298 TURKEY BUZZARD. 



metallic. The head and upper part of the neck are destitute of feathers, 

 having a red wrinkled skin, sparsely covered with short black hair, and 

 downy behind. Feathers of the neck full and rounded, concealing the 

 naked crop. Wings ample, long ; the first quill rather short, the third and 

 fourth longest. Tail longish, rounded, of twelve broad straight feathers. 



Bill at the tip yellowish-white ; the cere and the naked part of the 

 head of a tint approaching to blood-red. Iris dark brown. Feet flesh- 

 colouredj tinged with yellow ; claws black. The general colour of the 

 plumage is blackish-brown, deepest on the neck and under parts, the 

 wing-coverts broadly margined with brown ; the back glossed with brown 

 and greenish tints ; the tail purplish-black ; the under parts of a sooty 

 brown, on the breast glossed with green. 



Length 32 inches, extent of wings 6 feet 4 inches ; bill 2^ along the 

 ridge, 2/^ along the gap; tarsus 2^, middle-toe 3^. 



Young fully fledged. Plate CLI. Fig. 2. 



The bill is, of course, shorter and more slender, its horny tip pale 

 blue, black on the back ; the skin of the head is flesh-coloured, the iris 

 yellowish, the feet flesh-coloured. The plumage is nearly of the same 

 colour as in the adult. 



