29 
finding her egg (which was much incubated) gone, and her 
husband missing, that she tore the upper part of the nest to pieces, 
scattering the sticks and leaf lining, here and there, and making 
a wonderful snorting and hissing all the while. This is not 
the only instance I have witnessed, of birds tearing their own 
nests to pieces, in anger at the loss of their eggs, (vide Girus 
Antigone, No. 833, and for a somewhat similar incident, Falco 
Jugger, No. 11.) 
Length, 33 to 37 inches. Expanse 83 to 88. Wing, 22 to 24; 
the 3rd primary the longest, the lst about 2°5 inches, the 2nd 
about 0°5, and the 4th about 0°13 shorter than the 3rd. Tail of 
12 feathers ; length from vent, 9 to 11; Tarsus, (in some feathered 
in front for about half its length, in some for less than 3th), 3°5 
to nearly 4 inches. Foot, greatest length, 7-5 to 8-5; greatest width, 
5 to 5°5; mid toe, 3°6 to 4-2; its claw, straight, 1 to 1:09, along 
the curve, 1:13 to 1°31; inner toe, 1°69 to 1-9; its claw, straight 
1:13, along the curve, 1:44; outer-toe, 1°88, its claw, straight 0°81, 
along the curve, 1:06; hind toe, 1°38 to 1:7, its claw, straight 
1:09 along the curve, 1°3 to 1:5. Bill, straight, from edge of cere 
to point, 1-8 to 1:9; along curve, 2°19 to 2°31; from gape, 
2°65 to 2°9; width at gape, 1-44; height, at margin of cere, 
0°87 to 0°97; length of cere, 0°75 to 0°81; gonys, 0-97. Weight 
9 to 13 Ibs. Wings, when closed, reach just to the end of the 
tail, and the lower tail-coverts reach to within from 1°5 to 2°25 
of end of ditto. 
The legs and feet are nearly black, but in the live bird are 
always more or less incrusted with dirt, so as to appear of a dry 
mud colour, except where on the smooth surfaces of the scales, 
the horny black shows through. Claws, massive and very blunt, 
that of mid toe /itt/e, of hind toe we// curved, in colour blackish 
horny. NScutellation, reticulate except on ridges of toes, that of 
mid toe nearly all, and of other toes the terminal half or more, 
with transverse scales, larger and more strongy marked as_ they 
approach the claws. ‘The lateral toes are nearly equal, the outer 
being only a little longer, and both are conspicuously short as 
compared with the central one, outer toe claw as usual very 
feeble. Irides, brown, eyelids, very pale plumbeous or greyish 
white, each with a row of short black lashes. Bill, with a trace of 
two festoons in edge of upper mandible ; cere, short and promi- 
nent, horny black, hard, and polished like the bill itself. Greater 
part of upper mandible, greyish white, with bluish grey tips, and 
edges dusky. Lower mandible, dingy plumbeous at base, dusky 
at tip. 
The whole head, face, chin, throat and front and sides of the 
