76 



CAPERCALZIE. 



This noble species is not much inferior in size to a turkey ; weight 

 sometimes twelve or thirteen pounds, but more frequently seven or eight; 

 length, two feet eight or nine inches. The bill is above two inches 

 long-, very strong-, the upper mandible much convex and hooked, the 

 point hanging- over the under mandible very considerably when closed, 

 as in birds of prey, and projecting over the sides, not meeting- at the 

 edges, as in most birds, by which means it can cut its food like a pair 

 of scissors ; the colour yellowish ; irides hazel. The nostrils are 

 covered with dusky feathers ; over the eye is a bare red skin, and under 

 the eye a spot of white feathers. The head is dusky, a little dashed with 

 ash-colour ; the feathers on the chin and throat are dusky black, and 

 long : the neck dark ash-coloured, finely speckled with dusky ; the breast 

 is of a fine dark glossy green ; the rest of the under parts black, with 

 spots of white, most about the thighs and vent ; the wing coverts and 

 scapulars chesnut-brown, finely speckled with dusky, at the junction of 

 the wing to the body is a little white ; greater quills dusky. Secondaries 

 like the coverts, slightly tipped with white ; the lower part of the back, 

 rump, and upper tail coverts, ash-colour, marked with innumerable 

 small undulated lines and specks of black ; the two outer rows of 

 feathers covering the tail are greatly longer than those in the middle, 

 and gradually lengthening, the under ones reaching nearly to the end of 

 the tail ; these are seven or eight in number, lying immediately over 

 each other : their ends are white, making as many white bars on each 

 side ; the tail is considerably rounded, consisting of eighteen black 

 feathers, marked with a few spots of white on the sides ; the legs are 

 covered with brown hair-like feathers ; the edges of the toes strongly 

 pectinated ; claws dusky and blunt. 



The female differs exceedingly, both in size and colour ; weight about 

 four pounds. Bill dusky ; head, neck, and back, are barred with tawny 

 red and black ; the throat tawny red ; breast pale tawny, with some 

 white spots on the upper part ; the belly barred with pale tawny and 

 black, the feathers tipped with white ; scapulars tipped the same ; quill- 

 feathers dusky, mottled on the exterior webs with light brown ; the 

 tail is of a dark rust-colour, barred with black, and tipped with white. 



This sex is described, by some authors, to have but sixteen feathers 

 in the tail, whereas the male has eighteen. This variation must have 

 been occasioned by the loss of some not noticed, for we have never seen 

 an instance where the sexes differ in this particular; *and from further 

 examination, we are enabled to assert that both sexes have the latter 

 number. * It is a strong character, that seems to divide birds of apparent 

 similitude, as in the cormorant and shag, and many of the duck tribe, 

 the females of which so frequently resemble each other. 



