290 ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS. 



name to have the advantage of priority of pubhcation, 

 to adopt the trivial name of vulturina in preference to 

 the doubtfid synonym of neevioides. The latter, it must 

 be admitted, would be peculiarly applicable to the gene- 

 ral appearance of our bird, which bears a striking 

 resemblance to the Aquila nsevia, the Rough-footed 

 Eagle of Dr. Latham's General Synopsis. We may 

 add that it has nothing in common with the Falco 

 vulturinus of Daudin, founded on the Caffre of Le 

 Vaillant, a bird as large as the Golden Eagle, with the 

 whole of its plumage uniformly black, agreeing with 

 the Sea-Eagles in the nakedness of its legs, and ap- 

 proaching the Vultures in the form of its beak and 

 talons. From this latter peculiarity, which is strongly 

 insisted on by Le Vaillant, Daudin derived its name. 

 That of Dr. Smith's species seems on the contrary to 

 bear no reference to such a resemblance, of which the 

 bird itself is entirely destitute ; but to have been given 

 solely for the purpose of indicating the singular kind 

 of partnership association stated by the author to exist 

 between the Vultures and this apparently much more 

 noble bird. Whether the same specific name should 

 be suffered to exist in two groups so nearly allied as to 

 be still regarded by many naturalists as forming part of 

 the same genus, is a question which we must leave to 

 the decision of those who are interested in its solution. 

 The Society's specimen, the only individual of the 

 species that we have yet seen, was presented by the 

 Hon. Mr. Melville in the summer of 1829. At that 

 time it was stated to be in its first year, and it has 

 since passed through two of the gradations towards its 

 fully adult colouring. As we have not ourselves had 

 an opportunity of observing it in its mature state, we 

 copy Dr. Smith's description, handed to us, immedi- 

 ately after the arrival of the bird, on a printed slip, 



