Birds. 285 



Genus PEENIS. Cuvier. 



Bill curved from the base, edges sharp, culmen nearly sharp ; 

 tarsi short, moderately strong, reticulated, and with scutce on 

 the toes; space between angle of mouth and eye covered ivith 

 feathers like scales ; nostrils, oblique narrow slits at the anterior 

 edges of cere; tail and wings long-, tarsi half covered with 

 feathers below the knees. 



Pernis Madagascariensis, Smith.* Above, dark brown of va- 

 rious tints, the feathers of the head more or less distinctly mar- 

 gined with rufous ; beneath, dull brown dashed with white, 

 particularly on the throat and the breast ; most of the feathers 

 on belly narrowly tipt with white ; hinder part of belly, vent, 

 under tail coverts, and legs, white ; some brown spots on the 

 outer sides of thighs. Quill feathers light brown, .transversely 

 banded with dark brown, and the inner vanes towards quills 

 crossed with white ; the tips of most of them dull white. Tail 

 above dark brown ; towards base banded with white, towards 

 tip with brown grey, the tips themselves white ; beneath, white 

 crossed with about four dark brown bands. Bill dark horn- 

 coloured ; lower mandible yellow towards base ; naked portion 

 of tarsi and toes yellow ; claws dark horn-coloured. Length 

 eighteen inches. 



Young. Above, light brown; the feathers, particularly those 

 of the shoulders, tipt with rufous white; beneath, fulvous 

 dashed with white, and the feathers of breast and belly tipt 

 with white. 



Inhabits Madagascar. 



Obs. Most of the feathers of head, neck, and body, pure white to- 

 wards quills. 



Genus BUTEO. Bechst. 



Bill curved from the base ; edges a little waved, culmen 

 rounded ; angle of mouth under the eyes ; spaces between nostrils 

 and eyes covered with hair ; nostrils irregularly rounded, naked 

 and open ; tarsi robust, scutellated before, reticulated behind ; 

 tail slightly rounded. 



Buteo Jackal. Bill black with the exception of a little of 

 the lower mandible at its base, which, and the cere, are dull 

 yellow ; eyes dark brown ; head, neck, back, shoulders, chin, 

 and throat, black or blackish brown ; breast deep chestnut or 

 ferruginous red ; belly, under tail coverts, and thighs, black ; 

 all the feathers broadly tipt with white or ferruginous red. 

 Primary wing feathers black, with a tint of hoary upon the 



* This species has not the scale-like feathers of Pernis, but in other 

 respects it exhibits most of the characters of the genus. 



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