50 HALIAETUS. 



large, compressed, oblong, slightly curved, the muscular 

 coat very thin ; the tM^o central tendons small and thin ; 

 the inner coat soft, without rugae. Pylorus with a 

 valve formed of three projections. Intestine very slen- 

 der, nearly uniform in diameter until towards the ex- 

 tremity, when it is considerably dilated ; no coeca. 



Nostrils oblong, ob|ique, subbasal, nearly dorsal, open, 

 with a process from the anterior margin, and placed in 

 the fore edge of the cere. Eyes large, overhung by 

 a thin projecting eyebrow ; eyelids edged with bristly 

 feathers. Aperture of the ear roundish, rather large. 



Head broad, rather large ; neck rather long and 

 strong ; body full and muscular, of great breadth ante- 

 riorly ; wings long. Legs of moderate length, strong ; 

 tibise rather long, and muscular ; tarsi short, rounded, 

 covered anteriorly above with about seven broad plates, 

 below with about twelve transverse rows of transversely 

 oblong scales ; toes strong, free, first and second of 

 nearly equal size and thicker, fourth of about the same 

 length but smaller, third considerably longer, the second 

 capable of being turned inwards, all scutellate above, 

 gi'anulate and tuberculate beneath ; claws large, curved^ 

 tapering, acute, convex above, rounded on the sides, 

 flattish and narrow beneath, those of the second and first 

 toes largest, that of the middle toe with an inner sharp 

 edge, and internal flat surface. 



Plumage compact, imbricated. Cere bare ; space be- 

 tween the bill and eye sparsely covered with very small 

 narrow feathers, having distant disunited barbs. Fea- 

 thers of the neck narrow and pointed, of the back broad, 

 of the belly very soft and downy, of the outer part of 

 the tibiae elongated. Wings very long, broad, rounded. 



