2i6 DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY. 



crested eagle belongs to a group of several genera characterised by the tail being 

 nearly square, or slightly rounded ; while it is distinguished from all the others, 

 with the exception of the true crested eagles, by the length of the interval between 

 the tips of the primaries and secondaries of the wings being inferior to that of the 

 metatarsus. The great size and pendent character of the crest of the present 





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AFRICAN CRESTED EAGLE (J liat. size). 



bird at once serves to mark its distinctness from the members of the next genus. 

 The nostrils are circular, the beak short, and the metatarsi of considerable length, 

 with short feathers. In point of size the African crested eagle is somewhat inferior 

 to the red kite, the total length of the female being 21 inches. The general colour 

 of the plumage is chocolate-brown, with some of the feathers on the back and 

 wing - coverts paler and the head darker, with a black crest. The forehead and 

 legs are whitish, and there are a few white spots on the upper tail-coverts, while 



