248 CLASS AVES. 



name of gypcgeranus, and the Baron under the name which 

 heads this division, at the end of the diurnal birds of prey, 

 founding this distinction on the legs entirely covered with 

 feathers, the crooked and divided beak, projecting brows, and 

 all the other details of its anatomy. Dr. Latham, in his last 

 edition, has separated this bird, and placed it as a distinct 

 genus at the end of the vultures ; but M. Vieillot, in imi- 

 tation of some other naturalists, has classed it with the grallae, 

 in consequence of its very long tarsi. We shall here extend 

 a little the description of the text, from the important cha- 

 racter of this species. 



This bird, found at the Cape of Good Hope, is remarkable 

 for very long legs, which seem to approximate it to the crane ; 

 for its robust beak, equal to that of a bird of prey ; for its 

 brows formed by a single rank of black hairs, placed very 

 closely, and almost fifteen or sixteen lines in length ; for its 

 tuft, composed of a double rank of long feathers, hard, narrow 

 at their origin, situated towards the base of the occiput ; for 

 its wings, armed with three osseous and rounded prominences ; 

 for the size of the mouth, whose commissure extends up to the 

 eyes ; for the skin of the neck, susceptible of very great ex- 

 tension ; for the great amplitude of the crop ; and, in fine, for 

 the short and thick toes, armed with crooked and almost blunted 

 talons. The assemblage of all these attributes constitutes a 

 mixed, extraordinary being, not to be classed in any known 

 group. 



As yi. Le Vaillant has seen several of these birds alive, we 

 shall borrow our specific description from him. The secretary 

 is rather more than three feet in height. The naked skin, 

 surrounding the beak, is not red, as Buffon thought, but 

 yellow, more or less partaking of orange ; the bird can erect, 

 at will, the sort of tuft which hangs like a mane on the back 

 of the neck. The tail is much wedged ; the two middle 

 quills are double the length of the two following, and drag 

 along the ground when held at all obliquely. 



