ACCIPITER. 



Nostrils ovato-oblong, in the anterior edge of the 

 cere, half way between the ridge and edge of the bill. 

 Eyes rather large ; eyelids edged with bristly feathers, 

 the upper overhung by a thin projecting plate. Aper- 

 ture of the ear round, rather large. 



Head of moderate size ; the body light, rather broad 

 and muscular anteriorly, very narrow behind ; the neck 

 of moderate length or rather short ; the wings of mo- 

 derate length; the legs rather long, slender; tibiae 

 muscular ; tarsi rather long, compressed, with oblique 

 rhombic scutella anteriorly and on the outer edge, hexa^ 

 gonal or pentagonal scales on the sides, and oblong 

 plates behind. Toes slender, free, the outer with a 

 short web at the base connecting it with the third ; first 

 and second nearly equal, fourth longer, third much lon- 

 ger ; all covered above with numerous narrow trans- 

 verse scutella, beneath tuberculate and papillate, there 

 being a long fleshy tubercle on the last joint of each 

 toe, and one on the next joint of each of the two outer ; 

 claws long, compressed, rounded above, slightly con- 

 cave and marginate beneath, curved nearly into a semi- 

 circle extremely acute ; those of the second and first 

 toes largest, that of the third with an anterior sharp 

 edge. 



Plumage soft, rather compact and imbricated above, 

 rather blended beneath. Cere bristly on the sides ; 

 space between the bill and eye sparsely covered with 

 bristle-pointed feathers which are downy at the base. 

 Feathers of the head rather short, those of the neck 

 of moderate length, rounded like the rest ; of the ab- 

 domen rather downy, of the outer pai't of the tibia 

 elongated and rather loose. Wings long, much round- 



