60 OCCIPITAL EAGLE* 



his legs down to the joining of the foot : his feet 

 were yellow, with strong black claws : the inside 

 of his wings was white with a mixture of brown: 

 his leg, from the joining of the foot, was three 

 inches: his beak, from the point to where the 

 feathers reached, was two inches and a quarter: 

 the length of his crest from the head to the longest 

 feather five inches: the eye was black with a cast 

 of fire-colour in it, the iris yellow, and the whole 

 eye exceedingly beautiful.'^ This bird happened 

 accidentally to straggle into a host of Vultures, 

 which had followed the carnage of a battle, and 

 was struck to the ground by one of those voracious 

 animals, in consequence of which Mr. Bruce had 

 an opportunity of describing it. Mr. Bruce adds, 

 that during the march of an Abyssinian army, 

 there is no giving an idea of the number of 

 Vultures and other ravenous birds hovering in 

 the air and attending it, unless by comparing 

 them to the sand of the sea. " While the army is 

 in motion they are a black canopy, extending 

 over it for leagues." 



There can be little doubt that the Huppard of 

 Monsieur Levaillant is the same species. It is of 

 the size of a large Buzzard: its general colour is 

 a deep brown, darker beneath the body, but paler 

 on the neck and breast : the quill and tail-feathers 

 are black, with slight grey and white bars, and 

 the feathers of the thighs are mixed with white: 

 the head is ornamented at the back part with 

 a beautiful floating crest, composed of plumes fivo 

 or six inches in length: the bill is dusky, and the 



