Our Birds of Prey. 155 
aries, the difference being less in facl: than the 
length of the tarsus ; while the toes, on their under 
surfaces, are covered with closely packed hard spicules 
(the mark of the genus) giving a very characteris- 
tic appearance to the feet, which, doubtless owing 
to this structure, are generally coated with mud from the 
mud-flats, whither these birds resort in search of crabs, 
shells, shrimps, fish, etc. — on which they chiefly delight to 
feed — and where they will frequently be met with, either 
on the stumps or tall trees, or on the mud-flat itself. 
The second species, the black-headed buzzard (Buteo- 
gallus sequinodlialis), which is much about the same 
size, and has much about the same habits, occurrence and 
distribution as the preceding, is nearly black all over 
the head and body, the latter parts being broadly mar- 
gined with rusty-red. The main quills are nearly black; 
the shorter quills are rusty-red with broad black tips ; 
and the tail is black, but with white tips and an obscure 
jand of white. The throat and foreneckare black, passing 
into a regularly barred black and rusty-red over the 
rest of the under surface. In these birds too, the differ- 
ence between the longer and shorter quills of the wings is 
even less than in the preceding, even less indeed than the 
length of the hind toe. 
The third species, the great-winged red buzzard (Hetero- 
spizias meridional is) is larger than either of the preceding 
forms, being from 20-24 inches in length according to the 
sex. The colouring of the upper surface is blackish-brown 
or grey, streaked and margined with rusty-red, especially 
on the head. The shoulder of the wing is almost pure 
rusty-red, while the main primary quills of the wings are 
whitish, passing into rich rusty-red with broad black 
T2 
