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Show 1879.] MR. R. B. SHARPE ON THE BIRDS OF LABUAN. 323 as inhabiting Labuan, it is quite possible that further observers recognize more. The species are very little understood, as may be gathered from the recent researches of Capt. Legge into the Cey-lonese Spiza'eti (cf. Legge, B. Ceylon, pp. 51, 55). The young bird which Mr. Low forwarded was obtained from the egg, which he opened by cutting the shell in two halves and extracting the small occupant, who lived with him to a good size. He tells me that this Eagle builds on very high trees, and only lays one egg. Two nests which he observed had only one egg in each. That sent on the present occasion was taken in January 1875 ; it is white, with a few stains of ochraceous brown ; axis 2*8, diam. 2*2. 4. HALIAETUS LEUCOGASTER (Gm.) Haliaetus leucogaster, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 307. Cuncuma leucogaster, Salvad. t. c. p. 5. A young bird was in Governor Ussher's collection from Brunei; and be has since sent an adult bird shot by his boy Buak in Labuan. Mr. Treacher's collection also contained a fine adult bird, with the native name "Alang piak." 5. HALIASTUR INTERMEDIUS, Gurney. Haliastur intermedius, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 314. H. Indus, Salvad. t.c. p. 12. A young and an old bird from Governor Ussher, the latter shot on the Kina Bauua river in April 1877. Mr. Treacher sends an old bird (No. 46) with the native name "Alang merah," and a young one (No. 27) simply marked "Alang" and apparently not recognized by tbe collector as the immature bird of the present species. Mr. Low sends an egg of this species taken from a nest in a lofty tree in December 1873; it is dull white; axis 1*95 inch, diam. 1*4. Subfamily FALCONING. 6. F A L C O P E R E G R I N U S , Tunst. Falco communis, Gm., Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 376 ; Salvad. t. c. p. 1. A fine adult bird, of the true F. peregrinus type, procured by Mr. Treacher, according to whom it is called " Alang juali." The species has only been obtained before in Borneo by Motley at Banjermassing. 7. CERCHNEIS TINNUNCULUS (L.). Cerchneis tinnunculus, Sharpe, Cat. B. i. p. 425. The only Kestrel yet recorded from Borneo is Cerchneis moluccensis, which is said to have been collected by Schwaner (cf. Salvad. Ucc. Born. p. 3). Governor Ussher procured a specimen, which, however, I believe to be the dark form of European Kestrel, known to ornithologists as Cerchneis japonicus. This opinion is confirmed by a second example of a Kestrel obtained by Mr. Treacher in Labuan, evidently of the same species as the one shot by Governor Ussher, and apparently a young male of C. japonicus, with the basal half of the tail commencing to get blue. 21* |