16S 



AVES. 



[Tlie Golden Ea.ijlp (F. chrn.^. 

 Spotted EaL;:lc {F. nav'iuf; aud . 



-■\Vliitt.hf..-iiJpd Err 



■tos. Lin.), the Grecian Ea;jle (A. Udiacn, Savigny ; F. imp':naUs,T<tm.), the 

 axulaiiUy Gill,), the Social Eagle (A. Bonelli, Bonap.)> a"^ the Little Ea^le 

 {F. ijeiinatm, Gm.), are the European species, which suc- 

 cessively decrease in size in the order announced; the 

 -^ last-named beinp smaller than a Common Buzzard.] 



_ "- — .. New Holland produces Eaj^les of similar form to tho?e 



of Europe, the tail excepted, which is cuneiform. Such 

 ""--". :-----i^ is the Wedge-tailed Eag'le [A. fucosa, Cuv.)- 



[There are many others.] We should remark that the 

 transition from the Eagles to the Buzzards is effected by 

 insensible gradations, [the typical Buzzards being merely 

 small-sized Eafi;les, with weaker armature]. 



The Erxes {Ifa/ij-efus, Cuv.) 

 Have \vings resombliug those of the preceding;, 

 bat the tarsi clothuil only on its upper half with 

 featliers, the remainder behig semi-scutcUated. 

 [Tlieir l)eak also is longer and larger.] Tliey 

 frequent the shores of rivers and of the sea, and 

 snbsist in great part upon fish [without disdaining 

 carrion, like the true Eagles. 



The Cinereous Erne (F. alblcKIa, Lin.) of Europe, and 

 the American White-headed Erne {F. Uucocephalm, Lin. 

 li;^'. 75) are characteristic examples. There are also some 

 of small size, as the bird commonly temied the Pondi- 

 cherry Kite {F. ponfiret^ianua, Gm.), which the Hindoos 

 consider sacred to Vishnu. The Cunduma of Hodg-son 

 is merely a lar;j,"e IIal:j:ctas]. 



The Ospreys (Pandion, Savi^ny) — 

 Have [somewhat] tlie Leak and feet of the Ernes ; but their taluns are round underneath, wlille m 

 other Birds of prey [save in the true Eh/ii] they are grooved 

 or channelled; their tarsi are reticulated, and the second 

 [third] quill of their wings is longest. Their sternum (tig. 76) 

 differs from that of other Falcons (see fig. 72) in becoming 

 narrower towards its pu>-(crior margin, w here a notch exists 

 analogous to the rnncr emargination of tlic Gallinazos, but nut 

 to the foramen ob^ervalde in the Falcons generally: the intes- 

 tine is very slemler and of great lengtli (whereas in the Ernes 

 it does not differ from that of other Falcons): the super- 

 orbital hone does not prnjert : the featiiers even are eoui- 

 pb'trly destitute of tlie supplcnicntar} iilniuc, (wiiich in the 

 Ernes and most other l'\ih;(Mis is considerably developed), and 

 are not lengtheneil o\er the tibia: the outer toe is reversible, 

 and tlie foot astoiiishiiigly niugb inulrruriiib, to enable thera 

 to hobi their slippery lisb\ i)rcy, lui wbiidi ilicy subsist ex- 

 clusively. Tliis is by far tlie moit strongly characterized division 

 of the Linna^an genus Fako.'^~\ 



The Common Osprey {F. hali,r,'tus, Lin.) — [Evidently a cluster of a 

 allied species, very generally distributed. That of New Holland (P. h'u- 

 coci-pkalus, Gould) has the crown white. In some places this bird 

 nidificates in large societies. 



As a group, externally iuterniediate to tlie Ernes and Ospreys, 

 niiglit be separated tlie F. /cht/iij^e/us, Horsf, and several allied 

 species from Australasia. They are essentially Osprey-hke Ernes, 

 which most probably retain the anatomy of the latter, and ex- 

 hibit greater developement of the mandibular tooth than either.] 



• Tlic genus J'rTj-iUiulIu .-ex aluric is iiu^irly 



