422 Mr. J. H. Gumey's Notes on 



parts, except the head and neck_, broadly barred transversely 

 with grey, those of the mantle also showing dark shaft-marks 

 and being narrowly tipped with white. 



I may further observe that Mr. Sharpens note as to the 

 habitat of this Eagle implies that it is restricted to South 

 Africa, which is not the case : on the western side of that 

 continent it has been obtained as far north as Bissao, spe- 

 cimens from that locality being preserved in the Museums at 

 Leyden"^ and Norwich; whilst to the east it has certainly 

 occurred as far north as Zanzibar f, and probably in Abys- 

 sinia and on the White Nile J. 



From the genus Nisaetus we may naturally pass to the 

 consideration of the more typical Hawk-Eagles ; but before 

 doing so it will be convenient to refer to three aberrant genera, 

 Spiziastur, Lophoaetus, and Neopus, each consisting of but a 

 single species. 



Sjnziastur melanoleucus, a native of tropical America, is 

 remarkable for the extraordinary development of its inner 

 and hind claws, which are the most powerful, in proportion 

 to the size of the bird, of those of any species of this group ; 

 but for this peculiarity it might very well be included in 

 the genus Nisaetus, which it resembles in the circum- 

 stance of its wings being proportionally longer than those 

 of the more typical Hawk-Eagles, and also in the very 

 slight development of its occipital crest; in common with 

 the majority of the Hawk-Eagles it possesses the Astiunne 

 yellow iris §. 



Lophoaetus occipitalis is an African form, and remarkable for 

 the extraordinary development of the occipital crest, which 

 is greater, in proportion to the size of the bird, in this than 



* Vide 'Museum des Pays-Bas/ Accipitres, p. 50. 



t Vide Fiuscli and Hartlaub's ' Vog-el Ost-Afrika's,' p. 47. 



I Vide Vou Ileuglin's ' Systematisclie Uebersiclit,' p. 7, and ' Oruitlio- 

 logie Nordost-Afrika's/ p. 59; it seems, however, not impossible that the 

 species referred to, doubtfully, by Von Heuglin may have been Sinzaettis 

 coronattis. 



§ My authority for the colour of the iris is a memorandum attached to 

 a specimen obtained in Guatemala by Mr. Skinner, and preserved in the 

 N(ii'wich Museum. 



