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NATURAL SCIENCES OP PHILADELPHIA. 5 



of which are also feathered ; toes and claws very strong. Entire upper parts 

 brownish black ; plumage of the back and neck behind white at base ; rump 

 and upper tail coverts with concealed large spots of white ; quills brownish 

 black on their outer surface, with a few transverse bands of a darker shade 

 of the same color, and with a large space on their inner webs white ; under 

 surface of quills white, with about three transverse bands of black. Entire 

 under parts white ; flanks, under tail coverts and tibial plumes externally 

 with large spots of brownish black ; tail on its upper surface dark ashy 

 brown, with about five wide transverse bands of brownish black, and nar- 

 rowly tipped with white, on its under surface ashy white, with a few trans- 

 verse bauds of black. Under wing, coverts white, with large spots of black ; 

 tarsi white ; cere and toes yellow; bill dark bluish brown. Axillary feathers 

 brownish black, the black spots on the under wing coverts unitedly form a 

 large space of that color on the under surface of the wing. Total length 

 about 22 inches; wing 14; tail 9^; tarsus 2| ; bill, from corner of mouth 

 direct to tip of upper mandible, 1 inches. 



Ilab. Ogobai River, a tributary of the Camma River, Western Africa. 



Spec, in Acad. Mus., from Mr. DuChaillu's collection. 



Two specimens of this Hawk-Eagle are in the collection from the Camma 

 River, above mentioned, and appear to represent a species hitherto unknown, 

 probably generically different from any other of Western Africa. Though, 

 in my opinion, properly to be included in the group Limnaetus, this bird is 

 more strongly organized than either L. niveus, cirrhatus, Kienerii, or other of 

 the Asiatic species that have come under my notice, and more decidedly 

 aquiline in some points of character. The tirsi are very thick and densely 

 covered, much more so than in either of the species just mentioned, and 

 quite as much so as in the larger Aquilse, or as in the Owls of the genus 

 Bubo. The bill also is strong and fully curved. No crest is apparent in 

 either specimen, though there is, perhaps, a slight elongation of the 

 occipital feathers. 



5. Otus stygius, (Wagler.) 



Ni/ctalops stygius, Wagl., Isis, 1832, p. 1221. 



Archives du Mus., Paris, 1844, pi. 24. 



Several specimens of this little known species have been received at the 

 Smithsonian Institution in the valuable collections presented by Mr. Sarto- 

 rius, and obtained hy him at Mirador, near Vera Cruz, Mexico. All of them 

 correspond with the descriptions of both Wagler and Pucheran, though 

 darker than the figure given by the latter, as above cited. 



On anew CORMORANT from the Farallone Islands, California. 



BY J. G. COOPER, M. D. 



Gkaculus Bairdii, Gruber, MSS. The White-patch Cormorant. 

 ? Graculus leuconotus, Audubon. 



Specific Characters. Male in spring. Head and neck changeable violet and 

 purple with green reflections ; body dark green. Back and wings greenish 

 purple, the quills brownish towards their ends and beneath. Flanks with a 

 large while patch on each side about equal in size to the bird's foot, mostly 

 concealed by the wings when folded. Tail like the wings. Head with a crest 

 of narrow loose feathers about an inch long, arising on the middle of ver- 

 tex above the eyes ; another similar crest arising just behind the occiput, 

 rather longer. Bill very slender, subquadrangular, strongly and abruptly 

 hooked. Length 27 inches ; extent 40.00, wing 10-75 ; tail 7, bill along ridge 

 1*90, along gape 3'00, its height and width at base each about - 50 inch ; 

 tarsus 1"50 ; outer toe and claw 3 - 76 ; inner do. 1-30; second and third quills 

 about equal, longest ; half an inch longer than secondaries and an inch 



1865.] 



