HuMMTNG-BlEDS. 569 



change of plumage. They are peculiarly elongated, not 

 sunken in the head as the eagle's, and very far back, be- 

 ing an inch and a half behind the gape, while those of the 

 eao-le are directly over it. The bill is shorter and weaker 

 than the eagle's, and the decurved tip of the upper mandi- 

 ble only one third as long. The tongue is canaliculate, 

 with serrated edges, which obviously assists in deglutition, 

 as the head is never raised to swallow food. The carun- 

 cle and wottle are wanting in the female. The downy 

 ruff is more prominent in the male, but in neither sex 

 completes a circle. The primaries are black, the third 

 and fourth being equal and longest — a feature wanting in 

 the Old World vultures. The secondaries are exteriorly 

 edged with white. The tail is of twelve feathers^ black 

 and even. Legs feathered to the tarsus. Toes united by 

 a small membrane ; the middle one is excessivel}' long ; 

 the third one comparatively undeveloped, by which the 

 foot is rendered less prehensile than that of other Eap- 

 tores. Claws blunt, as might be expected from its habit 

 of standing on the rocks ; nor are sharp talons wanted, as 

 it seldom seizes living prey. The nail of the hind toe is 

 more curved than the other three, but far less than the 

 talons of the eagle. The female Condor is smaller than 

 the male, an unusual circumstance in this order, the fem- 

 inine eagles and hawks being larger than their mates. 



Our knowledge of the habits and economy of the Tro- 

 chilidse is very meagre. The relationship between the 

 genera is not clear, and one species is no more typical than 

 another. The only well-marked divisions I can discover 

 are those adopted by Gould and Gray — the Phsethor- 

 uithinse and Polytminse. The former, popularly called 

 " Hermits," are dull-colored, and frequent the dense for- 

 ests. They are more numerous on the Amazons than the 



