THE SMALL CAPE EAGLE. 291 



evidently cut from some publication, probably a news- 

 paper. We should conjecture that this might be the 

 South African Commercial Advertiser, a journal in 

 which many scientific papers have, we believe, been 

 from time to time communicated to the inhabitants of 

 Cape Town and the neighbouring settlements, but to 

 which we regret that we have it not in our power to 

 refer. The description, which Dr. Smith states to be 

 taken from a female, is as follows. The reader will 

 observe that the primary and secondary quill-feathers 

 are twice described, and with some little discrepancy ; 

 for the reason above given, we cannot pretend to 

 reconcile the apparent contradiction. 



" Front, crown, neck, interscapulars, and back, pale 

 tawny, with here and there brownish variegations ; 

 tail-coverts tawny or dirty white ; shoulders varied 

 tawny and dark brown ; scapulars blackish brown, 

 more or less distinctly tipped with reddish white ; 

 primary quill-feathers blackish brown, some of them 

 edged on outer vanes with tawny red, and all tipped 

 with reddish white ; secondaries dark dirty brown nar- 

 rowly edged and tipped with reddish white ; primary 

 quill-feathers black ; secondaries blackish brown on 

 their outer vanes, on the inner grayish variegated by 

 many transverse dark bands; tips of all reddish tawny; 

 tail rounded, brownish gray, and much mottled by 

 partial indistinct dusky black transverse narrow bands ; 

 tips of feathers all tawny ; under parts tawny with 

 brown variegations, particidarly numerous on the flanks 

 and anterior part of the belly ; thighs dark ferruginous ; 

 toes and cere yellow ; claws dark horn-coloured ; bill a 

 livid blue towards cere, dark horn-coloured towards 

 apex ; eyes reddish brown. Length of bird about two 

 feet four inches ; feeds commonly upon carrion ; and is 

 generally found in company with vultures throughout 



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