Eagles.] 



MUSEUM OF ANIMATED NATURE. 



263 



two inches in length. The whole upper surface of 

 the head is black, with the feathers slightly elongated 

 backwards, and capable of being partially elevated 

 in the shape of a pointed crest. The entire neck is 

 of a light brownish grey, which also forms the ground- 

 colour on the breast and shoulders, but with the ad- 

 dition on these parts of numerous transverse wavy 

 bars of a deeper brown. Nearly all the rest of the 

 plumage is of a tolerably uniform shade of blackish 

 brown, with the exception of the tail, which is at 

 the base of a dirty white, with numerous narrow, 

 transverse, undulated bands of a dusky hue, and, in. 

 its terminal third, black without any appearance of 

 banding. The beak is horn-coloured at. the tip and 

 bluish at the base ; the iris hazel ; the cere and 

 naked cheeks of a dull red ; the legs yellow, and 

 the claws black. Such at least are the colours of 

 the living specimen in the Society's Garden. Se- 

 veral changes, however, take place in the plumage 

 of the bird as it advances in age. 



With respect to the Polyborus Chimango, noticed 

 by Mr. Darwin, and which is smaller than the 

 carrancha, we may observe that it is common on 

 both sides of the same continent. It is found in 

 Chiloe and on the coast of Patagonia, but does not 

 appear to inhabit Tierra del Fuego. It feeds on 

 carrion, and is the last bird to leave the carcass, 

 and, as Mr. Darwin says, may be often seen within 

 the bare ribs of a cow or horse, like a bird in a cage. 

 The chimango, he adds, "often frequents the sea- 

 coast, and the borders of lakes and swamps, where 

 it picks up small fish. It is truly omnivorous, and 

 will even eat bread when thrown out of the house 

 with other offal. I was assured that they materially 

 injure the potato crops in Chiloe, by grubbing up 

 the roots when first planted. In the same island 

 I myself saw them by scores following the plough, 

 and feeding on the worms and larvae of insects. I 

 do not believe they ever kill birds or quadrupeds. 

 They are more active than the carranchas, but 

 their flight is heavy ; I never saw one soar. They 

 are very tame, but are not gregarious ; they com- 

 monly perch on stone walls, and not upon trees, 

 and frequently utter a gentle shrill scream." 



Mr. Darwin notices a third species of Polyborus, 

 of rare occurrence, and which he only met with in 

 one valley of Patagonia. The fourth species to 

 which he alludes is the Polyborus Nova? Zelandise. 

 This bird, he remarks, is exceedingly numerous over 

 the whole of the Falkland Islands, which appear 

 to constitute its metropolis. He was informed by 

 the sealers, that they are found on the Diego Ra- 

 mirez Rocks, but never on the mainland of Tierr.a 

 del Fuego, nor on Georgia or the more southward 

 islands. In habits and manners they resemble in 

 many respects the carranchas, living on the flesh 

 of dead animals, and on marine productions, which 

 latter on the Ramirez rocks must constitute their 

 principal, if not their sole subsistence. They are 

 ordinarily tame and fearless, and confidently haunt 

 the precincts of houses for offal. When, he adds, 

 a hunting-party kills any animal, a number of these 

 birds soon collect, and wait patiently, standing on 

 the ground on all sides. After gorging themselves, 

 their uncovered craws are largely protruded, giving 

 them a disgusting appearance. 



" They readily attack wounded birds ; a cormo- 

 rant in this state having taken to the shore, was 

 immediately seized on by several, and its death 

 hastened by their blows. The Beagle was at the 

 Falklands only during the summer, but the officers 

 of the Adventure, who were there in the winter, 

 mention many extraordinary instances of the boldness 

 and rapacity of these birds. They actually made 

 an attack on a dog that was lying asleep close to 

 one of the party ; and the sportsmen had difficulty 

 in preventing the wounded geese from being seized 

 before their eyes. It is said that several together 

 wait at the mouth of a rabbit-hole, as is the prac- 

 tice also of the carranchas, and seize on the animal 

 when it comes out. They were constantly flying 

 on board the vessel when in the harbour; and it 

 was necessary to keep a good look-out, to prevent 

 the leather being torn from the rigging, and the 

 meat or game from the stern. These birds are 

 very mischievous and inquisitive ; they will pick 

 up almost anything from the ground ; a large- 

 sized glazed hat was carried nearly a mile, as was 

 a pair of heavy balls (bolas) used in catching cattle. 

 Mr. Usborne experienced, during the survey, a more 

 severe loss, in their stealing a small Rater's com- 

 pass, in a red morocco leather case, which was 

 never recovered. These birds are, moreover, quar- 

 relsome and very passionate, tearing up the grass 

 with their bills from rage. They are not truly gre- 

 garious, and do not soar. Their flight is heavy and 

 clumsy, but on the ground they run with extreme 

 quickness, very much like pheasants. They are 

 noisy, uttering several harsh cries, one of which is 

 like that of the English rook ; hence the sealers 

 always so call them. It is a curious circumstance 

 that when crying they always throw their heads 

 upwards and backwards, after the same manner as 



the carrancha. They build on the rocky cliffs of 

 the sea-coast, but only in the small islets, and not 

 in the two main islands. This is a singular pre- 

 caution in so tame and fearless a bird. The sealers 

 say that the flesh of these birds, when cooked, is 

 quite white, and very good eating." 



These rapacious birds are, as the above details 

 sufficiently prove, vulturine in their habits, and 

 have no immediate relationship to the true eagles ; 

 they evidently compose a distinct group. The fol- 

 lowing species seem to exhibit an alliance with the 

 buzzards and harriers, which they resemble in form 

 and modes of life. 



1224. — The Urubitinga, or Brazilian Eagle 

 of Latham 



(Morphnus Urabitinga). Head and foot. The 

 characters of the genus Morphnus may be thus 

 summed up : — beak convex above ; nostrils ellip- 

 tical ; tarsi elevated, scutellated anteriorly ; some- 

 times feathered toes rather short. ; claws acute. 



The Urubitinga is a native of Brazil and Guiana, 

 frequenting water, humid grounds, and inundated 

 places, where it seeks its prey, consisting of small 

 animals. The general plumage is dusky black, the 

 wings being waved with ash-colour, the tail-coverts 

 and base of tail white ; the beak is strong ; the 

 eyes large ; the cere and lejrs are yellow ; claws 

 black. The young of the year are blackish yellow 

 below, each feather having a central dash or spot 

 of blackish brown. The throat and cheeks are 

 marked with brown streaks on a whitish ground. 



1225. — The Crested Morphnus, or Huppart 



(Morphnus occipitalis). Head and foot. This is 

 the Aigle-Autour, Noir Huppe d'Afrique, the Falco 

 occipitalis of Daudin. Its tarsi are closely feathered 

 to the toes. This species is a native of Africa, 

 where it seems to be almost universally spread. It 

 equals a raven in size. The plumage is black, and 

 a crest of long feathers ornaments the back of the 

 head. 



1226. — The Hook-biixed Cvmindis 



(Cym'mdls Uamatus). Beak and foot. There are, 

 says Cuvier, Raptorial birds in America with a beak 

 like the preceding species, with tarsi short and 

 reticulated, and half covered anteriorly with fea- 

 thers, and with wings shorter than the tail, and 

 whose distinctive feature consists in the nostrils being 

 nearly closed, bearing the appearance of a narrow 

 slit. Of these, one is the present species, which, 

 however, has the tarsi scutellated anteriorly, and 

 the upper mandible very much hooked. This bird 

 inhabits Brazil, and when adult is of a uniform 

 lead-colour, the cere and feet being yellow. Length 

 about seventeen inches. The young of the year 

 have the plumage of a sombre brown, each feather 

 being bordered and blotched with red; the cheeks 

 are marked with yellowish rashes, and a stripe of 

 the same colour runs below the eyes : the front of 

 the neck is whitish. 



1227. — The Cayenne Cymindis 



(Cymindis Cayennensis). Head and foot. This 

 species, which inhabits Cayenne, has a small tooth- 

 like projection on the edge of the beak where it 

 begins to curve down. The adult is white with a 

 blue-black mantle, the head ash-coloured, and the 

 tail barred with four white bands. In the young 

 the mantle is variegated with brown and red, and 

 the head is white with a few black dashes. It is 

 the Petit Autour de Cayenne of Buffon. 



1228. — Grey Asturina 

 (Asturina cinerea). Head and foot. Generic cha- 

 racters : — beak convex above ; nostrils lunulate ; 

 tarsi short and somewhat slender ; claws long and 

 very acute. 



The Grey Asturina is a native of Guiana. The 

 general plumage is of a bluish ash-colour, with 

 whitish bands on the under part of the body. The 

 tail, which is white at the point, is traversed by two 

 black bands. Beak blue: cere yellow. Of its 

 habits we have no particular details. 



1229. — The Short-toed Circaetus 

 (Circaetus brachydactylus). Head and foot. This 

 bird is the Aigle Jean-le-Blanc of Temminek; Falco 

 Gallicus, Gmelin ; Falco leucopsis, Bechstein. 



The genus Circaetus, says Cuvier, holds an inter- 

 mediate station between the fishing eagles, the 

 osprey, and the buzzards : the wings resemble those 

 of the eagles and buzzards, while the tarsi are reti- 

 culated, as in the osprey. The external toe is 

 united to the middle by a short membrane. 



The Short-toed Circaetus, or Jean-le-Blanc, is a 

 native of Europe and Asia ; it is found in the great 

 fir-forests on the eastern parts of northern Europe, 

 but is elsewhere not very common. It is, in fact, 

 never seen in England or Holland, and is rare in 

 France. It is occasionally observed in Italy. 



In size, this species exceeds the osprey, but its 



toes are proportionally short, though powerful. 

 Its manners are those of a buzzard ; it feeds on 

 snakes and other reptiles, and small quadrupeds, 

 rarely on birds or domestic poultry. It builds its 

 nest on the highest trees, and the eggs are two or 

 three in number, of a lustrous grey, and spotless. 

 Colonel Sykes notices it among the birds of the 

 Dukhun, and states that in the stomach of a female 

 which he shot were found the remains of a snake 

 and two rats. Its length was thirty inches. 



Description of Old Male. — Head very large ; 

 below the eyes a space clothed with white down ; 

 summit of the head; cheeks, throat, breast, and belly 

 white, but variegated with a few spots of bright 

 brown ; back and coverts of the wings brown, but 

 the origin of all the feathers of a pure white ; tail 

 square, grey brown, barred with deeper brown, white 

 below ; tarsi long and greyish blue, as are the toes; 

 beak black ; cere bluish ; iris yellow. 



Of Female. — Less white than the male. The 

 head, the neck, the breast, and the belly are marked 

 with numerous brown spots, which are very much 

 approximated. 



Of Young.— Upper parts darker, but. the origin 

 of the feathers pure white; throat, breast, and belly 

 of a red-brown, little or not at all spotted with 

 white ; bands on the tail nearly imperceptible ; beak 

 bluish ; feet greyish white. 



1230, 1231.— The Secretary. 



Among the aberrant forms of the Aquiline group 

 must be placed this extraordinary bird, which to 

 naturalists has been a sort of " Pelrum scandali et 

 lapsis offensionis." Some have placed it among the 

 vultures, others among the Gallinaceous birds, and 

 others among the Wading birds, as did Vieiliot, 

 after repeatedly changing his opinions. 



That naturalists should have assigned it to the 

 Gallinaceous or the Wading orders, with the former of 

 which it has nothing in common, and with the latter 

 only the elevation of the tarsi, is indeed not a little 

 surprising. With respect to the vultures, it exhibits 

 but little affinity to them: Fig. 1232 represents the 

 Head of the Secretary in two views ; the short 

 abruptly hooked beak, the large eye, the overhang- 

 ing brows, with a row of strong black bristles, the 

 breadth of the head across the top of the skull, and 

 the occipital plumes are anything but characteristic- 

 of the vmture; whereas in many of the genera 

 intermediate between the eagles and the hawks, we 

 trace these characteristics, conjoined with that length, 

 of Jimb which fits them for terrestrial habits, and. 

 which is carried to its ultimate in the Secretary. 



It is among these aberrant terrestrial Falconidae, 

 feeding on reptiles and small quadrupeds, that 

 we consider the genus Gypogeranus to stand. 

 The generic characters of this genus are as fol- 

 lows: — Bill rather slender, shorter than the head,, 

 strong, very much hooked and curved nearly 

 from its origin ; cere extending almost naked 

 over the cheeks ; nostrils diagonal, oblong ; tarsi, 

 long and slender ; toes short, rough below, hind-toe: 

 articulated higher than the anterior toes; wings- 

 long, armed near the elbow-joint with obtuse spurs ; 

 five first quill-feathers the longest and nearly equal ; 

 occipital plume ; the two middle tail-feathers longer 

 than the others. 



It is not quite clear whether there are not, in 

 reality, three distinct species of Secretary : one in- 

 habiting the regions of South Africa : one, Sene- 

 gambia; and one, the Philippine Islands, north of 

 Borneo. 



In some interesting observations on the genus 

 Gypogeranus, by Mr. Ogilby ('Zool. Proceeds.' 1835, 

 p. 104), that naturalist gives certain distinctive 

 characters, from which it would appear that the 

 Philippine bird at least (whatever the Senegam- 

 bian may hereafter prove to be) is distinct from the 

 South African. 



South African Secretary (G. Capensis, Ogilby). — 

 " With the plume of long cervical feathers com- 

 mencing upon the occiput spreading irregularly over 

 the upper part of the neck, narrow throughout the 

 greater part of their length, as if the vane had been 

 cut on each side, close to the shaft of the quill, 

 spreading only at the point." 



Senegambia Secretary (G. Gambiensis, Ogilby). — 

 " With the cervical crest commencing some distance 

 below the occiput, arranged in two regular series, 

 one on each side of the neck, with the intermediate 

 space clear, and composed of long spatule-shaped 

 feathers, much broader throughout than in the last 

 species, though similarly decreasing in width to- 

 wards the root. In both these species the two 

 middle feathers of the tail are considerably longer 

 than the others." 



Philippine Secretary (G. Philippensis, Ogilby). — 

 "With the cervical crest spread irregularly from 

 the occiput to the bottom of the neck, the longest 

 feathers being those situated the lowest, which is 

 just the reverse of what we observe in Gyp. Gam- 

 biensis, and with the two exterior tail-feathers the 

 longest, so that the tail appears forked. This is 



