52 



IMPERIAL EAGLE. 



Falco imperialis. F. nigricans, rufo-cinereo varius, cristce 



occipitalis penitis mediis dimidiafo-nigris. 

 Blackish Eagle, with rafb> cinereous variegations, and the two 



middle feathers of the occipital crest half black. 

 Le Grand Aigle dela Guiane. Soniiini Bujf. 

 L'Aigle Destructeur. Sonjnni Bvff. ? 

 Falco Destructor. Daudin ornith. 2. p. 60. ? 



This noble bii'd is a native of South-America, 

 and was first described by Monsieur Sonnini, who 

 discovered it in Guiana. In size it considerably 

 surpasses the Golden Eagle, measuring three feet 

 and a half from the tip of the bill to the end of the 

 tail. Its colour above is rufous gre}^, barred with 

 black, the black prevailing most on the wings : the 

 tail is grey, barred and spotted with black, and 

 tipped with rufous: all the under parts of the 

 bird, except the vent, are pale cinereous, very 

 soft and downy: the vent is white barred with 

 black : the beak and cere black ; the legs and feet 

 yellow: the head is strongly crested with long 

 grey feathers, tipped with dull white, the two 

 middle feathers exceeding the rest in length, and 

 measuring above five inches: these two feathers 

 are of a rufous-grey colour for half their length, 

 the remainder being black, with rufous-grey tips : 

 the skin of the front, between the beak and eyes is 

 bare, and beset with scattered black hairs. 



This Eagle is a rare bird in Guiana, and is found 

 only in the interior parts of the country, where it 



