42 



LE VAILLANT's NATURAL HISTORY 



Bee presque droit a la base, anguleux en dessus ; cire un peu poilue ; tarses emplum£s 

 jusqu' aux doigts, qui sont reticules; les doigts exterieurs reunis a la base par 

 une membrane ; ongies aigus ; queue egale (Aig/es EuropSensy, ou 6tagee (Aigles 

 Australiens) ; ailes aussi longues que la queue ; les premiere, seconde, et tioi- 

 sieme remiges les plus courtes ; les quatrieme et cinquieme, les plus longues. — 

 Lesson. 



THE GRIFFARD (Aquila armigera, Rennie.) 



Le Griffard, Le Vuillant, Ois. d'Afr. i. I, pi. 1. — Falco bellicosus, Latham, Ind. i. 9. 

 — Martial Eagle, Gen. Syn. Sup. ii. 16; Gen. Hist. i. 142. — Dautiin, ii. 38. — 

 Falco armiger, Shaw, Zool. vii. 57. — Baron Cuvier, Regne Anim. i. 326. — Lesson, 

 Man. i. 83. — Griffith's Cuvier, vi. 35. 



SPECIFIC CHARACTER. 



Brown, feathers pale edged, beneath whitish ; quills black ; tail even, one fourth longer 

 than the wings; legs pale, feathers to the toes. Size of an eagle. — Griffith's 

 Cuvier. 



The proportions of the several parts of the body furnish naturalists 

 with the best characters which they can employ to distinguish the dif- 

 ferent species of animals. Forms frequently determine qualities and 

 manners ; while colours very often present us merely with secondary 

 marks of distinction. The latter remark applies particularly to the very 



