THE BRASTLTAN CAEACARA EAGLE. 299 



hazel ; the cere and naked cheeks of a dull red ; the 

 legs yellow; and the claws black. Such at least are 

 the colours of the living specimen in the Society's 

 Garden. Several changes, however, take place in the 

 plumage of the bird as it advances in age, and these 

 are well illustrated by an extensive series of specimens 

 in the Museum in Bruton Street. So great in fact is 

 the variation of colour in this species that scarcely any 

 two descriptions of it correspond throughout, and the 

 figures by which it has been illustrated differ from each 

 other even more remarkably than the descriptions by 

 which they are accompanied. 



Marcgrave was the first to introduce into Europe the 

 name of Caracara, the vulgar appellation of the bird in 

 Brasil, derived from its hoarse and peculiar cry. But 

 although i\I. Cuvier regards Marcgrave's Caracara as 

 identical with our own, both the figure and description 

 are so much at variance with the latter that we feel 

 ourselves compelled to adopt in preference the opinion 

 of Professor Lichtenstein, founded upon the original 

 drawing, that they belong to a totally different bird. 

 We are consequently unable to trace the history of the 

 true Caracara beyond the year 1784, when a figure and 

 description were published at Vienna by the younger 

 Jacquin, from his father's papers, under the name of 

 Falco Cheriway. These we have no hesitation in refer- 

 ring to the present species, for in fact they approach 

 more nearly to our own bird than any others that have 

 yet been published. The principal differences between 

 them consist in the markings on the breast and neck, 

 which in the figure are more longitudinal than trans- 

 verse ; and in the very awkward foreshortening of the 

 beak, which completely distorts its natural form. Tlie 

 former appears, from the specimens in the Society's 

 Museum, to be one of the distinctive marks of the 

 vouno' bird. 



