The sexes closely assimilate to each other in colouring. The young differ in having the feathers of the upper surface tipped with buffy-brown.
The adults have the eye encircled by a narrow ring of black; forehead, sides of the face and under surface of the body pure white; back of the neck, back, scapularies, and upper tail-coverts delicate grey; a jet-black mark commences at the shoulders, and extends over the greater portion of the wing; under surface of the shoulders pure white, below which an oval spot of jet black; primaries dark grey above, brownish black beneath; tail greyish white; bill black; cere and legs pale yellow; irides reddish orange.
The figures are those of a male and a female of the natural size.
_J. Gould and H. C. Richter, del^t._ _C. Hullmandel Imp._ ]
ELANUS SCRIPTUS, _Gould_. Letter-winged Kite.
_Elanus scriptus_, Gould in Proc. of Zool. Soc., June 28, 1842.
I have nothing more to communicate respecting this new species of _Elanus_, than that I found a single specimen of it among a collection of skins that had been sent from South Australia. In size it considerably exceeds the Black-shouldered Kite, from which it also differs in the colouring of the upper surface, which is much darker and washed with reddish brown, the same part in the other species being delicate grey; the principal character, however, by which it may be distinguished, not only from its Australian relative, but from every other member of the genus yet discovered, is the great extent of the black mark on the under surface of the wing, which following the line of the bones from the body to the pinion, assumes when the wing is spread the form of the letter V, or if both wings are seen at the same time that of a W, divided in the centre by the body; which circumstance has suggested the specific name I have applied to it.
It will be admitted by every one that this new species is an interesting addition to the Australian _Falconidæ_, a group, of which the Fauna of that country is more meagre in species than any similar extent of country known.
Forehead and line over the eye white; head and all the upper surface dark grey, washed with reddish brown; wing-coverts deep glossy black; primaries greyish brown, becoming nearly white on their webs, all but the first two or three margined with white at the tip; secondaries brownish grey on the outer web, white on the inner and at the extremity; tertiaries brownish grey; two centre tail-feathers grey; the remaining tail-feathers pale brown on their outer webs, and white on the inner; lores black; all the under surface and edge of the shoulder white; on the under surface of the wing, following the line of the bones, a broad mark of black, assuming the form of the letter V; bill black; cere and legs yellow; claws black; irides orange.