8PIZAETUS. — SPIZIASTHR. 93 



by many naturalists. S. ornatns is found in the " tierra caliente " of both coasts, 

 seldom extending its range to a greater elevation than 3000 feet. 



Sumichrast ^^ describes the habits of this Eagle as being very like those of the Buzzards. 

 He says that it never leaves the woods, awaits its prey perched, and lives principally 

 upon rats and other small quadrupeds. Leyland procured only two specimens during 

 his stay in Honduras ; these he found in a very solitary place. The crop of one he 

 examined was full, and contained small reptiles. 



2. Spizaetus tyranuus. 



Falco tyrannus, Wied, Reise n. Bras. i. p. 360 ' ; Temm. Pi. Col. 73 \ 



Spizaetus tyrannus, Scl. P. Z. S. 1858, p. 357 ' ; 1860, p. 253 * ; Scl. & Salv. Ibis, 1859, p. 215 ' ; 



P.Z.S. 1864, p. 368°; 1870, p. 838'; Lawr. Ana. Lye. N. Y. vii. p. 316 ^ ix. p. 132'; 



V. Frantz. J. f. Orn. 1869, p. 368 "; Salv. P. Z. S. 1870, p. 215 "; Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. 



Mus. i. p. 264 " ; Sumichrast, La Nat. v. p. 236 ". 



Niger, pilei et cristse plumis ad basin albis : subtus gutture albo striato, abdomiBe albo guttato ; tibiis, tarsis 

 plumosis et tectricibus sabcaudalibus albo fasciatis ; alis extus vix fusco fasciatis, subalaiibus nigro et 

 albo variegatis, remigibus subtus albo fasciatis ; cauda nigra, fusco terminata et fusco quadrifaseiata, 

 fasciis subtus albicantioribus ; rostro nigro, digitis flavis. Long, tota circa 25-0, alee 15-0, caudae 12-5, 

 tarsi 3-0. (Descr. maris ex Savana Grande, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 



cf mari similis, sed major. 



Juv. Fuscus, capite toto et cervice albicantibus, cristsB plumis nigro terminatis ; tectricibus alarum, remigibus 

 et secundariis albo terminatis : subtus gutture toto medialiter albo, lateribus et pectore fusco striatis, 

 abdomine toto albo guttato ; tibiis, tarsis et tectricibus subcaudalibus fusco fasciatis ; cauda nigricante, 

 albo terminata et fusco quinquefasciata. (Descr. juv. ex Duenas, Guatemala. Mus. nostr.) 



Bad. Mexico, Vera Cruz (Salle *), Mirador, Potrero {Sumichrast ^^) ; Guatemala 

 [Skinner % Choctum, Savana Grande, Duenas {0. S. & F. 1). G.) ; Honduras 

 {Mus. Brit.), Potrerillos {Taylor^), San Pedro {Whitely'') ; Salvadok, Volcan de 

 San Miguel {Richardson) ; Nicaragua, Mombacho {Richardson) ; Costa Rica 

 {v. Frantzius ^°), Tucurriqui {E. Arce ^), San Jose ( Underwood) ; Panama, Cordillera 

 de Chucu, Calobre ^^ {E. ArcS), Lion Hill {M' Leannan ^ ^) . — South America, from 

 Colombia to Guiana and Brazil ^^. 



Of this species there is little to be recorded, although the bird is by no means rare 

 in collections. Its distril)Ution in Central America is apparently the same as that of 

 S. omaius, and, similarly, it inhabits the forest-regions, ranging to no great elevation. 



SPIZIASTUR. 



Spizastur, Lesson, Rev. Zool. 1839, p. 132; G. R. Gray, List Gen. Birds, p. 3 (1841). 

 Spiziastur, Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. i. p. 258 (1874). 



The single species of this genus is closely related to Spizaetus, but may be distin- 

 guished by the extremely powerful claws, the hind one being especially long and 



strong. 



In size Spiziastur resembles some of the smaller Eagles of the Palaearctic genus 



