Senor Anchieta. Hitherto it had only been known from northeastern
Africa and Senegambia.
Adult male.—Slaty-grey with dark shaft stripes to the feathers,
especially distinct on the head and neck; quills dark brown, the
inner secondaries slaty-grey like the back, the outer ones clearer
grey towards the tips; tail slaty-grey, paler towards the tip, with
whitish bands on the inner webs; under surface pale slaty-grey,
with black shaft-stripes to the feathers, the throat and sides of the
face whitish; cere, orbits, and feet yellow; bill dark leaden blue;
iris dark. Total length, 14 inches; culmen, 1-0; wing, 8'9; tail,
6*4 ; tarsus, 1'6. (Sharpe, Cat. B. i, p. 446.)
Fig. Temm. PI. col. i, pi. 330.
62. C e r c h n e i s d i c k e r s o n i . Dickerson’s Kestrel.
This beautiful little hawk was discovered by the late Dr. Dickerson
at Chibisa on the Shire Valley, where also 'Dr. Kirk obtained a
specimen. It has likewise occurred once to Senor Anchieta at
Caconda in Benguela, on the south-western coast of Africa.
Adult male.—Head and neck whitish ashy, with distinct blackish
shaft-stripes to the feathers; rest of upper surface deep brown,
inclining to black, the quills much darker brown, banded on the
inner web with white; rump and upper tail-coverts white with a
slight greyish shade; tail banded alternately with black and greyish
white, the subterminal black bar being very broad, the tip white;
throat whitish; rest of under surface ashy brown with a slight
greyish shade; under wing-coverts whitish ashy with distinct shaft-
stripes ; cere, orbits and feet yellow; bill blueish black, yellow at
base of lower mandible; iris dark brown. Total length, 11 inches;
culmen, 0'95 ; wing, 8'3 ; tail, 5'0 ; tarsus, 1'6. (Sharpe, Oat. B.
i, p . 447.)
Fig. Sclater, Ibis, 1864, pi. viii.
SUB-ORDER FANDIONES .
63. P a ndion HALiAETck Osprey.
The Osprey appears to be confined to the eastern districts of
South Africa. It h'as been found in Natal by Mr. Ayres, who says
that it frequents the salt-water lakes near the sea. Dr. Dickerson
procured a specimen at Chibisa; but wo have never seen it from the
Cape Colony. Mr. T. C. Rickard writes that he believes he saw this
species up the Buffalo river on the 24th May, 1870. Our description
is taken from a European specimen.
Adult.—Above brown, most of the feathers with obsolete margins
of paler brown, more distinct on the wing-coverts; primaries black,
secondaries brown like the back, the primaries pale, but uniform,
whity brown below, the secondaries whitish on the inner web, with
indistinct bars of ashy brown; tail almost uniform brown, tipped
with whity brown, and shaded with ashy externally, the inner web
obsoletely barred with ashy brown, a little more distinct below,
where the interspaces are whitish; head brown, with white bases
to the feathers; a broad white streak from behind the eye running
down the sides of the neck; ear-coverts blackish brown; sides of
neck uniform with the back; sides of face and entire underparts
white, the breast varied with brown centres to the feathers of more
or less extent, the chin and fore part of cheeks also slightly streaked
with dark brown; axillaries and a few of the flank-feathers also
marked with rufous brown like the breast; under wing-coverts
buffy white, with dark brown centres, the outermost almost entirely
brown, with whitish tips; cere blue; bill black; feet blue; iris
yellow. Totallength 24inches; culmen, 1*75; wing, 19T ; tail, 9 5 ;
tarsus 2'4. (Sharpe, Cat. B. i, p. 450.)
SUB-ORDER STRIGES .
Fam. BUBONIDJE.
64. S cotopelia p e l i . Pel’s Owl.
In Western Africa this beautiful species has been found in different
localities from Senegambia to Gaboon, but in South Africa it has
been met with only in the Zambesi. Dr. Kirk gives the following
account of i t :—“ One of the rarest of the Raptores in the Zambesi
region. I know of only three pairs having been seen, and of these
five birds were secured. The pairs frequented the same locality
every day, and from their colour, were extremely difficult to observe.
Once started, they found more difficulty in again concealing themselves,
but remained exposed on some limb of a tree and might
then be approached. They were observed living in single pairs