (May).--Similar to the adult, but the color of upper parts is less brilliant, and the under parts are not of such a rich glossy black. Birds of this age (probably about 26 months old), though they do not breed, assume a partial breeding-plumage; the hair-like feathers on the head and neck being indicated, while the white flank patches are partially acquired." (Grant.)

The cormorant appears to be somewhat rare in the Philippines but it will perhaps be found breeding in some of the extensive marsh-lands of central Luzon. A fully adult male in breeding plumage, taken in Tarlac Province, yields the following data: Iris bright sea-green; small spots of bright blue along edges of eyelids and below eye; bare skin below eye bright yellow with a slight orange tinge, this yellow extending to behind angle of mouth and onto base of lower mandible; entire gular pouch dark, almost blackish brown, closely covered with yellow spots; a small area just back of angle of gonys solid yellow; upper mandible blackish brown; lower mandible white with terminal third dusky brown; legs and nails black. Length, 850; wing, 345; tail, 180; culmen, 66; tarsus, 60; middle toe with claw, 85.

Family ANHINGIDÆ.

Bill long, slender, straight, and sharply pointed, cutting edges near tip with distinct serrations; head small; neck long and slender; tail long; scapular feathers lanceolate; a pair of inner secondaries and the innermost pair of rectrices with outer webs pliciform.

Genus ANHINGA Brisson, 1760.

Characters same as those given for the Family.

167. ANHINGA MELANOGASTER Pennant.

INDIAN DARTER.

Anhinga melanogaster Pennant, Indian Zool. (1769), 13, pl. 12;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 39.
Plotus melanogaster Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 414;
Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 344, fig. 78; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1899), 1, 236; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 207.

Ca-sí-li, Manila, also used for the cormorant.

Luzon (Meyer, McGregor); Mindanao (Mearns, Clemens); Mindoro
(Steere Exp., Schmacker, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Porter);
Negros (Layard). Mesopotamia, Indian Peninsula, Indo-Chinese
countries, Indo-Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Celebes.

"Adult male.--Chin, throat, and upper part of fore neck mottled with white; a narrow white line, about 125 mm. long, commencing above gape and continued down sides of neck; head and neck brown, darker and slightly glossed on the crown and along the back of the neck, paler down the middle of fore neck, each feather being margined with pale brown and giving the whole a finely scaled appearance; upper back brownish black, each feather narrowly margined with rufescent and streaked with white on the lateral parts; rest of back, rump, lower part of fore neck, and under parts black with an oil-green gloss; wing-coverts, scapulars, and innermost secondaries black, each with a long, silvery white streak down the middle; scapulars much elongated and pointed, the longest measuring about 230 mm.; innermost secondary transversely ribbed along the basal two-thirds of outer web; quills and tail black, the middle pair of tail-feathers strongly ribbed on outer web and outer pairs slightly rayed. Tail composed of twelve feathers. 'Iris yellow; bill dusky on culmen, yellowish on sides and on lower mandible; legs black.' (Godwin-Austen.) Length, about 890; culmen, from feathers on forehead, 89 to 91; wing, 330 to 355; tail, 218 to 230; tarsus, 43; outer toe with claw, 81.

"The fully adult female (if the sex of several specimens in the British Museum is correctly determined) appears to be perfectly similar in plumage to the male, the only difference being that the bill is decidedly shorter, 79 to 81 mm. In some females, however, which appear to be perfectly adult, the black bases of the fore neck and the chest are divided on either side from the back by a whitish buff band, as in immature birds.

"Immature birds.--General color as in the adult, but neck much lighter and of a pale brownish white, becoming white down the middle of the fore neck; black at base of fore neck and chest bordered on each side by a whitish buff band; streaks on the upper plumage of a more yellowish white, long pointed scapulars absent or half developed; quills and tail-feathers pointed and narrowly margined at the tips with pale whitish brown; ribs on innermost scapulars and tail-feathers but slightly indicated; back, rump, and upper tail-coverts brownish black.

"Young in down.--Head, neck, upper back, and under parts covered with white down, amongst which the plumage of the immature is more or less visible; quill- and tail-feathers half grown, pointed and narrowly margined at the extremity with pale brownish white; scapulars and wing-coverts much like those of the adult, but fringed externally with brown. Length, 724." (Grant.)

"Exceedingly abundant about Lake Naujan in Mindoro, where it breeds. Rarer about fresh-water streams in the interior of that island. Not met with by us outside of Mindoro.

"Always swims with its body entirely immersed, and can remain under water an incredibly long time. Flies with difficulty when it first rises from water. Makes straight for some good roosting place, preferably a stump or log in the edge of the water, where it alights, turns its back to the sun, spreads its wings, and remains until thoroughly dry. When dry it flies rapidly, and may often be seen during the heat of the day soaring at a considerable height." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

"Very abundant on the upper waters of the Rio Grande de Cagayan in Isabela Province, and on the upper Agusan River and its lake system in Mindanao." (Worcester.)

The Indian darter is fairly abundant along the Baco River in Mindoro and on the Cagayan River in the vicinity of Aparri, Luzon. Clemens collected specimens on Lake Lanao, Mindanao.

Family SULIDÆ.

Bill stout and pointed, tapering gradually, the tip slightly curved but never hooked; a groove along each side of culmen; nostrils completely closed in adults; wings long and pointed, first primary longest; tail long and wedge shaped; tarsus short and stout; outer and middle toes nearly equal; claw of middle toe broad and pectinate.

Genus SULA Brisson, 1760.

Characters same as those given for the Family.

Species.

a1. Upper parts, head, and neck mostly pure white (adult). ... piscator (p. 204) a2. Upper parts uniform deep sooty brown.

b1. Breast and belly pure white (adult). ... leucogastra (p. 205)
b2. Breast and belly light brown (immature).

c1. Outer webs of flight feathers washed with hoary
gray. ... piscator (p. 204)
c2. Outer webs of flight feathers dark brown. ... leucogastra
(p. 205)

168. SULA PISCATOR (Linnæus).

RED-LEGGED BOOBY.

Pelecanus piscator Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 134.
Sula piscator Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 432;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 39.
Sula piscatrix Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 237; Oates, Cat. Birds'
Eggs (1902), 2, 210.

Mindanao (Steere Exp.). Oceania, southern Atlantic, Indian and
Australian seas.

"Adult.--General color pure white; primaries, primary-coverts, outer webs and tips of secondaries, and secondary-coverts hoary gray, inclining to blackish on outermost quills in freshly molted birds, and to blackish in worn specimens; chin and upper part of throat naked, the feathers ending in a straight line across throat; tail composed of fourteen, or sometimes sixteen feathers. Iris gray; bill grayish blue, shading into pink or reddish toward the base; naked skin round eye blue; gular pouch dark slate or black; legs and feet vermilion, red or dark pink, almost magenta.

"Adult male.--Length, about 750; culmen from feathers on forehead, 89; wing, 394; tail, 10 to 28; tarsus, 35.

"Adult female.--Length, about 710; culmen from feathers on forehead, 81 to 88; wing, 373 to 375; tail, 208 to 210; tarsus, 35.

"Immature in first plumage.--Entire plumage above and below brown, lighter on breast and belly; primaries and secondaries and their coverts like those of the adult, but the inner webs of the secondaries black. Cutting edges of the mandible sometimes serrated, and the inner margin of the middle claw pectinate. Bill bluish pink, the latter predominating toward the base; naked skin round eye dark leaden hue; gular pouch flesh-colored.

"More adult specimens (perhaps in the plumage of the second year) head, neck, and under parts white; back, wings, and tail brown as in the immature; middle tail-feathers dark, brownish gray toward the base, shading into white toward the extremity.

"A still more adult bird has a large amount of white or partially white feathers mixed with the brown of the back and wings.

"I should imagine that the fully adult plumage is not attained until the third or perhaps the fourth year. This species may be recognized in all stages of plumage by the hoary gray appearance on the outer webs of the quills." (Grant.)

169. SULA LEUCOGASTRA (Boddaert).

BROWN BOOBY.

Pelecanus leucogaster Boddaert, Tabl. Pl. Enl. (1783), 57.
Sula sula Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 436; Sharpe,
Hand-List (1899), 1, 237; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List
(1906), 40; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 212; Worcester,
Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907), 2, sec. A, 275. pl. 1 (Didicas Rocks).
Sula leucogaster Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 346,
fig. 80 (head).
Sula leucogastra A. O. U. Committee, Auk (1908), 25, 359.

Batan (McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Didicas Rocks (Worcester);
Dinagat (Everett); Luzon (McGregor); Mindanao (Cuming,
Everett). Tropical Atlantic, Indian, Australian, and Pacific
Oceans.

"Adult.--Head, neck, chest, entire upper parts, wings, and tail dark sooty brown; breast, rest of the under parts, axillars and under wing-coverts of the secondaries pure white. Tail composed of 14 feathers. Iris silvery white, white, or gray; bill whitish green or greenish blue, becoming flesh-colored or bluish at the base; naked skin on sides of face and gular pouch bluish, greenish, or yellowish; legs and feet pale green or lead-green, sometimes inclining to yellowish.

"Adult male.--Length, about 711; culmen from feathers on forehead, 100; wing, 389 to 396; tail, 190 to 195; tarsus, 46 to 48.

"Adult female.--Length, about 711; culmen from feathers on forehead, 100; wing, 389 to 396; tail, 190 to 195; tarsus, 46 to 48.

"Immature in first plumage.--Differs in having the head, neck, chest, entire upper parts, wings and tail brown, much lighter than in the adult; breast, belly, and under parts still paler brown, the feathers fringed with whitish brown, and generally sharply defined from the darker chest; axillars and secondary under wing-coverts mixed with smoky brown.

"More mature birds (? plumage of the second year).--Breast, belly, and under parts largely mixed with white, only the subterminal portion of each feather smoky brown.

"Still more mature bird (? plumage of the third year).--Head, neck, chest, and upper parts darker brown, and more like those of the adult; the breast and belly thickly mixed with the pure white feathers of the adult. These appear to be entirely attained by molt, many half-grown ones being concealed beneath the plumage." (Grant.)

This gannet is quite abundant about the small islands north of Luzon and it probably finds nesting places on some of the more isolated rocks. Gannets lay their chalky white eggs in the sand or construct flat nests of sticks which they place in bushes or trees. One or two eggs are deposited in a nest.

Family FREGATIDÆ.

Bill long and strongly hooked, both mandibles decurved at tip; lateral grooves deep; nostrils situated in the grooves and practically closed; a large naked and brightly colored gular pouch; wings pointed and extremely long; first primary longest; tail long and very deeply forked; feet absurdly small and weak for so large a bird; claw of middle toe pectinate; tarsus very short; plumage black with beautiful green and purple gloss.

Genus FREGATA Lacépède, 1799.

Characters same as those given for the Family.

Species.

a1. Breast and sides black (males).

b1. Larger; culmen, 92 to 112 mm.; wing, 520 to 655; no white patch
on flank. ... aquila (p. 206)
b2. Smaller; culmen, 58 to 89 mm.; wing, 488 to 533; a white patch
on each flank. ... ariel (p. 207)

a2. Breast and sides white (females).

b1. Larger; culmen, 109 to 132 mm.; wing, 612 to 678; no white
collar round back of neck. ... aquila (p. 206)
b2. Smaller; culmen, 81 to 91 mm.; wing, 510 to 528; a white collar
round back of neck. ... ariel (p. 207)

170. FREGATA AQUILA (Linnæus).

GREATER MAN-O'-WAR BIRD.

Pelecanus aquilus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 133.
Fregata aquila Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 543;
Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 237; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 212; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 40.

Sa-la-gun-ting', Manila; lang-y-san', Cagayancillo.

Cagayancillo (McGregor). Tropical and subtropical oceans of
both hemispheres.

"Adult male.--General color black, becoming sooty below; feathers of head, upper back, and scapulars elongate and pointed; head with slight oil-green gloss; scapulars strongly glossed with bronze-green, this color changing to purple when specimen is held away from the light; a trace of green and purple gloss on breast and sides. Iris brown; bill black except the tip which is horn-gray; gular pouch dark crimson; feet blackish brown, flesh-colored below; webs bluish below; nails brown. Extent of wings, 1,830; length of bird, 914; wing, 600; tail, 410; depth of fork, 240; culmen from base, 105; tarsus, 20. Grant gives the following measurements: Length, about 1,016; culmen, from feathers on forehead, 91 to 112; wing, 521 to 655; tail, 355 to 376; tarsus, 18."

"Adult female.--Feathers of head less elongate than in the male and with little or no gloss; upper back and scapulars slightly elongate and almost devoid of metallic gloss; back of head dark brown; fore neck, chest, breast, and sides of belly pure white; lesser and median wing-coverts brown, with paler margins and dark middles; rest of plumage like that of adult male. Iris dark brown; bill bluish horn-color; orbits and gular skin dark plumbeous, with a tinge of violet; feet carmine. Length, 582 to 678; tail, 373 to 483; tarsus, 25.

"Male and female immature.--Head, neck, upper part of chest, and middle of lower breast and belly, white; sides and upper breast dark sooty brown; rest of plumage like adult female. Iris dull dark blue; naked skin on throat lavender, bill horn-color, darker at base; feet pale pinkish blue." (Grant.)

"The eggs of the great frigate bird measure from 59 to 72 mm. in length and from 42 to 51 in breadth." (Oates.) The eggs are white and covered with more or less chalk-like substance.

The frigate pelicans are preëminently soaring birds of wonderful power. In these Islands they are rarely seen, and far more rarely killed, as they usually fly at great heights. During the nesting season they are fearless and may be observed near at hand. The larger species, at least, may nest on some of the more remote and rocky islands of this Archipelago.

171. FREGATA ARIEL (Gould).

LESSER MAN-O'-WAR BIRD.

Attagen ariel Gould, in Gray's Genera Birds (1845), 3, 669.
Fregata ariel Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 447;
Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1898), 4, 338, fig. 77 (head);
Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 237; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 213; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 40.
Fregata minor (not Pelecanus minor Gmelin) Sharpe, Ibis (1888),
204; Grant, Ibis (1896), 128.

Con-pi-sao', Bantayan.

Bantayan (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead);
Mindanao (Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan
(Whitehead). Tropical and subtropical Indian and Pacific Oceans.

"Adult male.--General color black, inclining to sooty black on under parts; feathers of head, upper back, and scapulars elongate and pointed, the former with a dull oil-green gloss, the latter dark metallic-green in freshly molted specimens, but becoming bronze or purple with wear; a large white patch on each flank. Tail composed of 12 feathers. Iris black; naked skin round eye and gular pouch red; bill gray; feet black. Length, about 760; culmen from feathers on forehead, 58 to 89; wing, 487 to 533; tail, 279 to 338; tarsus, 19.

"Adult female.--Head like that of the male, but feathers of the back and scapulars less elongate and of a brownish black color with scarcely a trace of metallic gloss; breast, sides of belly, flanks, and a wide collar round the neck white; lesser and median wing-coverts pale brown, with whitish margins and deep brown shaft-stripes; plumage otherwise like that of the male. Iris red; bill gray; bare skin round the eye and on the throat red, but not so light as that of the male; feet red. Length, about 760; culmen from feathers on forehead, 81 to 91; wing, 510 to 528; tail, 287 to 343; tarsus, 18.

"Male and female immature.--Head and neck white, shading into brown on the chest, breast, sides of belly, lower neck, and upper parts; middle of belly and flanks white. It will thus be seen that the colors of the above parts are just the reverse of those of the adult female, the white parts being dark and vice versa; rest of the plumage much like that of the adult female. Iris black; bill and feet whitish with a shade of blue." (Grant.)

"Not infrequently seen singly or in small flocks, but very difficult to kill." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Family PELECANIDÆ.

Body large and heavy; upper mandible depressed, narrower and higher at base, broader and flattened toward the end, composed of a median bar, continuing the whole length of the bill and terminating in a strongly hooked nail, and of two lateral portions each separated from the median bar by a very narrow groove, in the basal part of which the small nostril opens; lower mandible thin, of two flexible arches supporting a large pouch of naked membrane.

Genus PELECANUS Linnæus, 1758.

Characters same as those given for the Family.

172. PELECANUS PHILIPPENSIS Gmelin.

SPOTTED-BILLED PELICAN.

Pelecanus philippensis Gmelin, Syst. Nat. (1788), 1, pt. 2, 571;
Grant, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1898), 26, 471; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1899), 1, 238; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 217; McGregor,
Bull. Philippine Mus. (1904), 4, 14, pls. 3 & 4; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 40; Dubois, Genera Avium, Pelecanidæ
(1907), 3, pl. fig. 4.
Pelecanus manillensis Oates, Birds Brit. Burmah (1883), 2, 236;
Hume, Nests & Eggs Ind. Bds. Oates ed. (1890), 3, 276.

Pa-ga'-la, Manila.

Luzon (Sonnerat, McGregor, Worcester); Mindanao (Mearns). India
and Ceylon, south to Burmah and Malay Peninsula, east to China
and Hainan.

"Adult in breeding plumage.--(September to February). General color pure white; forehead, top of head, fairly long crest, cheeks, and neck covered with dense curly, very soft, pure white feathers, with their black bases more or less visible; hind neck, from crest to upper back, covered with soft grayish brown feathers, forming a mane; upper back, scapulars, and wing-coverts white, tinged, especially on the lesser wing-coverts, with cream-color; winglet, primaries, and primary-coverts brownish black, with the upper surface of the shafts dark; secondaries grayish brown, paler on the outer web and shading into brownish gray on innermost secondaries; an interscapular line down the middle of upper back; lower back, rump, flanks, under tail-coverts, axillars, and under wing-coverts vinaceous; rest of under parts pure white, chest and upper breast tinged with yellow; tail-feathers ashy, paler toward the tips and with dark shafts. Tail composed of 22 feathers. 'Bill pinkish yellow, the lateral portions of the upper mandible with large bluish black spots; the nail and terminal halves of both mandibles orange-yellow; central portions of sides of lower mandible smeared with bluish black; pouch dull purple, blotched and spotted with bluish black; eyelids and skin round eye orange-yellow; skin in front of eye livid; legs and feet very dark brown; claws yellowish horn; iris stone-white, varying to pale yellow, clouded with brown.' (Oates.) Length, 1,295 to 1,500; culmen, 320 to 368; wing, 558 to 610; tail, 203 to 421; tarsus, 84 to 96. The female is somewhat smaller than the male, but not conspicuously so.

"Adult in non-breeding plumage (March-August).--Plumage similar to that of the young after the first molt.

"Nestling.--Covered with white down; iris dark brown; bill pale plumbeous; legs china-white; pouch pale bluish white. The down on the wings soon turns to pale rufous; and the scapulars, when they appear, are brown, edged with ferruginous; the wing-coverts, on making their appearance, are furnished with a dense fringe of rufous down, which, however, soon falls off, leaving the feathers with rufous margins; the scapulars are developed very rapidly, and their ferruginous margins are diminished in extent as the bird grows; the down on the head and neck gives place to brownish feathers, and the crest and loose feathers of the mane on the hind neck soon make their appearance.

"The young bird, when fully fledged, retains its first feathers for at least one year, the only change being that the brown colors become darker and the rufous edgings abraded and consequently less marked. The impressed spots on the bill are not indicated till the sixth month, and even at the end of twelve months these spots are quite indistinct, compared with those of the adult bird. Toward the end of the first year a livid spot appears in front of the eyes and soon becomes clearly defined. The nail and the terminal third of the edges of the bill are yellow, legs and toes flesh-color.

"After the first molt, at about twelve months of age, the whole head and neck are covered with short, soft, downy feathers, the bases of which are black, the tips white; and the crest and mane are developed to the same extent as in the adult; the shoulders and scapulars are wood-brown; the lesser and median coverts to the secondaries wood-brown; the feathers all edged with paler; the greater coverts darker brown, edged with light brown; the coverts to the tertiaries grayish brown, edged with pale fulvous. The whole of the coverts narrow and sharp-pointed; the winglet, primaries, and their coverts dark brown; the secondaries brown, tinged with ashy on the outer webs; the whole back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and flanks white; the lower plumage whitish brown, each feather being white with the tip brownish, the feathers close, dense, and soft.

"In June of the third year, or when the bird is about thirty months old, the molt into adult breeding plumage is commenced and the change is entirely effected by October, except that in this first breeding season the wing-coverts never become entirely white as in the old birds, the feathers of these parts being a mixture of long sharp-pointed, white feathers, and comparatively blunt brown ones. Between June and October the pouch, which has hitherto been spotless, becomes blotched with livid as in the adults, the blotches extending to the face; the legs turn to dark brown; the iris becomes paler brown; and the spots on the bill become firm and well defined.

"Mr. E. W. Oates, having kept large numbers of P. philippensis in confinement, has had exceptional opportunities of studying the changes of plumage, and the above descriptions are the results of his observations, published in his Birds of British Burmah." (Grant.)

"We were informed that pelicans were abundant on the Laguna de Bay at certain seasons, but when we were there none were to be found. A number of specimens are preserved in the Jesuit Museum at Manila, and several live birds were to be seen there on different occasions when we visited the Museum. Padre Sanchez kindly offered us specimens, and we intended to accept his offer at a later date, but unforeseen circumstances prevented our doing so." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

"Abundant about fish-breeding ponds in tide-water marshes of Bulacan in February, 1904. Also at Anao, Tarlac Province, in same month and year. Fairly common in the Candaba swamp, Luzon." (Worcester.)

Order ACCIPITRIFORMES.

EAGLES, HAWKS, AND FALCONS.

Bill strong, upper mandible considerably longer than the lower, culmen much curved, end of bill hooked and its tip perpendicular; basal portion of bill covered by a membrane or cere, in which the nostrils are situated; legs large; feet very strong, claws curved and sharp; general plumage compact; wings long and powerful; tail nearly square, rarely forked or wedge-shaped.

Suborders.

a1. Claws less curved, that of middle toe describing much less than a semicircle; outer toe not reversible. ... Accipitres (p. 211) a2. Claws greatly curved, that of middle toe describing a full semicircle; outer toe reversible. ... Pandiones (p. 244)

Suborder ACCIPITRES.

This suborder includes all the hawks and eagles except the fish hawks of the genera Pandion and Polioaëtus; its members are distinguished by having the outer toe not reversible and all of the claws moderately curved, that of middle toe describing much less than a semicircle; concave or under side of each claw hollowed or grooved instead of rounded.

Family FALCONIDÆ.

Characters same as those given for the Suborder.

Subfamilies.

a1. Tarsus and toes longer and more slender. ... Accipitrinæ (p. 211) a2. Tarsus and toes shorter and stouter. ... Aquilinæ (p. 222)

Subfamily ACCIPITRINÆ.

In external characters this subfamily differs very little from Aquilinæ; its members are weaker with body and legs more slender, wings and tail longer, and plumage less compact.

Genera.

a1. Hinder aspect of tarsus with many hexagonal scales; wing, 300 mm. or more. ... Circus (p. 211) a2. Hinder aspect of tarsus without hexagonal scales; wing, 200 mm. or less.

b1. Middle toe without claw about twice the culmen from anterior
margin of cere. ... Astur (p. 216)
b2. Middle toe without claw more than twice the culmen from anterior
margin of cere. ... Accipiter (p. 219)

Genus CIRCUS Lacépède, 1799.

Bill moderate or weak, somewhat compressed; margin of upper mandible slightly sinuate but not toothed; wing very long and pointed, first primary short, about equal to sixth; secondaries much shorter than primaries; tail long, slightly graduated or nearly square; tarsus long and slender, feathered at the base and overhung for about half its length by the long thigh-feathers; front of tarsus with transverse plates, sides and most of the hinder aspect with hexagonal scales; toes long, nails long and much curved; behind ear-coverts and sometimes across the throat a "ruff" of short, rather stiff feathers, most conspicuous in the young of melanoleucos and not very evident in the other species.

The harriers or marsh hawks are noticeable among birds of prey for their slender form, long slender legs, and slow flight. Adult birds can be easily identified but the immature specimens present considerable difficulty.

Species.

(Adult.)

a1. Upper parts black; tail silvery gray; lower breast, abdomen, and crissum white.

b1. Throat and fore breast white streaked with black. ... spilonotus
(p. 211)
b2. Throat and fore breast black. ... melanoleucos (p. 214)

a2. Upper parts dark brown; tail bluish ash. ... æruginosus (p. 215)

(Immature.)

a1. Facial ruff complete across the throat; smaller, tarsus about 70 mm.; wing, 340 mm. ... melanoleucos (p. 214) a2. Facial ruff incomplete; tarsus about 90 mm.; wing, 400 mm.

b1. Lighter; general color more rufous-brown. ... spilonotus (p. 212)
b2. Darker; general color more chocolate-brown. ... æruginosus
(p. 215)

173. CIRCUS SPILONOTUS Kaup.

ASIATIC MARSH HAWK.

Circus spilonotus Kaup, Cont. Orn. (1850), 59; Sharpe, Cat. Birds
Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 58; Hand-List (1899), 1, 245; Blanford,
Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1895), 3, 388; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1902), 2, 236; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 40.

La-uin', Manila; ma-na-o', Calayan, all species of small hawks.

Batan (Edmonds); Calayan (McGregor); Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead);
Mindanao (Platen); Mindoro (Everett); Palawan (Whitehead,
Everett); Sulu (Guillemard). Eastern Siberia; in winter to China,
Indo-Burmese countries, and Malay Archipelago.

Adult male.--Above black, nape and hind neck narrowly streaked with white; feathers of lower back and rump tipped with ashy gray or white; sides of head and ear-coverts black; lower parts white; chin, throat, and breast with bold black shaft-streaks; primaries black, white for basal third; alula, primary-coverts, and secondaries ashy white with blackish shafts; secondary-coverts black, more or less mixed with ashy white; under coverts and axillars white; tail ashy white; upper tail-coverts white. Iris bright yellow; legs dull yellow; cere waxy green; bill and nails black. The above specimen from Tarlac Province, Luzon, measures, 520 in length; wing, 410; tail, 230; culmen from base, 33; tarsus, 92; middle toe with claw, 63.

Younger male.--Color pattern similar; upper parts brown; white streaks on head and neck more numerous; under parts white with wider streaks of reddish brown which are also present on flanks and abdomen; primaries black, some of them barred with ashy white; wing-coverts brown with less white than the adult; primary-coverts and alula ashy white but with blackish brown bars; under wing-coverts white, streaked with blackish brown; axillars white, streaked and barred with reddish brown. Length, 533; wing, 400; tail, 235; culmen from base, 32; tarsus, 80; middle toe with claw, 61.

"Adult female.--Above brown slightly shaded with ashy, the dorsal feathers obsoletely margined with dull rufous; crown and hind neck tawny-buff, paler on the neck, all the feathers mesially streaked with brown; scapulars and wing-coverts margined and barred with tawny or fulvous, the least wing-coverts more conspicuously margined with rufous; quills brown, narrowly tipped with whitish, externally shaded with ashy gray, the secondaries less distinctly, and all barred across with darker brown; under surface of wing white, the dark bars showing very distinctly; lower back and rump brown, the feathers distinctly tipped with pale rufous; upper tail-coverts pure white; tail ashy gray, tipped with fulvous and crossed with five blackish bands, the subterminal one much the broadest, the ashy gray interspaces inclining to or replaced by pale tawny on the outer feathers; lores as well as a distinct eyebrow and ear-coverts buffy white; sides of face and of neck, as well as the facial ruff, rufous-buff streaked with dark brown; under surface of body creamy buff, with central pointed marks of rufous-brown to the feathers, more distinct on the fore neck and under wing- and tail-coverts; flank-feathers and axillars rufous-brown, with large rounded spots of creamy buff on both webs; under wing-coverts and thighs creamy buff, with irregular central streaks of rufous-brown occupying the major part of the greater under wing-coverts. Length, 584; wing, 394; tail, 279; tarsus, 79." (Sharpe.)

"Adult female.--Brown above, the feathers throughout with pale rufous edges; tail-coverts white and rufous; tail with about six dark cross-bands, which disappear in old individuals; lower parts buff, with broad rufous-brown shaft-stripes. The quills are dark brown but become grayish in old birds.

"Young birds so closely resemble those of C. æruginosus as to be indistinguishable at times. The pale head and neck-feathers are always striated in C. spilonotus, but the body, wings, and tail are uniform brown or variegated with buff on the wing-coverts, back, and breast. Generally, though not invariably, traces of bars will be found on some of the tail-feathers of C. spilonotus, but this occasionally happens in C. æruginosus also.

"Length, of male, 508; tail, 235; wing, 394; tarsus, 89; tail of female, 254; wing, 419; tarsus, 94." (Blanford.)

174. CIRCUS MELANOLEUCOS (Pennant).

PIED MARSH HAWK.

Falco melanoleucos Pennant, Ind. Zool. (1769), 2, pl. 2.
Circus melanoleucus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 61;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 245; Blanford, Fauna Brit. Ind. Bds. (1895),
3, 385; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 237; McGregor and
Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41; McGregor, Phil. Jour. Sci. (1907),
2, sec. A, 322, pl. 1.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Mearns); Bohol (McGregor); Calayan
(McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Steere Exp., Whitehead);
Mindanao (Steere Exp., Celestino); Negros (Bourns & Worcester,
Keay); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Sulu (Guillemard); Ticao
(McGregor). Eastern Siberia and Mongolia; in winter to China,
northeastern Indian Peninsula, and Indo-Chinese countries.

"Adult male.--Upper parts glossy black; rump and upper tail-coverts white, the latter with two or three broad cross-bars of black or ashy gray, the former also shaded with gray; wing-coverts silvery gray, margined with white, with a broad band of black feathers extending from the bend of wing parallel with its margin and joining the median coverts, which are also black; primaries black; primary-coverts and secondaries silvery gray, except the innermost, which are black; tail entirely silvery gray, tipped with white, below and on the inner webs white; sides of face and neck, throat, and chest glossy black; rest of under surface, including under wing- and tail-coverts, pure white. Bill and cere black; feet yellow; iris yellow. Length, 457; culmen, 25; wing, 356; tail, 216; tarsus, 76." (Sharpe.)

"Adult female.--Above dark brown, the feathers of the crown and neck with rufous edges, those of the nape broadly bordered with white; a well-marked ruff of small white or buffy white feathers with brown shaft-stripes; around eyes whitish; cheeks and ear-coverts dirty white or pale rufous with brown streaks; smaller coverts along forearm white (in younger birds rufous) with blackish brown shaft-stripes, median coverts brown with gray or white spots and bars, larger coverts dusky gray with a broad subterminal blackish band and another near the base; primaries outside blackish brown; secondaries gray, with blackish cross-bands, beneath all are grayish or whitish with dark bands; upper tail-coverts white, sometimes with rufous-brown drops or bands; tail gray with dark brown cross-bands; lower parts white, with dark brown shaft-stripes, broad on the throat and breast, narrower and sometimes disappearing on the abdomen.

"Young birds are more uniform brown above than the adult female, and have no gray on the wings or tail, which are brown with darker bands; the ruff is ill-marked at the sides, but there is a large white brown-streaked nuchal patch and another patch of buff-edged brown feathers on the throat; the lower parts generally are rufous-brown, faintly streaked darker.

"For a long time it was supposed that both sexes in this bird were pied and similar, but the true facts were gradually traced out by Mr. Hume. Still one undoubted case is recorded by Mr. Cripps in which a female assumed the pied livery of the adult male, and other probable cases are indicated by the measurements of pied specimens. Length of male, 432; tail, 216; wing, 349; tarsus, 76; length of female, 470; tail, 228; wing, 368; tarsus, 81; bill from gape, 30." (Blanford.)

The adult male of the pied marsh hawk is a very beautiful and graceful bird; the female and young are dull brown and unattractive. This species is fairly abundant in the lowlands where it frequents open country.

175. CIRCUS ÆRUGINOSUS (Linnæus).

EUROPEAN MARSH HAWK.

Falco æruginosus Linnæus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10 (1758), 1, 91.
Circus æruginosus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 69;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 246; Blanford, Fauna Brit. India Bds. (1895),
3, 387; Grant, Ibis (1895), 438; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 239; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41.

Cagayan Sulu (Mearns); Luzon (Whitehead); Mindoro
(Everett). Temperate Europe and Siberia; in winter to northern
Africa, Indian Peninsula, and China.

"Adult male.--Head, neck, and breast buff or pale rufous, with dark brown shaft-stripes, broader on the breast; back and most of the wing-coverts dark brown; scapulars still darker, sometimes gray toward the base; smallest coverts along the forearm whitish, with dark brown shafts; outer greater coverts, primary-coverts, and all quills except first six primaries dark silvery gray, remaining coverts and very often the tertiaries dark brown; first six primaries black with the basal portion white; upper tail-coverts white with rufous and brown mixed in various ways; tail gray above, isabelline below; abdomen and lower tail-coverts ferruginous brown, more or less striped darker.

"Females are dark brown except the crown, nape, chin, and more or less of the throat, which are buff with brown stripes. There is sometimes a patch of buff on the breast, the wing-coverts and back have buff edges, and the upper tail-coverts are rufous.

"The young of both sexes resemble the female, except that the buff on the head is sometimes unstreaked and more limited in extent, being confined in some cases to a nuchal patch or even wanting altogether.

"'Bill black; cere and base of bill greenish yellow; iris yellow, brownish yellow in females and young; legs and feet rich yellow.' (Hume.)

"Length of males, 533; tail, 241; wing, 406; tarsus, 86; length of females, 572; tail, 248; wing, 419; tarsus, 89." (Blanford.)

The measurements given by Sharpe are as follows: "Male, length, 571; culmen, 39; wing, 406; tail, 254; tarsus, 86. Female, length, 584; wing, 432; tail, 279; tarsus, 96."

The young of Circus spilonotus and C. æruginosus are similar in plumage and as the size is also nearly the same it is a matter of some difficulty to distinguish between them. Sharpe identified as C. æruginosus a young female collected in the Philippines by Cuming, but he finally referred it to C. spilonotus. Whitehead obtained an immature male in northern Luzon which according to Grant "is undoubtedly referable to the present species [æruginosus]." Concerning the specimen from Calayan Sulu, collected by Mearns, Dr. Chas. W. Richmond writes that "it may prove to be spilonotus." Hartert makes no comment on the specimen collected by Everett in Mindoro.

Some of the numerous brown marsh hawks in the Bureau of Science collection may be of this species but they can not be determined at present.

Genus ASTUR Lacépède, 1799.

Bill small and compressed, upper mandible with a deep notch or a strong sinuation near its tip; first primary short, third or fourth longest; tarsus rather long and with transverse plates in front and behind but the division lines between plates very obscure.

Species.

a1. Larger, length more than 330 mm.; under parts white, barred with brown or pale rufous. ... trivirgatus (p. 216) a2. Smaller; length less than 330 mm.; under parts not barred.

b1. Breast light chestnut. ... soloensis (p. 217)
b2. Breast light gray. ... cuculoides (p. 218)

176. ASTUR TRIVIRGATUS (Temminck).

CRESTED GOSHAWK.

Falco trivirgatus Temminck, Pl. Col. (1824), 1, pl. 303.
Astur trivirgatus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 105;
Hand-List (1899), 1, 249; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902), 2, 243;
McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41.

Balabac (Everett); Leyte (Everett); Mindanao (Everett, Steere
Exp., Platen, Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, Goodfellow); Palawan
(Whitehead, Platen); Samar (Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead). Indian
Peninsula, Indo-Malayan Islands, Ceylon, Formosa.

"Adult male.--Above slaty gray, the upper tail-coverts blackish and tipped with white; head and neck clearer slaty gray, including a conspicuous occipital crest, the sides of the neck somewhat tinged with rufous; quills browner than the back, primaries with rufescent shafts, barred above with dark brown, much plainer underneath, where the quills are white at the base of the inner web; tail ashy brown, paler at tip, crossed with four bands of dark brown; throat white, with a distinct black moustachial streak on each side and a broad median line; chest clear tawny-rufous; rest of under surface white, broadly banded with pale rufous, each bar of this color having a conterminous brown bar, the thighs thickly barred with ashy brown without any rufous tinge; under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts white, spotted with brown or rufous-brown, and the axillars similarly barred. Cere orange-yellow; bill black, lead-color at base; cheeks and orbits orange; feet yellow; iris orange-yellow. Length, 356; culmen, 27; wing, 198; tail, 160; tarsus, 56.

"Adult female.--Similar to the adult male, but much larger. Length, 457; wing, 246; tarsus, 68.

"Young.--Above brown, with a fully developed occipital crest, upper tail-coverts banded with darker brown and tipped with white; quills and tail much as in the adult, the latter with five cross-bands of darker brown; under surface of body white, the throat with the three characteristic streaks like the adult, the breast broadly streaked with pale rufous, inclining to dark brown in the center of the chest, the lower breast and abdomen barred with pale rufous, the bars narrower and darker on the thighs; under tail-coverts white, with a few narrow, nearly obsolete, cross-bars; under wing-coverts buff, spotted and barred with dark brown." (Sharpe.)

177. ASTUR SOLOENSIS (Latham).

HORSFIELD'S GOSHAWK.

Falco soloensis Latham, Gen. Hist. (1821), 1, 209.
Astur soloensis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 114,
pl. 4, fig. 1; Hand-List (1899), 1, 250; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs
(1902), 2, 245; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41.

Basilan (McGregor); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Luzon (Whitehead);
Mindanao (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Goodfellow). China and
Indo-Chinese countries; in winter to Malay Peninsula, Indo-Malayan
Islands, and Moluccas.

"Adult.--The adult plumage appears to be gained by a gradual mersion of the rufous stripes on the breast. Above light bluish gray, some of the feathers margined with darker gray; sides of face and neck gray like the head, but a little more dingy; under surface of the body pale buffy vinous, the throat, flanks, and thighs, as well as the under wing- and tail-coverts, white, with a slight grayish shade on the sides of the breast; quills black externally, shaded with ashy gray, under surface white at base of inner web, but having no distinct bars above or below; tail dull bluish gray above, ashy white beneath, with four or five indistinct cross-bands of dark brown, a little plainer underneath, but these not strictly continuous. Cere yellow; gape and orbits yellowish; bill black, lead-color at base; feet yellow; iris yellow. Length, 300; culmen, 19; wing, 200; tail, 137; tarsus, 48.

"Observation.--A specimen from the Philippines, nearly adult in every respect, is much deeper slate-color above, and far more ruddy and vinous below, than the one described.

"Young.--Above brown, with rufous edgings to the feathers, a little broader on the upper tail-coverts, the sides of the neck washed with rufous, the nape mottled with white; crown blackish, an ill-defined eyebrow and fore part of the cheeks white, narrowly lined with blackish brown; the ear-coverts brown, slightly washed with dull rufous; throat buffy white, with a moustachial line on each side and a median streak of brown; rest of under surface buffy white, the chest broadly streaked and the breast and flanks barred with pale rufous; under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts clear buff, the lowest ones spotted with blackish; quills dark brown, slightly tipped with whitish, very indistinctly barred above with darker brown, underneath buffy white at the base of the inner web, indistinctly barred with dark brown, visible only on the inner webs; tail ashy brown, whitish at tip, crossed with five bars of darker brown, the under surface whitish ashy, the cross-bars more distinct, except on the outer web, where they are almost obsolete." (Sharpe.)

"Met with only in Mindanao, where it is not at all common." (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Male specimen from Cagayancillo: Bill black, bluish at base; iris dark brown; cere and legs buffy yellow; nails black. Length, 285; wing, 190; tail, 131; culmen from base, 20; tarsus, 41.

178. ASTUR CUCULOIDES (Temminck).

CUCKOO GOSHAWK.

Falco cuculoides Temminck, Pl. Col. (1823), 1, pls. 110, 129.
Astur cuculoides Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 115,
pl. 4, fig. 2; Hand-List (1899), 1, 250; McGregor, Bull. Philippine
Mus. (1904), 4, 15; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41.

Cagayancillo (McGregor). China; in winter to the Malay Archipelago.

"Adult.--Above light slaty gray, the margins to the feathers rather darker, the ear-coverts and sides of neck a little paler than the upper surface; lores slightly whitish; under surface of body very pale vinous, somewhat tinged with ashy on sides of breast and throat, the latter being otherwise whitish; lower flanks, abdomen, under tail-coverts, and thighs white; the latter indistinctly dusted with ashy; under wing-coverts and axillars pure white; upper wing-coverts slaty gray like back; quills blackish, shaded above with slaty gray, lower surface of primaries black, all the quills white at base of inner web, more extended on the secondaries, which are ashy gray toward the tips; tail deep slaty gray, nearly uniform above, grayish ash-color below, inclining to white near base of feathers and crossed with five bands of darker brown, the subterminal one broadest. Cere yellow; bill horn-brown; feet yellow, claws black; iris dark brown. Length, 310; culmen, 18; wing, 203; tail, 127; tarsus, 51." (Sharpe.)

A male specimen from Cagayancillo measures: Length, 300; wing, 190; tail, 136; culmen from base, 20; tarsus, 40. Iris very dark brown; bill black, greenish at base; cere orange; feet light orange; nails black.

Genus ACCIPITER Brisson, 1760.

This genus is closely related to Astur but the plumage is always more or less mottled or barred and the middle toe is relatively longer; culmen from front margin of cere less than half the middle toe without claw; notch in upper mandible less pronounced.

Species.

a1. Under parts with wide dark bars, with wide shaft-stripes, or with large round drop-like spots; tarsus of male, 42; of female, 44.

b1. Fourth primary considerably longer than fifth. ... gularis
(p. 219)
b2. Fourth primary but slightly longer than fifth. ... virgatus
(p. 220)

a2. Under parts nearly uniform dull chestnut, abdomen, flanks, and thighs narrowly barred with white; tarsus of male, 48; of female, 54. ... manillensis (p. 220)

179. ACCIPITER GULARIS (Temminck and Schlegel).

JAPANESE SPARROW HAWK.

Astur (nisus) gularis Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica, Aves
(1850), 5, pl. 2.
Accipiter gularis Grant, Ibis (1896), 104; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1899), 1, 254; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41.
Accipiter virgatus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 150
(part).

Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); Fuga (Whitehead); Mindanao
(Koch & Schadenberg). Japan, northern China; in winter to Malay
Peninsula and Malay Archipelago.

Adult.--Above including wings, blackish slate, the bases of the feathers pure white with a tendency to show on the nape; ear-coverts and sides of neck slaty gray, the feathers edged with rufous; sides of face slate, lined with white; chin and throat white with blackish shaft-lines; breast and sides vinous-chestnut; abdomen and under tail-coverts white; quills blackish, inner webs white basally; secondaries and inner primaries barred with blackish; under wing-coverts and axillars pale ochraceous; tail ashy brown crossed by five bars of blackish brown, seven bars on outermost pair. Male, length, 273; wing, 190; tail, 124; culmen from base, 18; tarsus, 45; middle toe with claw, 33. Female, length, 295; wing, 205; tail, 148; culmen from base, 18; tarsus, 42; middle toe with claw, 34.

Immature.--Upper parts dark brown, most of the feathers edged with rusty or earthy brown; under parts white with wide bars of light rusty brown. This plumage is followed by one in which the under parts are white with wide shaft-streaks of blackish brown. Specimens occur with the fore breast streaked and the hind breast, sides, and flanks barred and with individual feathers both barred and streaked. The acquisition of adult plumage probably takes some time, two or three years.

The preceding descriptions are taken from birds collected in Calayan Island and while none of them shows the complete adult plumage, one specimen has the breast partly chestnut indicating the adult plumage.

Grant characterizes A. gularis as follows:

"Female adult.--Like A. nisus, being barred transversely up to the throat, which is white, with a more or less well-marked dark line down the middle, formed by the very narrow black or grayish-black shaft-stripes to the feathers. Fourth primary quill longest and considerably longer than the fifth.

"Male adult.--Throat white, the line of feathers down the middle with black shafts, forming a very narrow black central line, absent in the most adult examples. The fourth primary quill longest, and considerably longer than the fifth."

180. ACCIPITER VIRGATUS (Temminck).

INDIAN SPARROW HAWK.

Falco virgatus Temminck, Pl. Col. (1823), 1, pl. 109.
Accipiter virgatus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 150
(part); Hand-List (1899), 1, 253; Everett, Ibis (1895), 38.
Accipiter gularis McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41
(part).

Palawan (Everett). Southern India, Ceylon, Andamans, and Greater
Sunda Islands.

"Adult male.--Above deep blackish slate-color, the nape slightly mottled with white, the crown and wing-coverts a little darker; quills dark brown, shaded with slate-color, without any bars above, the under surface paler and more ashy, inclining to pale rufous near the base of inner web, with blackish cross-bars; tail ashy gray above, whitish ashy beneath, paler at tip, and crossed with three bars of slaty black; ear-coverts and sides of neck slaty gray, the latter washed with rufous; fore part of cheeks and throat buffy white, with a few indistinct blackish shaft-lines here and there; rest of under surface bright vinous-chestnut, much paler on the thighs; abdomen and under tail-coverts white; under wing-coverts rich ocherous, the lower ones and the axillars irregularly barred with brownish. Cere yellow; bill black, lead-color at base; feet pale orange-yellow; iris yellow. Length, 279; culmen, 19; wing, 168; tail, 129; tarsus, 48.

"Adult female.--A little larger than the male. Length, 330; wing, 188; tarsus, 56." (Sharpe.)

181. ACCIPITER MANILLENSIS (Meyen).

PHILIPPINE SPARROW HAWK.

Nisus manillensis Meyen, Beitr. (1834), 694, pl. 9.
Accipiter virgatus Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 150
(part).
Accipiter manillensis Grant, Ibis (1897), 212; Sharpe, Hand-List
(1899), 1, 254; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 41.
Accipiter stevensoni Tweeddale, Proc. Zool. Soc. (1878), 938,
pl. 57.

Cebu (McGregor); Guimaras (Bourns & Worcester); Leyte (Whitehead);
Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Bourns &
Worcester, Celestino, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Everett, Porter);
Negros (Steere).

Adult.--Above brown; head, neck, and mantle with an ashy blue wash, basal portion of feathers white or with one or two large white spots; back, rump, and tail-coverts brown without hidden white spots; sides of head brown; chin and throat white with a narrow median brown line; remainder of under parts rich reddish brown or rusty chestnut, most intense and uniform on breast and sides, each feather barred with dark brown and white, the barred portion hidden, more or less, by the wide reddish brown tips; crissum white; wings brown, primaries barred with gray on distal part of inner webs and with ochraceous on basal part; secondaries barred with ochraceous on inner webs; scapulars with two or more large white spots, all concealed; axillars and wing-lining faint ochraceous, barred with brown; tail brown, crossed by five darker brown bars.

Male from Benguet, Luzon.--Length, 254; wing, 156; tail, 114; culmen from base, 18; tarsus, 48; middle toe with claw, 35.

Female from Benguet, Luzon.--Bill black, bluish at base, cere pea-green; iris and eyelids bright yellow; skin about eye and base of bill dull green; nails very dark brown; legs and feet light yellow. Length, 310; wing, 185; tail, 140; culmen from base, 20; tarsus, 53; middle toe with claw, 45.

Breeding female from Cebu.--Bill horn-blue; cere waxy green; iris and eyelids chrome-yellow; legs greenish yellow; nails blackish. Length, 312; wing, 179; tail, 136; culmen from base, 20; tarsus, 56; middle toe with claw, 44.

Immature male.--Upper parts earthy brown; head and mantle slightly bluish ash; feathers of wings, mantle, rump, and upper tail-coverts edged with rusty brown; median line on throat incomplete; breast and abdomen white with very wide, seal-brown, shaft-stripes; sides and flanks with some reddish brown cross-bars; thighs white, barred with brown; wing-lining ochraceous with large blackish brown spots.

"Accipiter manillensis is, I think, subspecifically distinct from typical A. virgatus, and Mr. Whitehead having, in addition to the Museum series, now obtained three adult females, we have a fair number of skins for comparison.

"Adult female.--Differs from the female of A. virgatus in having the chest, breast, and sides nearly uniform light red in the most adult birds, while in somewhat younger examples the middle of the breast shows distinct cross-bars of reddish brown and white; the under surface on the quills washed with rufous. Wing, 175 to 178; tail, 137 to 139; tarsus, 52 to 53.

"Adult male.--Like the male of A. virgatus. Wing, 152 to 155; tail, 122 to 124; tarsus, 51." Grant, Ibis, (1896), 109.

I have found considerable difficulty in identifying members of the genus Accipiter from the Philippines and the preceding descriptions will require revision when more specimens shall have been collected. With some hesitation I have placed A. stephensoni as a synonym under A. manillensis instead of under A. gularis.

Subfamily AQUILINÆ.

Genera.

a1. Tail nearly square or slightly forked; or, if decidedly graduated, the wing over 350 mm.

b1. Bill without a distinct tooth on its cutting edge; first primary
much shorter than second or third.

c1. Feathers of lores and circumocular region not scale-like;
loral bristles present.

d1. Tail not forked.

e1. Tarsus covered to the toes with short thick-set feathers.