118 JIE. J. H. GUEXEI ON A EAPTOBIAL BIRD. 



from the angle of the lower mandible, and extendmg for about 3 inches in a straight line 

 towards the sternum. The feathers of the breast and sides are of a mingled browTi and 

 white, the latter predominatmg in the vicinity of the throat. 



The abdomen and imier sides of the thighs are white, the outer sides of the thighs 

 are brown, the plumage of the thighs also extending over about one-fifth of the upper 

 portion of the tarsus. 



The occipital feathers are lanceolate and slightly darker (some of them being also a little 

 longer) than the feathers of the adjacent plumage, thus presenting an appearance similar 

 to that which is frequently to be observed in adult specimens of Pernis cristatus. 



Of the primary feathers the thu'd is the longest, the second next, then the fourth, the 

 fifth, and the first successively ; the points of the primaries, when closed, reach to within 

 three-quarters of an inch of the tip of the tail. 



The tail, which consists of twelve feathers, is very slightly forked, the centre feathers 

 being the shortest, and the pair- next to the outside pair the longest. 



The bill is singularly small for the size of the bird; but the gape s veiy large, 

 extending backwards till it reaches a point directly below the centre of the eye. Be- 

 tween the eye and the upper mandible a row of small bristles takes its rise, pointing 

 towards and extending over the upper edge of the mandible as far as the nostrils, which 

 are uncovered and of a narrow oval form. As in the case of the American Vultures, 

 there appears to be no septum between the nostrils. The ridge of the upper mandible 

 is remarkably keel-shaped, and there is a very noticeable depression intervening between 

 it and the cutting-edge of the mandible, which latter is entirely destitute of anything in 

 the nature of a tooth, a notch, or a festoon. 



The tarsi and toes are slender in then- character, and the scales with which they are 

 covered are (with the exception of those covering the last joint of each toe) remarkably 

 small. The middle toe, which is considerably elongated, has a prominent roughened 

 pad below each end of the last joint; the inner toe is similarly provided, but with the 

 hinder pad thrown further back ; the outer toe has two of these appendages situated 

 as those on the middle toe, and two others placed further back ; the hinder toe has one 

 large pad only, seated immediately behind the root of the claw. 



The inner edge of the middle claw projects laterally, and appears to me to present a 

 rudimentary pectination resembling that which is found in the Owls, a tribe to which 

 the present species seems also to oiFer some resemblance in the form of its bill and the 

 extent of its gape. 



P.S. I had intended proposing the name of Stringonyx anderssoni for this singular 

 form, supposing it to be undescribed; but, as has been pointed out by Mr. Bartlett 

 suice my paper was read*, it is no doubt identical with the MacJiwrhamphus alcinus of 

 Westermanf , the type of which is in the Museum at Leyden. The present specimen 

 has been added to the collection in the Norwich Museum. 



* Proc. Zool. Soc. 1866, p. 324. t Wcsterm. Bijd. t. d. Dierk. i. p. 29. 



