242 PANDION HALIAETUS. 



and tapering to a fine point ; that of the middle toe with a flat 

 surface and sharp edge on the inner side. Fig. 219. 



The phimage is dense and compact. The feathers of the 

 head and neck small, lanceolate, and acuminate ; those of the 

 occiput and upper part of the hind-neck rather long, and erec- 

 tile into a kind of crest ; of the fore part of the back large, and 

 ovate, of the hind part small ; the scapulars very large and 

 strong ; feathers of the breast ovate, of the anterior part of the 

 abdomen longer, so as to cover a flap of large downy feathers, 

 lying over the very dense downy plumage of the abdomen ; 

 lower tail-coverts long, compact only at the end. Wings ex- 

 tremely elongated, with ten primaries, eighteen secondaries, 

 and five strong humerals ; the outer four quills are abruptly 

 cut out on the inner web, the second, third, and fourth slightly 

 so on the outer ; the first a little longer than the fifth, the third 

 longest ; the shafts strong, towards the end elastic. Tail rather 

 long, nearly even, of twelve broad, rounded feathers. 



Bill brownish-black, toward the base bluish, as are the soft 

 margins ; cere light greyish-blue ; iris deep yellow ; feet pale 

 greyish-blue ; claws black. The general colour of the plumage 

 on the upper parts is deep brown, glossed with purple, the 

 margins of the feathers paler. On the crown of the head and 

 the occiput, the feathers have merely a central streak of dark 

 brown, the rest being yellowish- white ; the sides of the head are 

 white ; a broad blackish -brown band from the eye down the 

 side of the neck. Quills dark brown, the primaries toward the 

 end brownish-black, and glossed with purple, the inner webs 

 barred with greyish-white ; tail light brown, faintly barred 

 with darker, the tips yellowish-white, the inner webs, those 

 of the two middle feathers excepted, marked with confluent 

 greyish-white spots. All the lower parts are white, excepting 

 the lower part of the neck and a portion of the breast, on which 

 there are numerous light brownish red streaks, and the lower 

 wing-coverts, which are spotted with brown. 



Length to end of tail 24 inches, to end of wings 26 ; extent 

 of wings 64 ; wing from flexure 20 ; tail 9i ; bill along the 

 ridge Ij'i \ length of cere -^ ; edge of lower mandible 1/^ ; 

 depth of bill at fore-edge of cere {^ ; tarsus 2\ ; first toe \l. 



