Genus— CUN CUM A'. 
CuNCUMA Hodgson, Journ. As. Soc. Beng., Vol. VI. > 
p. 367, 1837 . . . . . . . . . . . . Type C. leucorypha. 
Pontoaetus Kaup, Classif. Saugeth. u Vogel, p. 122, 1844 Type C. Teucorypha. 
Also spelt — 
Pontaetus Kaup, Mus. Senckenb., Vol. III., p. 261, 1845. 
Blagrus Blyth, Cat. Birds Mus. As. Soc. Beng., p. 30, 1852 Type C, leucogaster. 
Large Aquiline birds with comparatively long bills, long wings, long tail, 
long partly-feathered legs and stout feet. 
The bill is long for this group, but really short, with a large cere ; the 
lower edges of upper mandible are sinuate ; the nostril is nearly circular 
and not covered by the loreal bristles, though they advance forward and 
cover part of the cere. 
The wing is long with the first primary short, but of medium length for 
this family, and longer than the seventh ; the third is longest but does not 
exceed the fourth much, while neither of these much surpass the second 
and fifth. 
The tail is long, but is slightly less than half the length of the wing : 
it is wedge-shaped, but not strongly. 
The legs are long ; the tarsus measures about one-third the length of 
the wing ; the feathers of the tibia advance about one-third down the length 
of the tarsus in front, but not behind. There are large coarse scutes seen 
on the front of the tarsus which is otherwise covered with reticulate scales, 
a few of which are larger on the back and resemble scutes. \\ 
The feet are stout but rather small, the middle toe being noticeably less 
than the tarsus. 
This genus has been merged in Haliaeetus, but there are differences to be 
seen in the bill, wing and feet, and consequently I use Cuncuma based on 
PaUas’s leucorypJia. 
Blanford, in the Fauna Brit. India Birds, Vol. III., p. 367, 1895, 
deahng with leucoryphus, which he placed in Haliaeetus, wrote : “ This bird 
is the type of Cuncuma of Hodgson, a name wrongly applied by some writers 
to H. leucogaster. It is a question whether the present form is not entitled 
to generic distinction.” 
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