194 



BUTEO LAGOPUS. 



edges with a very slight festoon, the tip trigonal and descend- 

 ing obliquely ; the lower mandible with the angle wide, the 

 dorsal line convex, the sides rounded, the edges sharp, inflected, 

 and decurved at the tip, which is rounded and thin-edged. The 

 nostrils are large and ovate ; the eyes also large. The feet are 

 rather short and robust ; the tarsi roundish, feathered in their 

 whole length ; the toes short and proportionally smaller than 

 in the Common Buzzard ; the hind toe considerably shorter 

 and scarcely stronger than the second, the fourth of about the 

 same length, much more slender, and connected by a small 

 web ; the toes with transverse series of scales at the base, the 

 first with five, the second with four, the third with seven, the 

 fourth with four scutella. The claws are long, moderately 

 curved, rather slender, very acute, that of the third toe with a 

 thin eds[e along; the inner side. 



The plumage is full, remarkably soft and rather blended. 

 The space between the bill and the eye is covered with small 

 bristle-tipped downy feathers. On the head and neck the fea- 

 thers are lanceolate, on the back and breast broadly ovate and 

 rounded ; on the legs short and narrow, those on the outer side 

 of the tibia however being elongated and of an oblong form. 

 The wings are long, reaching to the end of the tail, and much 

 rounded ; the first four quills with the inner web abruptly at- 

 tenuated, the first six with the outer also narrowed ; the secon- 



