^00 ON THE CLASSIFICATION OP BIRDS. 
are described as particularly short, and the nails small 
and but slightly curved : these characters, joined with 
its elegant pendent crest, places it at once as an aberrant 
type in this group ; while the latter characteristic leads 
us strongly to suspect it is the representative of the 
crested eagles and the gallinaceous birds. We saw 
this remarkable bird when in Paris ; but, from the case 
which contained it not being made to open at pleasure, 
we were disappointed in giving it a critical examination. 
The same obstacle was probably experienced by M. 
Temminck, which may account for the imperfection of 
his description : the bird, however, is of too remarkable 
a type to be confounded with any other, except, perhaps, 
with one we have received from Western Africa, and 
to which we have given the name of Avicada. This 
subgenus, for as such we consider it, appears to follow 
that of Lophotes : both have the bills bidentate ; both 
have remarkably long wings, and short tarsi : but the 
bill of Aviceda is much more powerful, while the feet 
are stout, and the claws strong and well curved. In the 
structure of its feet it differs from all the falcons we 
have yet examined. The tarsus is not longer than the 
hind toe and daw, and, from being feathered for more 
than half its length, it appears even shorter ; the sole 
of the foot is remarkably broad, and is entirely destitute 
of those prominent callous pads which belong to Faleo, 
Harpagus, and most of the hawks. Unlike all these 
genera, the inner toe is decidedly longer than the outer ; 
so that the bird, in fact, may be said to have the feet 
and wings of Cyminidin, with the bill of Harpagus and 
LopJtotes: it is a falcon in the disguise of a kite, as 
such, at least, we view it ; and, by placing it next 
Lophotes, its station in the circle actually confirms this 
analogy. Tlie fifth type alone remains undetermined ; 
for we have not, as yet, met with any bird whose struc- 
ture appears sufficiently marked to make us feel any 
d^ree of confidence in its holding this station. Judging 
by theory, and presuming that Lophotes is the rasorial 
type, this, which we now require, would be the fissi- 
