WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 355 



ward the end, the edges sharp beyond the cere, with a slight festoon, 

 the tip deflected, long, subtrigonal, acute, at its lower part perpendicu- 

 lar to the gape-line. Lower mandible with the angle rather long, wide, 

 and rounded, the dorsal line ascending and convex, the sides flattened 

 at the base, convex toward the end, the edges direct, slightly decurved 

 toward the end, where it descends obliquely, the tip rounded. 



Body full, robust, very broad and deep anteriorly ; neck rather short 

 and thick ; head ovate, rather large, moderately convex above. Feet 

 of moderate length, very strong ; the tibia proportionally long, the tarsus 

 short, feathered anteriorly for more than half its length ; covered with 

 roundish or transversely oblong convex scales, some of the anterior of 

 which are larger, but scarcely so as to deserve being called scutella ; the 

 hind part is bare in its whole length with romadish scales, ten of which 

 in two series, below the middle, are scutelliform. Toes robust, free ; the 

 hind toe and second about equal in size, strongish, the third much longer, 

 the fourth considerably longer than the second and the most slender ; 

 the first with four, the second with five, the third with fourteen, the 

 fourth with seven scutella, their basal portions being covered with scales. 

 Claws well curved, very large, tapering, moderately compressed, con- 

 vex above, flattened beneath, with two prominent margins, and that of 

 the middle toe with an inner thin edge, beneath which is a deep groove. 



The cere is bare above, as is the superciliary ridge ; the sides of the 

 cere and the space extending to the eye nearly bare, being only co- 

 vered with very slender bristle-tipped plumules, of which there are 

 also some on the chin. Feathers on the head, neck, and breast, narrow- 

 lanceolate, acuminate ; those of the back and breast broadly ovate and 

 rather pointed, of the sides oblong, of the legs oblongo-ovate, rounded, 

 the outer elongated, the inner short and downy. A large space on the 

 fore part of the neck and interfurcular space covered with very soft 

 down ; feathers of the ventral space also downy. Wings very long and 

 broad; the first quill short, the third longest, the fourth scarcely shorter; 

 the outer five abruptly cut out on the inner web and tapering ; the secon- 

 daries broad, broadly rounded with an acumen. Tail of moderate length, 

 rounded, of twelve broad, rounded feathers. 



Bill, cere, edge of eyebrow, iris, and feet, yellow ; claws bluish- 

 black. The head, the neck all roixnd for half its length, the rump, 

 upper tail-coverts, tail, and lower tail-coverts, are white. The rest 

 of the plumage is chocolate-brown, the terminal margins of all the fea- 



