Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindanao (Steere Exp., Celestino); Panay (Steere Exp.); Sibuyan (McGregor); Tablas (Celestino). Malay and Indian Peninsulas, Lesser Sunda and Indo-Malayan Islands, Indo-Chinese provinces, Ceylon, Celebes.

“Adult.—Above black, with an occipital crest 60 mm. in length; ear-coverts somewhat mixed with whitish; cheeks, throat, and breast pure white, with a few narrow black shaft-lines on the side of the latter; rest of under surface, including under wing- and tail-coverts, tawny rufous, streaked with black shaft-stripes, rather broader on the flanks, where they are more merged; wings black, some of the feathers externally brownish, the inner lining of quills whitish ashy, with a few blackish bars on the inner web of the primaries, the secondaries narrowly tipped with white; tail black, very slightly tipped with whity brown, and with indications of brown cross-bands under certain lights, the lower surface of the tail ashy white, with a subterminal brown bar. Cere yellow; bill leaden blue; feet yellow, claws black; iris brown. Length, 533; culmen, 38; wing, 358; tail, 211; tarsus, 74.” (Sharpe.)

Immature male.—Upper parts earthy brown, lighter on crown, the feathers tipped with white; forehead all white; long crest-feathers blackish brown; a black patch in front of and over eye; wing-coverts like the back; primaries and secondaries blackish brown, tipped with white; tail blackish brown, tipped with white and crossed by about nine lighter bars; entire under parts, except a brown patch on each flank, pure white. Wing, 370; tail, 225; culmen from base, 35; tarsus, 69; middle toe with claw, 72.

The sexes are similar in color. A male from Sibuyan measures: Wing, 340; tail, 190; culmen from base, 34; tarsus, 72. A female from northern Mindanao measures: Wing, 360; tail, 210; culmen from base, 35; tarsus, 66.

Basilan (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Luzon (Gevers, Heriot, Whitehead); Masbate (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Porter); Negros (Everett, Steere Exp.); Palawan (Platen); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester).

“The general color of the upper surface in this species is a dark umber-brown; but the base of the feathers of the crest is white and the margins of the other occipital feathers are of a light yellowish brown. Some of the scapulars and other alar feathers (especially the latter) are slightly tipped with the same; the tail, which is of a somewhat lighter brown than the back, is tipped with a very narrow edging of white, and is also crossed by seven blackish brown bars, the upper one, however, being somewhat indistinct, and the two lower being separated by an interval which is twice the breadth of the spaces between the other bars. The throat has a broad blackish band running down the center, with two similar and nearly parallel bands proceeding from the corners of the mouth, the three bands all merging in a cluster of dark brown lanceolate marks upon the upper portion of the breast, the intervals between these markings, and also the whole sternal and abdominal regions, being tinged with a yellowish rufous; the under tail-coverts are barred with brown and white, the former bars being much broader than the latter; and the thighs and tarsi are marked throughout their length with narrow, equidistant, transverse bars of the same color. Length, 635; crest, 63; wing, 375; tail, 292; tarsus, 89; middle toe with claw, 76.” (Sharpe.)

A rare species found only in forest. A male from Lubang measures: Length, 610; wing, 390; tail, 250; culmen from base, 38; tarsus, 97.

Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Lubang (McGregor); Mindanao (Platen); Mindoro (Everett); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen). Burmese provinces, Malay Peninsula, northeastern Bengal, Greater Sunda Islands, Assam, and the Himalayas.

“Adult.—Above and below deep chocolate-brown, inclining to blackish on the head and back, the quills and tail blackish, the shafts of the latter brownish, the inner webs of the quills clear ashy; tail-feathers below ashy white, brownish toward the tips, the penultimate ones with remains of irregular cross-markings. Cere yellowish; feet pale yellow; iris bright yellow. Length, 635; culmen, 43; wing, 406; tail, 279; tarsus, 104.

“Young (type of species).—Above clear brown, with faint terminal margins of fulvous-brown, the buff-colored bases showing very conspicuously on all the upper parts, but especially distinct on the wing-coverts, which are also broadly margined with buffy white; quills deep brown, the secondaries lighter and more purplish brown, broadly tipped with buffy white, and indistinctly barred with darker brown, plainer on the inner web, especially underneath, where it is ashy white on the primaries and grayish on the secondaries; lower back and rump pale brown, the upper tail-coverts brownish buff; tail brown, tipped with buffy white and crossed with six equidistant bands of darker brown; head and neck whitish buff, the sides of the latter washed with sandy rufous, and mottled with dark brown in the centers of the feathers; under surface of body buffy white, washed with pale fawn-color on the sides of the body and thighs, with a few indistinct spots of the same on the chest; under wing-coverts white, spotted with dark brown, the spots larger on the greater series. Iris brownish. Length, 610; wing, 394; tail (not fully grown), 241; tarsus, 94.

“Another young bird, collected by Mr. Wallace, is rather larger in general bulk than the foregoing example, though having the wing of the same length. It is purer white below, with a shade of dark brown on the lower flanks, and a few distinct oval spots of brown on the breast. The center tail-feather has seven bands of dark brown.

“Nestling.—Covered with snow-white down, the crown of the head inclining to fawn-color, the sprouting feathers blackish brown, the greater wing-coverts tipped with white; the few breast-feathers visible white, with broad blackish cross-bars.” (Sharpe.)

A male was taken on Lubang Island. Iris brown, bill, cere, and nails black; feet pale yellow. Length, 610; wing, 400; tail, 260; culmen from base, 37; tarsus, 98. This species is an inhabitant of deep forest and is seldom seen.

Leyte? (Whitehead); Luzon (Ickis); Mindanao (Keller, Clemens, Farrel); Samar (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester).

“Top of head pale whitish buff with dark middles to the feathers, which are rather narrow and pointed, especially those on the occiput, which form a long full crest; general color above rich brown, most of the feathers with paler margins, especially the quill-feathers and wing-coverts; tail-feathers dark brown, the two median pairs with wide dark bands; shafts of quills and tail-feathers creamy white; under parts uniform creamy white; thighs and long flank-feathers with reddish brown shaft-stripes. Length, about 840; bill, greatest depth measured from base of cere to ridge of culmen, 38; from base of cere to tip, 38; wing, 525; tail, 381; tarsus, 118; middle toe without claw, 68; claw, measured in a straight line from base to tip, 37; hind toe without claw, 46; claw, 51.” (Grant.)

“Iris dull creamy brown, with an outer ring of brownish red, the two colors melting into one another and not sharply defined; face and base of bill dull french-blue, tip of bill black; legs and feet dull yellow; claws black.” (Whitehead.)

Grant’s original description given above is quite sufficient to identify this remarkable eagle, and agrees with a specimen before me, but in at least two specimens which I have examined there were conspicuous black shaft-lines on the feathers of chin and jaw. This may have been due to a more adult plumage than the one described by Grant. Respecting the size of this bird Grant says in part: “The depth of the bill is greater than that of any known bird of prey, except Pallas’s sea eagle (Haliaëtus pelagicus), in which it is sometimes a trifle greater, while such extreme narrowness, compared with the depth, is quite unique in birds of this order. It is also among some parrots, such as the black cockatoo (Microglossus aterrimus), that we find a bill approaching this type, but in none of these is it laterally compressed to the same extent. The high vaulted nasal opening, set almost vertically, is another peculiar character. The naked tarsi and feet approach those of the harpy eagle (Thrasaëtes harpyia) in size and strength, and the scaling of the tarsi is remarkably similar. Strange as it may seem, we have little doubt that the harpy is the nearest known ally of the present species.”

Measurements of several specimens have been given by me in the Philippine Journal of Science and they need not be repeated here.

Balabac (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Everett). Malayan Peninsula, Greater Sunda Islands.

“Adult male.—Head largely crested, jet black with white bases to the feathers; upper surface of body brown, the wing-coverts with a few minute spots of white on the margins of the feathers; quills black, primary-coverts and secondaries narrowly tipped with white, the primaries somewhat shaded with ashy gray externally and crossed with two brown bands, one broad and very distinct, the other basal and nearly obsolete, these bars less distinct above on the secondaries, but rather plainer below; upper tail-coverts and tail blackish brown, slightly tipped with whitish, the latter crossed with a broad median band of pale ashy brown, with indications of a second basal one only visible below; sides of head and throat blackish, cheeks somewhat shaded with ashy gray; remainder of under surface of body brown, the chest uniform, the breast with distinct oval spots of white on both webs, more numerous on thighs and inclining to bars on flanks and under tail-coverts; under wing-coverts paler brown, thickly varied with oval spots of white, larger and further apart on the axillars and greater coverts. Cere yellow, bill black, horn-colored at tip; feet orange-yellow; iris yellow. Length, 622; culmen, 48; wing, 406; tail, 254; tarsus, 86.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male but larger. Length, 660; wing, 419; tail, 267; tarsus, 95.” (Sharpe.)

Basilan (Everett, Steere Exp.); Bongao (Everett); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Leyte (Everett); Luzon (Everett, Meyer, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Mindanao (Cuming, Everett, Koch & Schadenberg, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Celestino, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Steere Exp., Everett, Porter); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester).

“Adult.—Above pale brown with a purplish gloss and the feathers irregularly spotted or margined with white at their tips; hind neck and interscapulary region lighter than the rest of the back, the feathers tipped with pale rufous, and ocellated with large rounded spots of white; head much crested, ashy black, the feathers slightly margined with rufous and spotted with white; sides of face and throat ashy gray, the latter varied with oval markings of whitish; under surface of body very light tawny, ocellated all over with spots or half bars of white, the latter more distinct on the under tail-coverts; the thighs and under wing-coverts a little darker and more thickly spotted with white; wing-coverts dark brown, minutely spotted with white; primaries brown, whitish on inner web, black at tip, and crossed with a black bar about the middle of the feather; secondaries pale brown like the back, with white tips and faint indications of obsolete whitish bars on the feathers; upper tail-coverts brown, darker before the tips, which are white, and having remains of rounded white spots concealed or obscured by the brown color of the feathers; tail pale brown, narrowly tipped with whity brown, and crossed with two broad bands of blackish brown, one subterminal and the other about the middle of the tail, a band of light brown before the lower black band, and a broad band of whity brown between the two black bands. Length, 635; culmen, 46; wing, 368; tail, 254; tarsus, 90.

“Young.—Above brown, the feathers tipped with pale rufous, the white bases very conspicuous especially on the wing-coverts, which appear lighter than the back; head, which is largely crested, and hind neck rufous, the feathers buffy white at the base; with a chestnut-brown subterminal spot; ear-coverts and sides of face uniform dark brown; throat white; rest of under surface of body fulvous washed with rufous, more especially on the breast-feathers, which have dark brown shafts; under wing-coverts fulvous, washed with tawny rufous; primaries dark brown, secondaries rather lighter like the back, and tipped with buffy white, all the quills white at base of inner web, and barred with darker brown, showing more plainly underneath, as the interspaces are whitish ashy; tail brown, washed with rufous near the base, and slightly tipped with fulvous, crossed with four or five bars of dark brown, the basal ones indistinct and more or less dissolved into mottlings.” (Sharpe.)

From Cape Engaño we have received an immature female, which has the head and upper mantle whitish buff, with brown shaft-spots; there is the beginning of a short deep black superciliary band extending above the eye, while a few feathers of a more adult plumage are beginning to make their appearance on the occiput; these are brownish red, with a white subterminal black tip. (The appearance of this black eyebrow-stripe is very puzzling, as it does not appear in the adult plumage; it may be part of an intermediate plumage or fade with age and wear to the dark brown of the adult.) General color above brown, with irregular, ill-defined reddish white spots on either web; tail dark brown with two wide brownish white bands across the terminal half; chin and throat whitish buff. Sides of the head and under parts pale buff, with brownish red shaft-stripes, widest on the terminal half; thighs buff, with wide chestnut middles, constricted at intervals, so as to form ill-defined buff spots down the sides of the feathers, one or two half grown adult feathers on the left thigh. Wing, 386; tail, 272; tarsus, 86.

“Although somewhat peculiar in plumage and large in size, I have no hesitation in referring this specimen to S. holospilus, and Mr. Whitehead shares the same opinion.” (Grant.)

Si-cub′, Bohol.

Bohol (McGregor); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay (Steere Exp.); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino).

“Adult male.—Head black, feathers of crest sulphur-white at base, then black, narrowly edged with whitish; rest of upper surface with wings light ashy brown, all the feathers edged with whitish. Tail broadly tipped with white and with two broad whitish bars and part of a third basal one; throat bluish ash, unmarked; rest of under surface pale cinnamon, shaded with ash and spotted and banded as in S. holospilus. Length, 502; wing, 317; tail, 229; tarsus, 71. Distinguished from S. holospilus by its small size and pale coloring.” (Steere.)

The validity of this species is somewhat doubtful. Bourns and Worcester consider that it “was founded on differences due to change of season and to individual variation.” Grant thinks “that S. panayensis may fairly be recognized as a distinct form.”

Lim-bas′, Manila and Lubang; tic-weé, in general; cu-yab′, Calayan.

Balabac (Everett); Basilan (Steere Exp., McGregor); Batan N. (Edmonds21); Bohol (Everett, Steere Exp.); Cagayancillo (McGregor); Cagayan Sulu (Mearns); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Calayan (McGregor); Cebu (Everett, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo (Meyer); Fuga (Whitehead); Guimaras (Meyer); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Steere, Koch & Schadenberg, Steere Exp., Goodfellow); Mindoro (Everett, McGregor, Porter); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Palawan (Everett, Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester, White); Panay (Steere, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Bourns & Worcester); Sibay (McGregor & Worcester); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Verde (McGregor). Ussuri-land; Japan; China to Malay Peninsula; Celebes.

“Adult.—Above brown, inclining to ashy on head and upper back, and to rufous on lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts, the latter of which are plainly barred and broadly tipped with pure white; forehead white; sides of face clear ashy gray; sides of neck ashy brown, uniform with the interscapulary region; wing-coverts rufous-brown, mottled with clearer rufous; primary-coverts rufous, externally mottled and broadly tipped with black; quills rufous, narrowly tipped with buffy white, primaries brown externally and toward their tips, also barred with dark brown on their inner webs; the secondaries ashy brown, inclining gradually to whity brown at their tips, washed with rufous and barred with dark brown; the lower surface of the wing creamy white on the inner webs of the quills, somewhat washed with rufous; tail ashy brown, whity brown at tip and crossed with three or four broad bars of blackish brown, the lower surface ashy white, the bars showing more plainly, except on the outermost feather, where they are obsolete; throat white, with a mesial line of ashy brown, as well as two not very distinct moustachial streaks; upper breast ashy brown, washed with rufous, the lower breast and abdomen barred with white and rufous-brown, the latter bars decreasing toward the vent and thighs, and totally absent on the under tail-coverts; under wing-coverts with slight cross-markings of pale rufous. Bill leaden black, yellow at base; cere and feet yellow; iris yellow. Length, 470; culmen, 33; wing, 333; tail, 201; tarsus, 61.

“Adult female.—Larger. Length, 470; wing, 345; tail, 213; tarsus, 62.

“Young.—Considerably different from the adult. Above dark brown, the wing-coverts washed with rufous and tipped with dull white, the greater ones with rufous or rufous-white spots on both webs, giving a mottled appearance to these parts; forehead and eyebrow creamy white; crown and hind neck brown, the feathers margined with creamy white, giving a striped appearance, the latter also slightly washed with rufous; sides of face ashy brown, streaked with darker brown, the fore part of the cheeks white; under surface of body creamy buff, the throat with a central blackish streak on the lower part; center of chest streaked with dark brown, the breast with pale chestnut, becoming spade-shaped spots on the flanks, but narrowing to small streaks on the thighs, and disappearing altogether on the under tail-coverts, which are creamy buff; under wing-coverts creamy buff, with a few rufous-brown marks on the lower series, and bars of the same on the axillars; upper tail-coverts brown, white at the base and at tip, and having the outer margin also white; tail ashy brown, tipped with pale rufous-brown and crossed with five bars of darker brown, the subterminal one broader; quills dark brown, the secondaries paler, the base of the inner web white, with remains of ashy bars on the inner secondaries. Cere and feet yellow; bill black; iris yellow.” (Sharpe.)

“Exceedingly common throughout the group. Most abundant about scattering trees in open fields. Breeds.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

The tic-wee buzzard is the commonest hawk in the Philippines and on Calayan and Batan Islands it occurs in immense flocks during migration.

Ma-na-ol′, Ticao, Manila.

Bantayan (McGregor); Batan (McGregor); Basilan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Cebu (McGregor); East Bolod (Mearns); Fuga (Whitehead); Luzon (Bourns & Worcester); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Porter); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Bourns & Worcester, White); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Semirara (McGregor & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester, Celestino); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor); Verde (McGregor); Y’Ami (McGregor). Indian Peninsula; Indo-Chinese Provinces; Malay Peninsula to Australia and Oceania.

Adult.—Entire head, neck, and lower parts white, many of the feathers with blackish shafts; tail blackish, its terminal third white; primaries blackish with white bases; axillars and wing-lining white; remainder of wings and upper parts bluish slate-gray, with a slight mixture of brown. Male from Ticao: Iris dark; bill at base and cere horn-blue; bill at tip and nails black; legs and toes white. Length, 685; wing, 550; tail, 230; culmen from base, 52; tarsus, 91. The female is said to be slightly larger.

Young.—Head, chin, and throat buffy or pale yellowish white, more or less streaked with light brown; general color brown, darker above, many of the feathers with lighter brown or whitish shaft-lines which widen at the tips; primaries black with whitish bases; end of tail brown, basal two-thirds white mottled with brown.

The white-breasted sea eagle is widely distributed but nowhere in the Philippines is it abundant. In adult plumage it is easily identified by its white under parts. Its nest consists of a mass of sticks and is usually supported by the branches of some large tree. Islets on which there are but a few trees are in particular favor with this species. The eggs are usually spheroidal and white with a few faint markings of reddish brown.

“Common along the seashore. Frequently seen perching on the fish pens of the natives, where it secures abundant food.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

La-uin′, Lubang, Manila; ba-nog′, Bohol, Ticao.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Bohol (Steere Exp., McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Buluan off Mindanao (Mearns); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Cebu (Murray, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Cuyo (McGregor); Guimaras (Meyer, Steere Exp.); Leyte (Everett); Lubang (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead, McGregor, Seale); Maestre de Campo (McGregor & Worcester); Malanipa (Murray); Marinduque (Steere Exp.); Masbate (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Murray, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor, Porter); Negros (Everett, Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Panay (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester, McGregor); Siquijor (Steere Exp., Celestino); Sulu (Guillemard, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester); Ticao (McGregor). Celebes; Malay Peninsula; Greater Sunda Islands; Indo-Chinese Provinces.

Adult.—Entire head and neck, chin, throat, and breast white, with narrow black shaft-lines; rest of the plumage rich chestnut, the shafts blackish, the chestnut most intense on mantle and back; primaries black with light rufous bases; axillars and wing-lining chestnut; tail chestnut, tipped with gray. Length of male, 470; wing, 410; tail, 210; culmen from base, 35; tarsus, 53.

“Young.—Above deep brown, the interscapulary feathers inclining to dull maroon toward their tips, the rest of the feathers of the upper surface tipped with rufous, and most of them externally shaded with ashy gray; head and neck pale rufous, with buffy white centers and tips to the feathers, giving a streaked appearance, as in a young Milvus; forehead, lores, and sides of face white, with narrow black shaft-lines to the feathers; ear-coverts slightly washed with brown; chin whitish; rest of under surface pale rufous-brown, the shaft-stripes distinct, all the feathers with central streaks of buffy white, the chest-feathers darker, and washed with brown on both margins, thighs and under tail-coverts inclining to maroon; under wing-coverts and axillars clear brown, tipped with rufous or maroon, and centered with black shaft-streaks.” (Sharpe.)

“Extremely common. Frequently abundant about shipping in the harbors, where it feeds on refuse thrown overboard from the ships. Often seen feeding over surface of fresh-water streams as well. Not infrequently met with hawking over open fields at some distance inland.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

“An egg of the Malayan brahminy kite taken in Borneo is of an elongated elliptical form and plain white. Another, taken in the Philippine Islands, is white, minutely speckled all over with dark brown. Neither specimen shows any trace of gloss. They measure respectively: 49.5 by 35.5; 49.5 by 40.6.” (Oates.)

The second egg mentioned above was taken in Siquijor by the Steere Expedition.

Bantayan (McGregor); Basilan (Everett); Bohol (McGregor); Bongao (Everett); Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Guimaras (Steere Exp.); Luzon (Jagor, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Mindanao (Everett, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Everett, Whitehead, Porter); Negros (Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, Keay); Samar (Whitehead); Sibuyan (McGregor); Sulu (Burbidge, Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Celebes; Greater Sunda Islands.

Adult.—Above pearl-gray, paler on head and fading to pure white above eyes, on forehead, and sides of neck; lores and a narrow line above eye black; entire lower parts including under surface of wings and tail white; median and lesser coverts black but a few of the inner lesser coverts white; a few small black feathers near edge of wing; primaries and secondaries tipped with white and largely white on inner webs, primary-shafts black; tail-feathers white, except central pair which are gray above.

Male from Bantayan.—Length, 330; wing, 300; tail, 143; culmen from base, 25; tarsus, 36.

Female from Manila.—Bill and nails black; iris carmine; cere, gape, and legs chrome-yellow. Length, 355; wing, 300; tail, 138; culmen from base, 25; tarsus, 34.

An immature female from Bohol is like the adult but the wing-feathers, including the black coverts, are widely tipped with white, and the feathers of crown and nape are edged with white and a little buff giving the head a streaked appearance. Iris light yellow; bill and nails black; cere waxy yellow; feet bright chrome-yellow.

“Female, not quite adult (type).—Above ashy gray, scapulars and quills plainly tipped with white, and washed with rusty brown, especially on the interscapular region; crown white, the hinder part inclining to ashy gray, plainly streaked with rusty brown; wing ashy gray, primaries darker, all the quills, as well as the coverts tipped with white, the lesser and median coverts black, forming a conspicuous shoulder patch; tail white, shaded with ashy toward the tip, the two center feathers entirely ashy gray; under surface of body entirely white, including the under wing-coverts; under surface of quills deep ashy gray toward the tip, whitish at base. Cere yellow; bill black; feet yellow; iris red. Length, 368; culmen, 28; wing, 305; tail, 157; tarsus, 38.” (Sharpe.)

“Quite abundant about the open fields, but difficult to shoot. Iris bright red; legs and feet yellow; nails black; bill black, except cere and gape which are bright yellow.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

“The sole egg of the Philippine black-winged kite in the collection is a blunt oval, smooth, and devoid of gloss. It is white, thickly smeared especially at the large end, with two shades of brown. It measures: 41.9 by 31.7 mm.” (Oates.)

The egg described above was collected by Everett in Mindoro, December 14.

Cebu (Bourns & Worcester); Luzon (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Celestino, Goodfellow); Mindoro (McGregor); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen); Romblon (McGregor); Samar (Whitehead); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Platen, Bourns & Worcester); Tablas (Celestino). Indian and Malay Peninsulas, Indo-Chinese countries, Ceylon, Greater Sunda Islands.

Adult.—Upper parts brown, many of the feathers white basally; top of head, neck, and sides of neck light brown with heavy black shaft-lines; long crest-feathers black; scale-like feathers of lores and side of head ashy gray; chin, throat, and breast white with black shaft-lines and many feathers with long wide terminal spots of black or dark brown on the throat, forming a median and two lateral stripes; abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts light brown, barred with white; under surface of primaries and secondaries light gray, banded with dark brown, the basal bars broken; axillars and wing-lining tawny-brown, the latter mottled with white; tail from above light brown, with five or six wide bars of dark brown; from below the tail is light gray, crossed by dark brown bars. Bill black, its base bluish; iris bright yellow; legs dull yellow; nails black. A male from Mindoro is 570 in length; wing, 390; tail, 285; culmen from base, 33; tarsus, 45; middle toe with claw, 58.

A breeding female, taken in Mindoro, February 19, 1905, is 610 in length; wing, 395; tail, 290; culmen from base, 36; tarsus, 44.

Luzon (Cuming); Mindanao (Platen, Goodfellow).

“Nearly adult female.—Crown and long occipital crest black; feathers over eye, as well as the sides and back of the neck tawny rufous, the latter spotted with black; sides of face grayish washed with rufous; upper surface of body brown, with a gloss of purplish brown, some of the feathers also shaded with greenish in certain lights; quills brown, tipped with whitish, barred with purplish brown, the secondaries very much paler brown, against which the bands of darker brown contrast strongly, especially the subterminal one, which has a distinct purplish gloss; under surface of quills grayish white, with dark brown bands, pure white near the base; tail brown, tipped with whity brown, and crossed by three bands of dark purplish brown, the subterminal one being very broad, and glossed with greenish; under surface of tail grayish white, like that of the wings, the subterminal band distinctly marked, the basal ones very faintly, excepting on the outermost feathers, which have a patch of dark brown on the outer web, extending on to the inner one also; under surface of body whitish, broadly streaked on sides of throat and chest, banded on breast, and spotted on under tail-coverts with pale rufous, darker and more inclining to rufous-brown on flanks, sides of body, and axillars; down the center of the throat extending to the fore neck, a broad black streak; under wing-coverts buffy white, spotted with pale rufous, the lower ones barred with this color. Bill horn-black, browner on lower mandible; feet yellow. Length, 444; culmen, 38; wing, 312; tail, 206; tarsus, 38.

“Adult male (type).—Another specimen in the national collection (British Museum) differs from the foregoing in not having so stout a bill, in the sides of the face being more conspicuously gray, this shade also extending over the throat and breast, the former of which is narrowly streaked with grayish down the center; the crown of the head is blackish, feathers of the forehead being edged with rufous; the sides and hind part of the neck similarly marked, producing a striped appearance; occipital crest black, with a narrow white tip to one or two of the feathers; the bands on the breast very broad and pale rufous. Length, 389; culmen, 34; wing, 292; tail, 190; tarsus, 38. This would apparently be the adult male, and the other perhaps a female not quite adult.” (Sharpe.)

Palawan (Whitehead); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Samar (Bourns & Worcester).

“Young female.—General color above brown, with whitish brown margins to the feathers; lesser wing-coverts brown, the inner ones rufous, with brown centers; median and greater coverts pale rufous, white externally toward the ends and round the tips; alula dark brown, externally rufous; primary-coverts uniform dark brown; quills dark brown fringed with white round the ends, and crossed with blackish brown bars, four in number, one subterminal; secondaries paler brown, externally rufous; upper tail-coverts tawny-rufous, edged with white and with dark brown centers; tail-feathers dark brown, narrowly fringed with white at the ends, and crossed with blackish bands, the subterminal one very broad, but not nearly so wide as the preceding interspace; a crest of white feathers, the long ones freckled with brown; head, nape, and hind neck, lores, sides of face, ear-coverts, cheeks, sides of neck, and entire under surface of body pure white, slightly washed with rufous on the head and hind neck; the breast, abdomen, and under tail-coverts washed with creamy buff; the sides of the body and flanks with slight indications of spots of pale tawny buff; under wing-coverts and axillars like the breast; quills below ashy gray, with blackish bars on the primaries. Length, 394; culmen, 29; wing, 274; tail, 178; tarsus, 35.

“The typical [=type] specimen, though manifestly immature, differs thoroughly from the young of B. sumatrensis, and I feel sure that the adult bird, when discovered, will be markedly distinct.” (Sharpe.)

“Rare and shy. Iris, legs, and feet yellow; nails black; bill black, slaty at base; bare flesh of head greenish yellow. One specimen had been eating crabs when shot.

“A male measures 457 in length; wing, 312; tail, 199; culmen, 27; tarsus, 76; middle toe with claw, 40. A female, 457 in length; wing, 305; tail, 208; culmen, 26; tarsus, 64; middle toe with claw, 43.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

The adult of this rare species appears to be undescribed.

Bohol (McGregor); Luzon (Meyer, Möllendorff, Everett, Steere Exp., Whitehead, McGregor); Mindoro (Bourns & Worcester, Porter); Negros (Keay).

Adult (sexes similar).—Above, including wings and tail, black with a dark green gloss; below white; sides, thighs, and under tail-coverts black. Iris brown; bill and nails black; legs dark blue. Length of a male from Mindoro, 160; wing, 110; tail, 68; culmen from cere, 11; tarsus, 20. A male from Bohol measures: Wing, 110; tail, 63; culmen from cere, 13. A female from Luzon: Wing, 110; tail, 66; culmen from cere, 12.

Young.—The immature male resembles the adult but the inner webs of primaries are barred or mottled with white.

“Extremely local in its habits. Often found perching on a dead limb at the top of some tree, and may be met with in exactly the same place day after day. It feeds on insects and often leaves its perch on short flights in pursuit of its prey, promptly returning, however. When shot at but not killed it usually takes but a short flight, and returns at once to its favorite perch. Small flocks frequently found together.

“Iris brown; legs and feet black; bill black. Nine specimens average, 179 in length; wing, 108; tail, 62; culmen, 13; tarsus, 22; middle toe with claw, 21.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Cebu (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Koch & Schadenberg, Steere Exp., Celestino, Goodfellow); Samar (Whitehead, Bourns & Worcester).

“Adult male.—Similar to the male of M. erythrogenys, but considerably larger; the under wing-coverts and inner webs of the primaries uniform black; and belly, vent, and under tail-coverts washed with pale fulvous. Length, 165; wing, 113; tail, 66; culmen (from cere to tip), 13; tarsus, 22. The type of the male is from Zamboanga, southern Mindanao.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male, but larger. Length, 183; wing, 117; tail, 70; culmen (from cere to tip), 13; tarsus, 22. The type of the female is from the Island of Samar.” (Grant.)

Grant’s falconet is a species of doubtful validity, but the name may be retained until more specimens have been examined. In M. erythrogenys the white bars on the primaries are due to immaturity and are not characteristic of the typical adult male.

Batan (Edmonds); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor); Catanduanes (Whitehead); Fuga (Whitehead); Luzon (Steere Exp., McGregor); Mindanao (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Everett); Negros (Steere Exp.); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, White). Northern America, Europe, Asia; in winter, Africa and Indian Peninsula.

“Adult.—Above bluish gray, darker on the head and nape, pale on rump and upper tail-coverts; feathers of the head and nape, the scapulars and sometimes other parts of the upper plumage dark shafted, and all feathers except those of the head and hind neck with dark cross-bands; forehead whitish; a broad cheek-stripe from beneath eye black; primaries blackish, the inner webs, except near the end, closely barred with white; secondaries ashy gray with darker cross-bands; tail dark gray or blackish, with numerous ashy gray cross-bars, closer together and paler toward the base, extreme tip and borders near tip whitish; lower parts white with a rufous tinge, a few brown or black spots on lower breast and middle of abdomen, and narrow dark bars on flanks, lower wing-coverts, thighs, and under tail-coverts.

“Young birds are very dark brown above, the feathers edged with rufous, the buff bases of the feathers showing about nape; tail-feathers with about six transversely oval rufous spots on each web, forming imperfect cross-bars; primaries as in adults; cheek-stripe narrower; lower parts white, buff, or rufescent, spotted except on the throat, with broad brown elongate median stripes, becoming broad spots on the flanks.

“After the first molt peregrines are brownish gray above and gradually acquire a pure slaty-gray back. The spots and bars on the lower parts are much broader at first and grow smaller and narrower with age, the drops on the breast become narrow lines and ultimately disappear altogether, the bands fade off the under tail-coverts and in very old birds only small scattered specks remain on the abdomen and triangular markings on the thigh-coverts. The general tint of the lower surface varies from almost white to light rufous.

“Bill bluish, black at tip; cere yellow; iris brown; legs and feet yellow. Length of a female, about 483; tail, 190; wing, 368; tarsus, 53; middle toe without claw, 57; bill from gape, 33. Males are considerably smaller, length, about 406; wing, 317.” (Blanford.)

An old female, taken in Tarlac Province, Luzon, was 470 in length; wing, 360; tail, 195; culmen from base, 30; tarsus, 55; middle toe with claw, 68. Iris brown; cere, legs, and skin about eyes light lemon-yellow; nails black; bill black, its basal third very pale yellow.

Luzon (Heriot). Australia.

“Adult male.—Head and nape deep black, including the entire sides of face, cheeks, and ear-coverts; interscapulary region blackish, with a few obsolete transverse bars of bluish gray; rest of upper surface bluish ashy, barred all over with blackish, some of the bars, especially of the upper tail-coverts, assuming a triangular form; upper wing-coverts somewhat washed with brown, the gray shade being more perceptible on the greater series; quills black, the primaries outwardly shaded with gray, outer secondaries narrowly tipped with creamy white, the inner ones almost entirely bluish gray, with obscure blackish marblings and cross-bars; tail blackish, with a narrow ashy white bar at the tip, the upper surface shaded with gray, clearer toward the base, bars on center rectrices eleven in number, not including the broad subterminal black band; throat and upper breast deep creamy buff, the latter with a few median black shaft-stripes; rest of the under surface buffy white, closely but narrowly barred across with black, sides of body and thighs shaded with a bluish gray tinge; fore part of breast and under wing-coverts with a strong fawn-colored shade. Bill greenish at base, horny black at tip, under mandible deep orange; feet yellow; claws black; iris dark. Length, 376; culmen, 30; wing, 300; tail, 152; tarsus, 51.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male, but larger and more richly colored; underneath deep ferruginous, paler on the chest, the cross barring narrow and irregular, sometimes confined to a small subterminal spot. Length, 419; culmen, 37; wing, 338; tail, 168; tarsus, 51.

“Young male.—Above brownish, the feathers edged with fulvous, especially distinct on the wing-coverts and secondaries; hinder neck marked with pale tawny; lower back and rump alternately barred with ashy and dark brown, the subterminal bar being somewhat triangular in shape; tail brown, similarly barred with ashy and tipped with fulvous; quills dark brown, with paler edgings; under surface buffy white, inclining to deep fawn on the breast and abdomen, which are longitudinally streaked with blackish brown, the flanks, under wing-coverts, and axillars barred with the same color. Cere, bill, and feet paler than in the adults.

“Young female.—Brown, head and cheeks blackish; feathers of upper surface spotted and tipped with rufous-fawn; underneath deep buff, inclining to rufous on the abdomen, the streaks on the chest dart-shaped, on the abdomen oval, all very broad and distinct.” (Sharpe.)

Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead); Negros (Keay, Whitehead); Sibuyan (McGregor22); Siquijor (Celestino). New Guinea; Greater Sunda and Fiji Islands.

Diagnosis.—Similar to Falco melanogenys but blacker; beneath everywhere shaded with ashy gray; wing-lining and axillars black, crossed with narrow white bars. Length, 394 mm.; wing, 295; tail, 140; tarsus, 48.23

“The adult male [collected by Hose at 1,400 meters on Mount Dulit, Borneo] is a remarkably beautiful specimen, and is evidently of the same race of peregrine as Mr. Pretyman’s bird from the Lawas River, but is not quite so red on the chest. The closeness of the barring of the under wing-coverts and axillars is remarkable and gives the species a much blacker look than F. melanogenys while no specimen of the last name falcon in the [British] Museum has the under tail-coverts and thighs bluish gray like the sides of the body. Whether Falco ernesti (as I have named the bird, after Mr. Ernest Hose) is confined to Borneo I can not yet tell, but I think that it is very likely to be found to be the resident form of all the Indo-Malayan Islands, as a specimen procured by Mr. Maitland-Heriot in Manila seems certainly referable to it.” (Sharpe.)

Grant says: “In adults of F. ernesti, though the breast is occasionally washed with fulvous, the sides, flanks, and belly are dark slate-gray or bluish gray, and the whole of the under surface below the crop is thickly covered with rather wide, close-set black bars, giving these parts a very dark appearance.”

Calamianes (Bourns & Worcester); Cebu (Bourns & Worcester); Luzon (Heriot, Whitehead, McGregor, Worcester); Mindanao (Everett, Goodfellow); Mindoro (Everett, Bourns & Worcester); Negros (Layard, Bourns & Worcester, Whitehead); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, Steere Exp., Bourns & Worcester, White); Romblon (Bourns & Worcester); Sibuyan (Bourns & Worcester); Siquijor (Bourns & Worcester); Sulu (Platen, Bourns & Worcester); Tawi Tawi (Bourns & Worcester). Malay Peninsula, Burmese provinces, Himalayas, Ceylon, southern Indian Peninsula, Greater Sunda Islands to New Guinea and New Britain.

“Adult female.—Above black, with a slight slaty gray shade, more distinct on the lower back, rump, and tail, the bars on the latter being obsolete; cheeks and ear-coverts entirely black, like head; under surface of body uniform bright chestnut; throat and sides of neck creamy white, the latter with a slight wash of chestnut; under wing-coverts chestnut like breast, some of the lower ones barred with black; primaries black, with a few rufous bars near the base. Cere, orbits, and feet yellow; bill bluish black, yellow at base; iris dark brown. Length, 343; culmen, 24; wing, 231; tail, 117; tarsus, 36.

“Adult male.—Similar to, but smaller than the female. Length, 297; wing, 216; tail, 114; tarsus, 29.

“Young.—Similar to the adult, but the breast covered with median tear-shaped black spots on each feather, the tail broadly banded and tipped with rufous, as also are the primaries; nape slightly varied with rufous; throat purer white than in adult.” (Sharpe.)

“A very rapid flyer and usually seen on the wing. Much detested by Spaniards and natives on account of its depredations on their dovecotes and poultry yards.” (Bourns and Worcester MS.)

Luzon (Whitehead); Palawan (White). Europe and northern Asia; in winter, Africa and the Indian Peninsula.

“Adult male.—Upper parts brick-red, with a few arrow-head markings of black, larger on the inner secondaries; primary-coverts and quills dark brown, the former narrowly margined with rufous, the primaries notched with white for about two-thirds of their length, the inner primaries and outer secondaries narrowly edged and tipped with buffy white; head and neck clear blue-gray, with narrow black shaft-stripes; forehead and narrow eyebrow buffy white; cheeks silvery gray, inclining to blackish below the eye and on the fore part of cheeks, forming a tolerably distinct moustache; lower back, rump, upper tail-coverts, and tail clear blue-gray, the latter tipped with ashy white, before which is a broad subterminal band of black; throat and under tail-coverts buff, unspotted; remainder of under surface rufous-fawn; the chest-feathers mesially streaked with black, these dark centers being larger and more oval in shape on flank-feathers; thighs clear rufous unspotted; under wing-coverts white, spotted with black. Bill bluish horn-color, black at tip, yellowish at base; cere, orbits, and feet yellow; iris brown. Length, 317; culmen, 44; wing, 234; tail, 170; tarsus, 41.

“Adult female.—Similar to the male underneath but not so deeply colored. Upper surface entirely rufous, banded with black, with a faint bluish shade on the rump; upper tail-coverts inclining to buff; head rufous, streaked with black; tail rufous, banded with black, the bars not being strictly continuous, tipped with buffy white, before which is a conspicuous broad band of black; facial features and soft parts as in the male. Length, 317; culmen, 19; wing, 234; tail, 165; tarsus, 41.

“Young male.—Resembling the old female but rather paler and more distinctly striped on the breast. The tail first changes, becoming blue like that of the old male; and thus birds are often seen in partial plumage, having the blue tail of the adult male, but retaining the rufous head of the old female dress.” (Sharpe.)