4 



II. Generic Character of Elanus, _« Ge^^/s of Birds, 

 with a Description of a Species. 



ELANUS. 



"EAANOS antiquorum, 



Elanus. Savigny, VieiUot. 



Ealco (Milvus). Cut'ier. 



Rostrum parvum valde compressum, angulo dorsali arcu- 

 ato : cera semihispida, brevis : 7iares magnae, ovales, 

 lobo membranaceo instructae : os ad oculos fissum : 

 mandibula superior margine tenui integro, palato moUi ; 

 maud, inferior apice oblique truncata. 



Tarsi brevissimi, squamis parvis subasqualibus instruct!, 

 basi pennati : digiti crassi, liberi ; intermedio paulo lon- 

 giore, phalange primo brevissimo : ungues magni, iii- 

 o?quales,arciiati,acutissimi,glabn; interiore et posteriore 

 longioribuSj illo latere interno longitudinaliter elevato. 



Alee longissimae, acuminatas ; remige primo secundo bre- 

 viore ; tertio primo paulo longiore ; quarto prascedente 

 abrupte breviore ; remigibus sequentibus jusque ad qua- 

 tuordecimum gradatim longitudine decrescentes. 



Cauda mediocris paulo emarginata. 



When I caused a figure of the following bird to be ex- 

 ecuted, I was not aware that it had been distinguished as 

 a genus by my learned friend Savigny, or I should not have 

 ventured to describe a bird after so eminent a naturalist. 



It is more nearly allied to Milmis than to any other 

 genus ; but it may very easily be distinguished from it by 

 the above characters, which are nearly the same^with those 

 laid down by Savigny, 



