but we have not been able to obtain any precise particulars of its
capture ourselves. _
Adult male.—Above dark slaty grey, inclining to black on the
interscapulary region, the scapulars and inner secondaries e^ ge
with paler grey; primaries dark brown; tail dark brown wit a
slight greyish shade above, barred with fulvous underneath on the
inner web and tipped with pale rufous; forehead inclining to buffy
white; fore part of cheeks as well as a short malar stripe and a hue
under the eye along the upper ear-coverts greyish black; rest of the
cheeks and sides of neck and throat white washed with rufous ;
remainder of under surface rich rusty red, the thighs and under tail-
coverts unspotted, the breast and sides marked with central streaks
of black; under wing-coverts buff, streaked with black; cere, orbits
and feet orange ; bill dark horn-blue, yellow at base, of lower-mandible.
Total length, 11 inches; culmen, 0*8; wing, 8*5; tail, 5*0;
tarsus, 1*2. (Sharpe, Oat. B. i, p. 400.)
Fig, Schl. N. T. D. i, pi. 5.
54. F a d c o RUFI(C0LLIS. African Rufous-necked Falcon.
The only specimen of this elegant little Hawk that has fallen under
our notice was shot by Mr. A. V, Jackson, at « Poort, in the
Beaufort,division. Sir A. Smith procured it during the movements
of the South African Expedition between the principal branches of
the Orange River, and Mr. Ayres has met with it m the Transvaal,
where he tells us it is not very common. It is not yet known from
the Zambesi country, and, according to Mr. Andersson, it is rare m
Damara and Great Namaqua Land, and m all other parts of Sout
Africa which he traversed.
General colour above and below light blueish-ash, much barred
with brown-black; tail tipt with white, and crossed near the end by
' a broad black band; head deep-rufous, with black eyebrows an
moustache; chin white; throat and chest vinaceous; legs yellow;
bill horn-coloured, yellow at base; iris dark brown. Length, 14 ;
wing, 9f:"; tail, 7".
Fig. Sw. B. W. Afr. pi. 2.
55. C e r c h n e i s TiNNDNCULtrs. Common Kestrel,
Only one specimen of the European Kestrel is known as yet to
have been shot in South Africa, and is recorded by Mr. Gurney m
the following terms : “ The only South African example of this
Kestrel which has come under my notice is a female killed at
Objimbinque, Damara Land, on the 1st of February, 1 8 6 5 , and comprised
in Mr. Andersson's last collection. This specimen, which is
preserved in the Norwich Museum, is of the ordinary European
type.” As, however, thé species may have been overlooked, a full
description is here added, extracted from the Catalogue of Birds
( I . p . 4 2 6 ) .
Adult male. — Upper parts brick red, with a few arrow-hèad
markings of black, larger on the inner secondaries ; primary-coverts
and quills dark brown, the former narrowly margined with- rufous, '
the primaries notched white for about twc-thirds of their length,
the inner primaries and outer secondaries narrowly edged and
tipped with buffy white; head and neck clear blue-grey with narrow
black shaft stripes; forehead and narrow eyebrows buffy white;
cheeks silvery grey, 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-grey, 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 centres being larger and more oval in shape on the
flank feathers, the thighs clear rufous, unspotted; under wing-
coverts white, spotted with black ; bill blueish horn-colourj black at
tip, yellowish at base ; cere, orbits and feet yellow ; iris brown.
Total length, 12*5 , inches; culmen, 1 * 7 5 ; wing, 9 * 2 ; tail, 6 '7 ;
tarsus, 1*6.
Adult female.—Similar to the male underneath, but not so deeply
coloured. Upper surface entirely rufous banded with black, with a
faint blueish shade on the rump, the upper tail coverts inclining to
buff; heg,d rufous, streaked with black; tail rufous, banded with
hlack, 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. Total length, 12*5 inches ; culmen,
0 * 7 5 ; wing, 9*2 ; tail, 6 * 5 ; tarsus, 1*6.
Young male.—Resembling the old female, but rather paler and
more distinctly striped on the hreast. The tail first changes, becoming
blue like that of the old male, and thus birds are often seen