aN an ae a oe vn m hs _ on a ¥ Pr PP OLEOON CLA SEE AEG ; ~ssilliliieds Ady ; - hat if AYO. SVS CATS WE Cee : oo ‘EN com — a) WA ALL WAH E HAOHOome CREA WET f ‘ ceionende dyalon recover. haw arround, fi-eid sets divi - * : : 5 Ae I naire ts, “eee mt ‘ x fj wenn . Ny WANA aN NIN VS WANS ‘ \, ‘ ‘ q etic & a ; Oh sere he Morse aho) 2) baie aabaed. f ete ‘ , Wy i he . igs h 4 & GENERAL ZOOLOGY, OF SYSTEMATIC. NATURAL HISTORY by GEORGE SHAW,M.D.ER:.S. &c. eee WITH PLATES from the firft Authorities and most select sp eclmens 4 , WEARNS Ove saved principally ye “) GOLLECTION a ANAM is idare = M®* GRIFFITH. a aia cle meey y YOL .VIL. Part 1. AV ES. ocle wrout, Meveitl = London, Printed for G.Kears] ey, Fleet- Street, Leos, - GENERAL ZOOLOGY. VOLUME VII.——PART L BIRDS. LONDON. PRINTED FOR GEORGE KEARSLEY, FLEET-STREET; BY THOMAS DAVISON, WHITEFRIARS. -— ~—S E 1809. f i Bike SKELETON OF FALCO PALUMBARIVS OR GOSHAWwK 2608 Sep! 2 London Lublijhd by Chearsley Flect Street: BIRDS. HaAvInG in the course of my Zoological Lectures, given a slight general description of Birds, I prefix it, without any material — tion, to the present volume. In birds the skeleton or bony frame of the animal is, in general, of a lighter nature than in Quadrupeds, and is calculated for the power of flight: the spine or back bone is immoveable, but the neck lengthened and flexible: the breast-bone very large, with a prominent keel down the middle, and formed for the attachment of very strong muscles: the bones of the wings are analogous to those of the fore-legs in quadrupeds, but the ter- mination is in three joints or fingers only, of which the exterior one is very short. What are commonly called the legs are analogous to the hind-legs in quadrupeds, and they terminate, in general, in four toes, three of iv PREFACE. which are commonly directed forwards, and one backwards; but in some birds there are only two toes, and in some only three. All the bones in birds are much lighter, or fur- nished with a larger cavity than in qua- drupeds. With respect to the definition of a Bird, as absolutely distinguished frem all other | animals, it would be sufficient to say, accord- ing to the old mode, that a Bird is a two- footed, feathered animal. The power. of flight need not enter into the definition ; for there are many birds which are perfectly destitute of the power of flight; as. the Ostrich, the Cassowary, all the Penguins, and some other birds. The feathers with which birds are covered are analogous in their na- ture to the hair of quadrupeds, being com- posed of a similar substance appearing in a - dissimilar form. Beneath or under the com- mon feathers or general plumage the skin in birds is immediately covered with a much finer or softer feathery substance, called down. The external or common feathers are called by different names on different parts of the animal. The longest of the wing-feathers, which are generally ten in number in each PREFACE: v wing, are called the first or great quills, (in the Linnzean phrase remiges primores, as being the chief oars or guiders as it were.) The feathers constituting the middle part of the wing are called the secondaries or second quills, (remiges secundarii of Linnzeus,) and are more numerous than the first: the feathers descending along each side of the back are called the scapular feathers: the small feathers covering the shoulders are called the smaller wing-coverts, (tectrices minores :) the next series to these are called: the larger wing-coverts, (tectrices secundarié or majores,) and at the edge of the shoulder are a few rather strong and slightly lengthened feathers, constituting what is called the false or spurious wing; the alula or alulet of some ornithologists. The __ pen tlr tail, in most birds, consists of twelve feathers; #4. 7 in some of ten only; and in some others of ~*~ eighteen, twenty, or twenty-four. Sometimes on each side the tail, or above it, at the lower part of the back, are placed several very long feathers of a different structure from the rest: these have been called the hypochondrial and uropygial feathers. ‘The above are the princi- pal distributions of the feathers on a bird. Vi PREFACE. With respect to the particular shape of the feathers themselves, they vary greatly in the different tribes. The particulars most important in the com- parative anatomy of birds are these. The heart is furnished with two cavities, or, in the language of anatomists, is bilocular, and the general course of the circulation is carried on as in quadrupeds. ‘The lungs are very large, affixed to the back part of the cavity of the breast, and are furnished with several external orifices, by which the air they contain is at pleasure communicated to other parts of the frame. The throat, after passing down to a certain distance, dilates into a large mem- branaceous bag, answering to the stomach in quadrupeds: it is called the crop, and its great use is to soften the food taken into it, in order to prepare it for passing into another stronger receptacle called the gizzard: this, which may be considered as a more powerful stomach than the former, consists of two very strong muscles, lined and covered with a stout tendinous coat, and furrowed on the inside: in this receptacle the food is com- pletely ground, and reduced to a pulp: in PREFACE. ae the predacéous birds or Accipitres the gizzard is wanting; the stomach being more allied to that of quadrupeds. yAhaggon| Birds, as every one knows, are oviparous animals, always producing eggs, from which the young are afterwards excluded. 'The pro- cess of the young in the egg, from the time of its first production to that of its complete formation, is extremely curious and interest- ing, and may be found detailed with suf- ficient exactness in the works of Malpighi, Buffon, Monro, and others. I shall only ob- serve on this subject, that the first appearance of the young, as an organized body, begins to be visible in six hours after the egg has been placed in a proper degree of heat; and a particular highly worthy of attention is, that the chick or young bird, when arrived at its full size, and ready for hatching, is by Nature provided with a small, hard, calcareous pro- tuberance at the point or tip of the bill, by which it is enabled the more readily to break - the shell, and which falls off some hours after hatching. So careful has Nature been, and so accurately has every circumstance attend- ing the process been foreseen and provided for! ~ Vii PREPACE« Birds are divided by Linnzus anho SIX Orders or Assortments, viz. ' 1. Accipitres or Predacious Birds, such as Vultures, Eagles, Hawks, Owls, and some others. 2. Pice or Pies, containing all the fatale of the Crow and Jay kind, the Parrots, the Woodpeckers, the Kingfishers, and a great variety of others. : 3. Passeres or Passerine Birds, eomprismg the Pigeons, the Thrushes, the Larks, and all the Finches or small-birds in general, either - with thick or slender bills. 4.. Galling or Gallinaceous Birds, or such as are more or less allied to the common do- mestic Fowl, and consequently containing the Pheasant and Partridge tribe, the Pea- cock, Turkey, and several other birds. | 5. Grall@ or Waders, consisting of all the Heron tribe, the Curlews, the Plovers, and other numerous tribes which have lengthened _ legs, and chiefly frequent watery situations. 6. Anseres or Web-footed Birds, as the Swan, Goose, and Duck tribe, the Gulls, the Penguins, and many others. Out of these six Linnean Orders some ernithologists have instituted a few others, in PREFACE. ix order to give a greater degree of clearness and precision to the arrangement of birds; but they cannot be considered as absolutely necessary. Thus the Pigeons have been sometimes considered as properly forming a distinct order of birds, under the title of Columbe or the Columbine Birds, instead of being ranked among the Passeres of Linnzus ; and the Ostrich, Cassowary, and Dodo have been supposed to constitute an order called the Struthious Order, instead of ranking either among the Gralle or Galline of Linneus. In the course of the present publication, _ though the general tenor of the Linnean and Lathamian divisions will be pursued, yet several variations and transpositions will occasionally take place. N. B. Wherever a marked line occurs on the plates, it signifies the twelfth part of the length of the bird. CONT E NTS OF VOL. VIT.—PART I. ee common page ash-coloured nel greater ———-- spotted ———— cream-coloured speckled ——— American . Harpy ———— barred-breasted ————— honey —-— moo. Eagle, imperial . « Harpy — Calquin —— royal . : . ——Griffard . . vulturine occipital =——— crowned . =——— zZone-tailed * -——— Urubitinga. m 109 110 110 111 11] 112 112 113 113 114 116 52 54 55 56 57 58 59 61 62 63 Eagle, Caracca superb — Mauduyt’s. Sonnini’s . —— delicate —— Cheela — spotted —— ring-tailed . —— black — golden. —— white conciliating —— white-headed —— cinereous . e Pp: 64 64 66 67 68 69 70 71 74 75 76 7h 78 79 —— smaller white-tailed 80 sea. : —— Osprey . rough-footed. —— Astrachan . -—— black-backed —— Mogilnik . mame black-cheeked Australasian cinereous 80 81 82 84. 85 86 87 88 Xil Eagle, Chinese . —— French . Pondicherry Statenland =—— albescent vociferous . —Blagre . zequinoxial —— Mansfeny . —— short-tailed —— tiger —— Courland . s=——= Dransberg . FALCO GENUS , imperialis ——— Harpya . Calquin . « regalis Armiger vulturinus occipitalis coronatus zonurus . -—- Urubitinga Caracca ——— superbus Manduyti Sonnini ——— delicatus Cheela . maculatus —— fulvus . ———— Melandetus ———= Chrysietos white-crowned Australasian white CONTENTS. p- 88 || Falco, cygneus . 89 |} ——- Conciliator 90 |} ——- leucocephalus gl || ——- Albicilla . 92 || ———- hinnularius 92 || ——- Ossifragus Q3 || ——- Haliztus . 94 || ———- n@vius 96 |} ———- Astracanus G7 || ——- melanotus 98 || ——- Mogilnik . 9s |} ——- Americanus 100 |} ——=- Sinensis . 101 || ———- Gallicus . 102 |} ——- Leucoryphos - Ponticerianus 51 ——-- Australis . 52 |} ——- albus x 54 || ——- albescens . 55 || ——- Vocifer . 56 || ——- Blagrus . 57 || ——- equinoxialis 58 |} ——- Antillarum 59 || ———- ecaudatus 61 || ——- tigrinus 62 || ——- Germanicus 63 || ——- glaucopis . 64 || ——- Milvus . 64y en ater ae 5 66 || ———- Austriacus 67 || ——- Brasiliensis 68 —~- furcatus 69 || ———- Buteo 70 || ——- variegatus 71 |} ——- Borealis . 74. || ——= rufus A 75 |} ———-= lineatus . . p. 96 77 78 79 80 81 82 84 85 86 87 88 88 89 go 100 101 102 103 105 106 106 107 109 112 112 113 113 falco, apivorus . ——- xruginosus —- palumbarius ——- Girfalco ——-gentilis . —- communis -———- peregrinus -musicus . ———- lagopus . ——-- pennatus . ——.- Nove-Terre - cirrhatus .’ -niveus’ . - galericulatus ——- rufus a ——- §. Johannis =——- Leverianus =-——- obsoletus . -——- hyemalis . ———- melanoleucos ——- stellatus - Sufflator . -——- cachinnans ——- maritimus ——-Bacha . ——-- Piscater - formosus . ——- Nove Zelandiz -——- Cayanensis ——- macrourus -——- Brownili -fuscus . ——-cyaneus . ——- pygargus . -——- Hudsonius ——- melanobronchos =———- picatus . CONTENTS. . p. 114 |] Falco, Asiaticus . . 116 |} ——- Johannensis 118 || ———- Madagascariensis Puan st 2 0) - rhombeatus . 122 |} ——-Tharus . 124 - rubiginosus aS - Sclavonicus baa Ie —- ranivorus . 145 ~ testaceus . . 146 || ——- Acoli 3 sya) 7 ——- axillaris . 147 |) ——-Jackal 149 || ———- desertorum - 149 |} ——- tibialis. . 150 }| ——- melanops-. 150 |} ——- bidentatus . \ 151 |] ——-calidus . . 152 || ——- Chicquera ~ 153 |} ———- melanopterus — . F rer - radiatus ~~ 154 || ——- meridionalis . 155 |} ——- Forskahlii’ S156 - Tinnunculus - (157 |} ——- Lithofalco 157 || =———- montanus | pr1s8 - lunulatus . reo) - clarus 159 || ———- discolor se 6 - Sonninensis 160 - connivens 101 |} ——- pacificus - 161 }| ——- Nisus er 1Gs ~ Columbarius - 163 || ——- magnirostris 165 || ———- vespertinus 167 - superciliosus “ ——- Capensis . 167 2 28 Al « p. 168 168 169 169 170 170 171 171 nee, 172 173 173 174. 174. 175 175 176 176 177 177 178 178 179 182 183 184 184 185 185 186 186 187 188 190 190 191 192 CONTENTS. KIV Falco, Subbuteo . » p. 194 ———- aurantius . - 104 -———- pinetarius Ys e——~- plumbeus . 196 ——- Asalon . « 196 ——-Sparverius . 199 - clamosus , - 200 ——- Tachiro 201 ——-» Tachardus 201 ——-Gabar . 5 ~ 202 -Buzon , « 202 ——-Buzarellus ; 203 -——-- Brissonianus _. 203 —- Viellotinus » 204 ——w-- Minullus * .. 205 wee=-doliatus . ©. 206 =———=- Sibiricus . 207 ——= cerulescens 208 ——- tinus pitteny 200 Falcon, gentil - . » 122 common 124 -——— swallow-tailed 107 peregrine 128 Barbary ~ 129 Lanner . 130 chanting 143 rough-legged . 145 Sipeatedyhc) iy, AO ; Newfoundland ~ 147 —— crested Indian 147 crested white. . 149 crested African 149 — — Harpy . - 150 St. John’s 150 plain -. 152 Leverian 2) joi BO Falcon, winter . . p. 153 — black and white 154 stellated J) ae Surinam ea laughing 156 maritime Piste! 9 / Bacha . aN 574 fishing . 158 purple-throated 159 New Zealand 159 Cayenne * 160 -long-tailed _ 160 black-throated . 167 pied : 574 Asiatic . - 168 Johanna oA OS Madagascar . 169 rhombeated .. 1069 criard 170 _ rubiginous 170 Sclavonian eal ranivorous 17] testaceous f 172 long-legged . 172 axillary . » 178 Jackal 173. desert ale black-thighed. 174 — black-eyed «© 175 double-toothed 175 Behrhee 176 Chicquera 176 black-winged 177 radiated . 127 rufous-headed 178 — — Forskahl’s . 178 stone . oe Lee CONTENTS. xv Falcon, Sonnini’s .p. 185 | Kestril . : » p..179 mountain |) 782 foo lead-coloured . 181 lunated . - 184 || ——--- spotted grey . 181 fair ; - 184 || ——-- Cape : . 192 : lurid. . « , 185 winking , 186 || Kite,common . ep) 103 pacific . Seg tO Russian. oa 105 Ingrian . » 190 black : sh AOS Guiana . - 1gl || ——— Austrian . «,, .106 Criard . - 200 ||} ——.Caracca . cw) lO” Tachiro . . 201 : Tachard » 201 || Owl, great horned . 211 ——Gabar . . 202 '||———Laplandhorned. 214 Buzzaret .» 203 || ——— bare-legged horned 214 —— African horned . 215 Magellanic horned 215 —— Virginian horned 215 Ceylonese horned 218 F Goshawk ‘ ° of eS Hawk, sparrow 4 ot) Se, ——- pigeon . . 188 ||-———Chinese horned. 219 m——- great-billed . 190 Coromandel horned 220 ——-- Brissonian «2037 1h. long-eared , spi ek ees Viellotine po Oe . short-eared atts, 22S ——-dwarf . - 205 |} -—— marsh horned . 227 -barred. - 3206 || —— American horned 228 ——- Siberian . 207. Mexican horned 228 ——-cerulescent . 208 || —— red horned - 220 ——- tiny. ; 27 200 — mottled horned . 230 —Carniolic horned 231 Brasilian horned 231 Scopshorned . 233 Hobby . : a 103 Bakkamoena horned 237 a orange-breasted 194 || ——~ white-fronted horned 238 —- greater ‘ . 195 || —— Siberian horned, 239 ——- spotted-tailed . 196 || ——— snowy “ - 240 —— Wapacuthu . 243 fuliginous . . 244 —— barred , -, 245 Hen-Harrier . «163 Jerfalcon « n ee, 120 VI Owl, Austrian . Austrian white — spectacle . —— masked . —— white-browed ——— ermine : —— Austrian rufous e— Austrian ferruginous 252 wood : —— tawny . brown , —Aluco . een Oriental . —— undulated . baring os — Georgian ae —— St. Domingo Cayenne." Boobook , Solognese . :; mountain . Fernandezian aco transatlantic passerine , —— New Zealand Acadian. Tengmalm’s —— dwarf : phalzenoid . —— bare-legged —— grey , : —— Caspian . Canada . —— Hudsonian —— Ura . —— African c= Yariegated . - p. 280 46 CONTENTS. » p. 247 {| Owl, lineated . A 247 - 248 |} SERPENTARIUS, GENUS 46 TONG - 250 || Snake-Eater, African - 251 ? 252 || STRIX, GENUS . Bubo . Sh Oes fj aee Virginiana = 200 ‘Zeylonensis £258 Sinensis . Set ES Coromanda al 25574 Otus ir a oy. ‘brachyotus TA. 258 palustris ie A010} —— ‘Americana a OT Mexicana a On : Asio’ . rant? O MEM Tay ey Agi BEXG} 2 Carniolica = 20S Brasiliana * | OS Scops a) 64 Bakkamoena . 264 albifrons 266 ‘deminuta. -* ao — pulchella Sig Noy7 Nyctea . - 267 Wapacuthu : 268 || ———— fuliginosa - 269 || ——— nebulosa 270 Austriaca Bk ae. alba A * | 273 perspicillata - 274 personata RE 777) superciliosa a AS. erminea . » 279 |} ——— Noctua. Strix, rufa. sylvatica Ulula —— Aluco — Orientalis . undulata flammea Georgica Dominicensis Cayana Boobook Soloniensis —- montana - Fernandica transatlantica passerina . fulva. sive Acadiensis . Tengmalmi phalzenoides nudipes <= Uiete Caspia s Canadensis Hudsonia . —— Uralensis A ICAM Aste ———-Nasuella ~. lineata ” VULTUR, GENUS Condor v. VII. P. I. Californianus CONTENTS. Vultur, barbatus Monachus — auricularis Indicus . fulvus . castaneus Bengalensis niger -. Ginginianus Percnopterus Aura Papa) . Plancus . Cheriway Vulture Condor Californian ——— bearded . —— Monk . nu —— + auriculated Pondicherry Indian fulvous . chesnut . Bengal . blacks —— Gingi Gesnerian American King plaintive Cheriway Ponticerianus . (oe Ls ey Nag or Reise: 5 donna rats slate aieteten LF Bi kh Ds: ORDER ACCIPITRES. VULTUR. VULTURE. Generic Character. Rostrum rectum, apice a-{{ Bill strait, hooked at the duncum, basi cute tec- tip, and covered at the tum. base by a cere or skin. Caput plerisque impenne, || /Zead, in most species, bare antice nuda cute. of feathers, and covered . in front by a naked skin. Lingua carnosa, sepius bi- || Tongue fleshy, and general- fida. ly bifid. Collum retractile. Neck retractile. Pedes validi, unguibus mo- || Fee? strong, with moderate- dice incuryatis. ly crooked claws. Tue Vultures, in general, differ from the Eagles in being of a heavier or less active nature, and in their mode of life; commonly preferring dead to living prey, and feeding on the most putrid sub- stances. They are much more common in warm than in cold climates, and may be considered as a V. VII. 1 2 CONDOR VULTURE. kind of scavengers, wisely appointed by Provi- dence, for clearing away the noxious remains of animal matter. CONDOR VULTURE >> Vultur Condor. V. niger, remigibus secondariis albis, earuncula verticali compressa, gula nuda rubra, collo utringue carunculate. Museum Leverianum. No. 6, p. 1. Black Vulture, with the shorter wing-feathers white; the head furnished with an upright, compressed, fleshy crest or comb ; the throat naked and red; the neck carunculated on each side. Vultur Magellanicus. Magellanic Vulture. Vultur Gryphus. V. maximus, caruncula verticali longitudine capitis, gula nuda, Lin. Syst. Na. \ Muscum Leverianum. No.1.p. 1. Tne chief ofthe Vulture tribe, if the descriptions given by those who have seen the full-grown bird im its native regions may be depended upon, is undoubtedly the Condor. This bird is a native of many parts of South America, but is supposed to be more frequently seen in Peru than elsewhere. Some authors have affirraed that it is capable of snatching up and carrying off boys of ten years of age andupwards, and that a pair of these destroyers in concert will attack a heifer in the midst of a field, and tear it in pieces with the most perfect ease. In the Phil. Trans. vol. 18, p. 61, is a description of the quills of a bird of this kind which was shot in Chill, and which bird measured sixteen POBL PIT NYEDITD IQ LYYIMNT. UPULH TOL BOST dynos Yrllity WOoOanoa y WIV iV CONDOR VULTURE. 3 feet when the wines were extended. sThe bird is said to have been coloured black sand white like a magpie, and furnished with a sharp; hard crest or comb on the head. Other aceounts add.that the throat is naked, and of a red colour, and-that the neck is surrounded by a white ruffor‘tippet. The Count de Buffon imagines that thesewV altures are not peculiar to America, but that they are some- times found in Europe, and seems imclined to think that the species called by the’Germans TLamner- geyer may be the same,bird ; but this seems now to be clearly determined inithe negative ; the Lam- ner-geyer, of the Germans being no other than the Vultur barbatus of Linnzeus. [he Leyerian Mu- seum Was in possession Of a pair of these noble birds, both of whieh were brought, at different periods, from the straits of Magellan. Both these specimens, were in the most perfect preservation, and were supposed to be male and female. Both have been described by myself in the work entitled Museum Leverianum; the male under its establish- ed title of V. Gryphus or Condor ; and the supposed female under that of V. Magellanicus or Mazella- nic Vulture, it haying been doubtful at that time whether it was really. the Gryphus of Linnzeus. The “subsequent introduction of the male bird remoyed all uncertainty. I shall here repeat my former description of these birds. Male. This magnificent specimen was brought from the Magellanic coasts by Captain Middleton of the Royal Navy, and was soon afterwards intro- duced into the Leverian Museum, 4, CONDOR VULTURE. By this highly interesting specimen we are en- abled to ascertain with precision many particulars relative to the appearance of the bird which have hitherto escaped observation. Of these one of the most remarkable is a kind of gular pouch, or large dilated skin, of a blueish colour, proceeding from the base of the lower mandible, and reaching to some distance down the neck. On each side of the neck 1s also situated a row or series of flat, carneous, semicircular, or ear-shaped flaps or ap- pendages, to the number of seven on each side, and which gradually decrease in size as they de- scend ; beimg so disposed as to lap slightly over each othe The whole neck and breast are of a red colour, and perfectly bare of feathers; being only coated here and there with a few straggling filaments of blackish hair or coarse down. The colour of the lateral wattles or carunculz inclines to blueish. ‘The crest or comb on the head is large, upright, thick at the base, sharpened on its edge, and not entirely even in its outline, but somewhat sinuated, sinking slightly in the middle, and rising higher on the back part: it is smooth, and irregularly convex on the sides, and in its texture or substance not greatly dissimilar to that of the V. Papa of Linnzus, or King Vulture. At a slight distance behind this, on each side, is situated a much smaller, semi-oval nuchal crest, of a similar substance, and beset with coarse down. The colour of the crest is blackish, slightly inclining to red and blue in some parts. Towards the lower part of the neck is a pendent pear- ey eu ra Son AN iN i BN), tye WOdNoO,) SW WAC des UIN CONDOR VULTURE. 5 shaped tubercle: the lower part of the neck is surrounded by a collar of milk-white down or fine plumes representing exactly a epee of white fur, The extent of the bird, from wing’s end to wing’s end was said to be more than twelve feet when measured immediately after it was shot*. This specimen | oo an opportunity of - recting a ver error in the descript general observe sicus has back white hese descrip- small, which n proportion to as brought from * It was indeed said by some who had seen it killed to have measured fourteen feet, but this I always considered as a mistake, 6 CONDOR VULTURE. the straits of Magellan by Captain Middleton, and the circumstance of its not having the least ap- pearance of a comb on the head, together with some other particulars incline me to suppose it either a young bird or a female. The extent of its wings from tip-to tip is not far short of ten feet : the beak is of a dark lead-colour, and grows gradually whitish towards the tip: the head and neck are destitute of feathers, but are covered with a short, straggling sort of hairy down: the top of the head inclines to a dark colour, but the rest of the neck is paler, and I make no doubt but that in the living bird it was of a reddish colour. To- wards the lower part of the neck, where it joins the shoulders, is a ruff or circle of white downy fea- thers, exactly resembling the appearance of rabbits’ fur; and beneath the breast is a considerable bare space: all the rest of the bird is black, except the shorter or secondary wing-feathers, which are white with black tips: the legs and feet are blackish, very strong, but the claws not much incurvated: the tail even at the end, and very slightly rounded at the sides. On comparing the remiges or wing- feathers of this bird with some of those which were brought over by Mr. Byron as those of the real Condor, I found them to be exactly similar except in size. I cannot but add, that in both the above speci- mens the physiognomy of this bold and formidable Vulture is not of a ferocious cast, but rather ex- hibits an appearance almost bordering on mild- ness. HY Wh ae WN Ny MALE Connor fom Humboldt 2808 Sep tLonionLlublipa by Ghearslei’ Fleet Strect. CONDOR VULTURE. F In the Index Ornitholgicus of Mr. Latham it is stated that. the Female Condor differs from the Male in being of a brown colour instead of black; that itas an the male, and has no ruff or eck. If this statement be cor- it the individual above describ- ed must Tragl sonsidered as a young or un- sd pn of the Male bird, unless we rather cousider it as a distinct species, in which case the name of Vultur Magellanicus by which it was at first 25 the Museum Leverianum the subject of the boldt’s inteneameene history and an accurate ird ay doubt- of the Hee oF this bird, tae himself seen no specimens which have exceeded three feet, three inches in length, and eight fe et nine ‘inches: | eX- tent from wing’s end to wing’s e1 id. Monsieur Humboldt however admits that the Condor may WONG ao AOGwMO'D Bay 8 CONDOR VULTURE. sometimes be supposed to arrive at a much greater magnitude, and to measure in extent of wings eleven or twelve teet. He informs us that its usual residence is among lofty rocks on the region of the Andes just below the boundaries of perpetual snow, and that it may be considered as a co-inha- bitant with the Guanaco. Ii is a bird of a solitary nature, and it is a rare circumstance to see more than three or four together. When seated on the point of a rock, and viewed from below, its form being then contrasted with the clear sky above, it appears considerably larger thai it really is; and this, according to Monsieur Humboldt, may have been one cause of the exaggerated accounts of the - earlier describers. The prevailing colour of the Condor is generally a deep raven-grey, but some- times black: the crest, which is fleshy, or rather cartilaginous, occupies the top of the head and about a fourth part of the beak, and is entirely wanting in the female: the skin of the neck is dilated under the throat into a gular caruncle or wattle, and along or down the sides of the neck runs a wrinkled skinny stripe or band, the processes of which are variously moveable at the pleasure of the animal. The young Condor is entirely naked of feathers, being covered, for several months, with a fine whitish down, but which is so full or thick as to give the young birds the appearance of being almost as large as the old ones. At the age of two years they have no black plumage, but only tawny brown, and the female during this CONDOR VULTURE. 9g period has no collar round the bottom of the neck. Nothing can exceed the sagacity with which the Condor perceives the scent of its prey at a distance, or the boldness with which it flies down to seize it. It preys both on dead and living animals, and two birds will seize on a heifer, and begin their work of destruction by picking the eyes and tearing the tongue out. A method of taking Condors alive is often prac- tised in Peru and Quito, and is as follows, viz. A cow or horse is killed; and ina little time the scent of the carcase attracts the Condors, which are suddenly seen in numbers in places where no one would suppose they existed. They always begin with the eyes and tongue, and then proceed to devour the intestines, &c. When they are well sated, they are too heavy and indolent to fly, and the Indians take them easily with nooses. When thus taken alive, the Condor is dull and timid for the first hour, and then becomes extremely fero- cious. Monsieur Humboldt had one in his pos- session for some days, which it was dangerous to approach. The Condor is extremely tenacious of life, and will survive for a long time such wounds as might be supposed to prove immediately fatal, and such is the fullness of its plumage that it has the power of resisting or repelling the force of a ball fired at it from a gun. ‘This indeed is not peculiar to the Condor, but has been observed in some other well-feathered and thick-skinned birds, particularly those of the order Anscres. 10 CALIFORNIAN VULTURE. The elegant figure of the Condor given by Monsieur Humboldt is copied into the present work, in order that nothing might be wanting for as full an elucidation of this interesting species as could be obtained from modern authors. ‘The reader will observe that the figures of the preserved specimen from the Leverian Museum leave no room to doubt the identity of the bird. With respect to the measures attributed by the preparer of those specimens, I have hinted above that I cannot but think them something, though perhaps not very much exaggerated. The unfortunate dispersion of that celebrated collection, which had so long done honour to England, makes it impos- sible to ascertain the size by fresh admeasurement. It is said that both specimens were purchased for the Emperor of Austria, and I recommend their more complete investigation to the naturalists of Vienna. - CALIFORNIAN VULTURE. Vultur Californianus. V. niger, rostro albido, capite colloque denudatis pallidis, torquis pectorisque plumis lanceolatis. Black Vulture, with whitish beak; the head and neck un- feathered and of a pale colour; the plumes of the collar and breast lanceolate. Naturalist’s Miscellany, vol. 9. pl. 301. Tuis species was first described by myself in the 9th volume of the Naturalist’s Miscellany. It is UoRUOT e2pung cay fo océert NEOFO IBN Od a =Y, ESE y ‘ 4 BAB ~ J An TW RST . Se ite 3) ; ‘ ae He ty pd, wh Wes Net Vie ty 1h 4 i CALIFORNIAN VULTURE. I] one of the largest of the genus, and even ap- proaches nearly to the size of the Condor. Its colour is black, but the tips of the last or inte- rior secondary remiges which lap over the back are whitish, especially on the interior edge: the covert-feathers of the wings are of a brownish tinge towards their edges: the head and neck are naked, or very sparingly sprinkled in some parts with a kind of setaceous down: the colour of the neck is reddish, inclining to blueish on each side: the head is blackish at the top and back part, as well as round the beak, which extremely resembles that of the Condor in shape and colour, and is rather obtuse at the extremity. The head is en- tirely void of any carunculated appearance, but the occiput or back part is marked by a dark patch or zone which seems to rise a little above the surface. The lower part of the neck is surround- ed by a ruff or wreath of lanceolate black plumes, the fibres of which have a kind of setaceous or horny appearance. The feathers of the breast, abdomen, and thighs are of the same structure and shape in proportion to their size. The legs and feet resemble those of the Condor, but the claws are much sharper, longer, and of a more curved form. The wings are long: the tail large and of a squarish shape; the legs and claws black. It may be added that the under surface of the shafts of the wing-feathers are of tlie same complexion with those of the Condor, viz. whitish, with nu- merous arrow-shaped transverse marks or bars. 12 BEARDED VULTURE. This Vulture was brought over by Mr. Menzies during his expedition with Captain Vancouver, from the coast. of California, and is now in the British Museuin. BEARDED VULTURE. Vultur barbatus. V. fusco-nigricans, subtus subfulvussscapite colloque plumis lanceolatis allidis, rostro subtus barbato. Blackish-brownm Vulture, subfulvous beneath, with the head and neck covered by lanceolate whitish plumes, and the bill bearded beneath. Vultur barbatus. V. albidus, dorso fusco, gula barbata, rostro incarnato, capite linea migra cincto. Lin, Syst. Nat. Bearded Vulture. Edwards. pl. 106. Vultur barbarus. 2? _. f Viclten bases i Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Tuis is one of the largest of the European Vultures, and is principally observed amoag the Alps of Swisserland, where it is known by the name of Lammer-Geyer or Lamb-Vulture, though this title seems not to be absolutely confined to the present species, but to- be occasionally applied to any large predaceous bird. ‘This Vulture is figured and shehtly*described in the works of Gesner, under the title of V. aureus*. It is su- perior in size to the Golden Eagle, ands generally of a dark or blackish brown colour aboye,and pale rufous beneath; but inthis respect it occasionally * Gesn. av. p. 748. Sy Ht We le ill My ‘i [h \\ i } Gritiith sculp. BEARDED VULTURE Srom Li AW OLAS 2608 Sip! London Lublijhid bv Kearsley Plect Street. view Hy y fe ae BEARDED VULTURE. 13 varies, being sometimes nearly white beneath, or of a pale chesnut-colour. The head and neck are not bare, but covered with narrow or slender plumes of a whitish colour; and beneath the base of the lower mandible is situated a large, length- ened and. pointed tuft of black hairs or very slender setaceous plumes, from which circum- stance the name of Bearded Vulture is particularly applicd to the present species. Since the time of Gesner this Vulture seems to have been but indistinctly known to naturalists till the publication of the third volume of Edwards’s ornithological work, in which it is admirably figured, and described in the plain and simple style of that honest observer, whose accuracy may often be more safely depended upon than the more ornamented narratives of superior writers. ‘ This bird (says Edwards) is of the bigness of an Eagle: broad-ways it measures seven feet and a half, the wings being extended; from bill-point to tail-end it measures three feet four inches; from bill-point to the end of the claws but two feet eight inches. The wing when closed measures two feet four inches; the prime quills are more than twenty- three inches long. The bill is of a purple flesh- colour, darker towards the point than at the base: from its point to the angle of the mouth it measures four inches: it extends itself in length a little be- fore it bends into a hook, which is one of the _ principal distinctions between the Eagle and the Vulture kind; the Eagle’s bill always begins to be arched at its base, and continues so to its point. 14 BEARDED VULTURE. From the root of the lower mandible of the bill it hath a remarkable tuft of black feathers, for which reason I have called it bearded: the mouth is blue within side: the eyes are placed just above the slits of the mouth; the circle round the eye is of a bright yellow, and without that is another circle, being a fine deep red skin, that is firmly fixed on the ball of the eye: the sides and forepart of the head are black, which blackness encompasses the eyes and shews them to advantage: the nostrils are covered with stiff black feathers: from behind each eye extends a black line, which bends up- wards and meets in the hinder part of the head: it hath also.a dash of black from each corner of the mouth, which tends a little downward in the form of whiskers: the rest of the head, and the whole neck are covered with white feathers, short on the head, but long, loose, and pointed on the neck, hike those on a cock’s neck. The upper side, back, wings, and tail are of adark colour between brown and black: the lesser covert-feathers of the wings have dashes of bright reddish-brown down their shafts, very narrow: the edges of the feathers on the whole upper side are something lighter than the other parts of the feathers: the greater feathers of the wings and tail have their shafts white: the middle feathers of the tail are something longer than the side feathers: the insides of the wings are coloured as they are without, except that the dashes down the shafts of the covert fea- thers are larger and whiter. It hath a space under each wing covered only with white down, of the- BEARDED VULTURE. 15 bigness of a man’s whole hand: the bottoms or roots of the feathers all over the bird are white: it hath also a very thick, soft, white down all over the body under its feathers. The under side, breast, belly, thighs, and coverts under the tail are white, a little tinctured with reddish-brown: the legs are covered with short, white, downy feathers, which are, when it perches, covered by the longer feathers of the thighs: the feet are of a lead-colour, the claws dusky, the middle and outer toes on each foot are joined by a strong skin.” The individual above-described by Edwards was brought, as he informs us, from Santa Cruz on the Coast of Barbary. It appears to be a native of many of the wilder regions both of Asia and Africa, and seems to be recorded by the celebrated Mr. Bruce under the name of Nisser Werk*. Mr. Bruce's description aifords a striking instance of its boldness and voracity. Mr. B. erroneously calls it an Eagle. His description runs as follows. “ He is called by the vulgar Abow Duch’n, or Father Long-Beard, which we may imagine was given him from the tuft of hair he has below his beak. I suppose him to be not only the largest of the Eagle kind, but surely one of the largest birds that flies. From wing to wing he was eight feet four inches, From the tip of his tail to the | peint of his beak, when dead, four feet seven inches. He weighed twenty-two pounds, and was very full of flesh. He seemed remarkably short in the legs, * Bruce. Tray. append. p. 155. pi. opposite ditto. 16 BEARDED VULTURE. being only four inches from the joming of the foot to where the leg joins the thigh, and from the joint of the thigh to the joing of his body six inches. The thickness of his thigh was little less than four inches; it was extremely muscular, and covered with flesh. His middle claw was about two inches and a half long, not very sharp at the point, but extremely strong. From the root of the bill to the point was three inches and a quarter, and one inch and three quarters in breadth at the root. A forked brush of strong hair, divided at the point into two, proceeded from the cavity of his lower jaw at the beginning of his throat. He had the smallest eye I ever remember to have. seen in a large bird, the aperture being scarcely half an inch. ‘The crown of his head was bare or bald, so was the front where the bill and scull joined.” “« This noble bird was not an object of any chace or pursuit, nor stood in need of any stratagem to bring him within our reach. Upon the highest top of the mountain Lamalmon, while my servants were refreshing themselves from that toilsome rugged ascent, and enjoying the pleasure of a most delightful climate, eating their dinner in the outer air, with several large dishes of boiled goats flesh before them, this enemy, as he turned out to be to them, appeared suddenly ; he did not stoop rapidly from a height, but came flying slowly along the ground, and sat down close to the meat within the ring the men had made round it. A great shout, or rather cry of distress, called me to the BEARDED VULTURE. 17 place. I saw the Eagle stand for a minute, as if to- recollect himself, while the servants ran for their lances and shields: I walked up as nearly to him as I had time to do. His attention was fully fixed upon the flesh. I saw him put his foot into the pan where was a large piece in water prepared for boiling, but finding the smart which he had not expected, he withdrew it, and forsook the piece which he held. There were two large pieces, a leg and a shoulder, lying upon a wooden platter; into these he trussed both his claws, and carried them off, but I thought he looked wistfully at the large piece which remained in the warm water. Away he went slowly along the ground as he had come. The face of the cliff over which crimi- nals are thrown, took him from our sight. The Mahometans that drove the asses, who had, as we have already observed, in the course of the journey, suffered much from the Hyzena, were much alarm- ed, and assured me of his return. My servants, on the other hand, very unwillingly expected him, and thought he had already more than his share. As I had myself a desire of more intimate acquaint- ance with him, I loaded a rifle-gun with ball, and sat down close to the platter by the meat. It was not many minutes before. he came, and a_prodi- gious shout was raised by my attendants, He is coming, he is coming, enough to have discouraged a less courageous animal. Whether he was not quite so hungry as at the first visit, or suspected something from my appearance, I know not, but he made a small turn, and sat down about ten Vs VIl. 2 18 BEARDED VULTURE. yards from me, the pan with the meat being be- tween me and him. As the field was clear before me, and I did not know but his next move might ¢ him of site to some of my people, and so ually get the rest of the meat and t two inches below the wing, pon the sofas without a | is monstrous seeing my p owder or and exa- Juced a This — dust was ies L triking his breast, t ov der fle 7 greater quantity than fr dres ler-puff. _ The feathers of 1 of a gold-colour, ¢ extraordinary feathers. in scattered - feather, but feathers of th le ° bac 4 the ribs or hi hard part o bare, as if worn, or, I u g themselves, having bel ore failed in their function.” There is little doubt but that this species is twice particularized in the Gmelinian edition of the ‘Systema Nature of Linnzeus under the names of Vultur be arba we and id ur ba arbarus. _ In this the aed SWAT AA UR SW icin * Nol N Rete os Weaver coniinato lk aaa Weis Griffith sculp: BEARDED VULTURE. Gypacte des Alpes from Dandin 2606 Sep? zLondon Publfhd by G4hearsley lect Street. Cn Weave reine brit pais i aN i Fhe ty} S AN i ii Dh ANY il Aw \j MONK VULTURE 2608 Sp honda LPiubifhd by Chearsley Fleet Steet. MONK VULTURE» 19 author has followed the example of some preceding writers, who have unnecessarily divided the casual varieties of this bird into distinct species. Mr. Latham in his Index ornithologicus has followed Gmelin in this separation of characters, but in the second Supplement to his Synopsis of Birds he has very properly united them under the name of _ Bearded Vulture. The Count de Buffon, apparently sind by the general accounts of its size and manners, er- roneously supposes this bird to be the same with the Condor, whieh he therefore | imagines to be common both to the old and. new ay The Bearded Vulture is said to build i in the inaccessible — cavities of lofty rocks, and is sometimes observed — to assemble in small flocks about the mountainous regions of the countries it eae _ MONK VULTURE. Ji Bhs ; Vultur Monachus. "a . fuscus, torque cervical extensa, crista, occipitali plumosa. Brown Vulture, with lengthened ruff, and downy occipital crest. V. Monachus. I’. vertice gibboso, corpore nigro. Lin, Syst. Nat. Percnopteros, Gypaetos, &c, Aldr. orn. 1. p. 218. Vautour, ou Grand Vautour. Buff. is, La p.158.? Pl. Eni. “A25.? Cinereous Vulture. Lath. syn. 1. p. 14. 2° Arabian Vulture. Lath. syn. 1. p. 8. Crested black Vulture. * Edw. pl. 290. SEVERAL Of the Vulture tribe; those more parti-. eularly which have a naked or downy neck, are 90 MONK VULTURE, furnished towards the lower part with a kind of plumy ruff or collar, owing to a duplicature ‘of the skin in that part, beset on its edges either with long, lanceolate plumes, or merely with a kind of long down, as inthe Condor. The present species exhibits more strikingly than most others this particular conformation: the loose skin with its plumy ruff appearing in certain attitudes of the bird ‘not unlike a monk’s cowl thrown backward on the shoulders. This bird though it seems to have been known to Aldrovandus, appears to have been but little understood by succeeding ornitho-: logists, and, like the Bearded Vulture above de- scribed, has been formed into two or three imagi- nary species by different authors. The description of Aldrovandus, probably from a young or small specimen, is as follows. From the tip of the bill to the end of the tail it was by measure three spans: the bill was long, but for the most part covered with a skin or membrane, so that about an inch only of the tip remained bare; the hooked end being small and slender: the head was bald or destitute of feathers to the hind part, so that the feathers standing up behind the crown resembled a monk’s hood put back and leaning on his neck when he goes with his head uncovered. The colour of almost all the feathers of the whole body was dusky, inclining to dark chesnut, only inter- rupted by a continued series of whitish feathers on the lower part of the neck, making an acute angle, the point running down the middle of the back, and forming as it were the acuminated part of the “Graffith wel: CRESTED BLACK VULTURE. from Liabwards 2808 Sep! rLortonLtLiublifhad bv &kearsley Fleet Strect MONK VULTURE. 21 monk’s hood, hanging from the shoulders down the middle of the back; while another similar series of whitish feathers terminating in an acute angle about the middle of the back covered all the lower part.of the back toward the complications of the wings; forming a kind of cloak: the tail was broad and of a middling size; the feet dusky, and covered with scales: the beak and claws were of a dusky horn-colour: the feathers on the thighs reached no lower than the knees. ‘This bird, ac- cording to Aldroyandus, was taken on the Alpine mountains of the town ofGiulia. Monsieur Sonnini, in his*elegant and useful edition of the Natural History of the Count de Buffon, imagines, and eyen roundly asserts, that this bird is no other than the Vautowr or Grand Vautour of Buffon, figured at No: 425 of the Plan- ches Enluminées; and that the description, or ~ yather the figure given by Edwards has caused the mistake of other writers, who have conceived the head to be furnished with a tuber or callosity instead of a downy ion. The description of Edwards informs us that this species “isa very large bird, exceeding the size of a common Eagle by a third part: the beak.is longer than in the Phcle without angles on the edges. of the upper mandible, and of a black or dusky colour towards its point: its basis 1s covered with alight blueish skin,.in which the nostrils are placed : the head and part of the neck are covered with short downy feathers of an ash-colour, white round. Q2 MONK VULTURE. the eyes and on the cheek: the iris of the eye is of a dark. hazel colour: it hath a roundish tuft or crest arising from the hinder part of the head: the lower part of the neck is surrounded with long, loose feathers of an ash-colour, which form a kind of ruff, into which the bird draws its head when it reposes or sleeps, so that the head is hardly to be © seen: the remaining plumage all over the body &c. is of a dusky brown or blackish colour, except - a few of the lesser covert-feathers of the wing, which are tipped with white: the under side of the bird is a shade lighter than the back and wings : its legs and feet are covered with blueish scales : the toes are connected at their bottoms by a skin: the nails or claws are black: the feathers on the thighs are long and loose, and sometimes cover theileas, aby . This Vulture was said by its keeper to have been brought from the deserts of Arabia. Edwards considered it as a non-descript species. The Count de Buffon describes it as thicker and larger than the common Eagle, but rather smaller than the Fulvous Vulture, from which it is easy to distinguish it; its neck being covered with a longer and thicker down, of the same colour with the feathers of the back, and having a white collar, rising on both sides of the head, and extending im two branches to the bottom of the neck, covering on each side a pretty broad black space, under which is a narrow white ring: its feet are also covered with brown feathers, while in the Fulvous, tf aR ee LE CHUINCOU. ZLevaillant .- 2808 ScpitLonion Fubljhd by Gicarstey Fleet Stirect. MONK VULTURE. 93 Vulture they are yellowish or whitish; and lastly, the toes are yellow, whereas in the Fulvous Vulture they are or ash-coloured*. | ngth of this species, according to is three feet anda half: its ts tail one foot, and its measure wing's end en feet ten t. mountains of it sleeps, withdraws o that the head s plumes of the ly seen in the 1 among the sy ¢ he Mon Si. beak four from win inches, mountail Alps of ¢ Bene The Vu Vaillant under the name of be no other than i0 Haaren Oo! neeus, I will id Gabber Black- Vulture of Edwards are the same,can hardly be called in question. Monsieur Sonnini, i st ative to the downy tuft on the he ‘d, should ona ht oy id, , * In this particular however the Count de Bufton’s bird differs from the above- described ones, in which the feet are brown or ash-coloured. Vanttiyiod (700 wa) al WEL SoA “eherwnalh sd cS Vea’ wate ta t, Poa Qh, AURICULATED VULTURE. not have perceived the similarity in the Chincow of [ pauatcnt- : ! \ rian of Levaillant has so many resem- to the Vautour of Buffon, or Cinereous Latham, which we have in the present with the Monachus of Linnzus, be little doubt of the identity of the to be not uncommon in the Vultur auri PX é auriculari producta, te D Brown Vulture, v and pale ruff. : L’ Oricou. Levaill. ois. Afr. p.: Tue auriculated ° takes its near each other, and ays appear to live in a kind. AMET GIA eTA LO aS y AURICULATED VULTURE. 2808 Scpi2.h ondor Lublijnd by GHeapsley Fleet Street. PONDICHERRY VULTURE. 95 of society: each nest contains generally two, and sometimes three eggs, of a white colour and of no unpleasing taste. The Oricou is a species of great voracity, and when attacked or wounded defends itself with prodigious strength and resolu- tion, but is naturally of an indolent and sluggish character. PONDICHERRY VULTURE. Vultur Ponticerianus. -V. niger, capite colloque subdenudatis incarnatis, lateribus colli caruncula carnosa rubra. Lath. ind. ‘Orn. P. 7+ Black Vulture, with nearly naked, flesh-coloured head and neck, and a fleshy red caruncle down each side the neck. Vautour Royal de Pondicherry. Sonnerat voy. ind. 2. p. 182. pl, 104. Size of a very large Goose. Head and neck naked and flesh-coloured: hind-head and space be- tween the beak and eye beset with reddish down: on the sides of the neck a red caruncle: fore part of the neck and breast beset at intervals with tufts of small flesh-coloured plumes: iris red: bill black: legs yellow. Native of India, i este about Pondicherry. 20 INDIAN VULTURE. » Vultur Indicus. V. fuscus, corpore supra fasciis pallidis, capite colloque denudatis rufis, remigibus rectricibusque nigris. Lath. ind. orn. p. 7. Brown Vulture, with naked, rufous head and neck, and black wing and tail-feathers. Indian Vulture. Lath. Syn. suppl. p. 6. Le grand Vautour des Indes. Sonner. voy. Ind. 2. p. 183. pl. 105. Size of the preceding species: head and neck rufous, and furnished with a scattered hairy down: bill black: irides red: neck long in proportion, and beset with tufts of very fine feathers: those of the breast short, appearing as if clipped or shaven; those of the lower part of the neck behind long, narrow, pointed, and of a bright rufous colour: wing-coverts, back, and rump brown, with pale bands, owing to the tip of each feather being much paler than the rest: quills, tail, and legs black. Native of India: extremely voracious, principally frequenting the sea banks, and preying on dead fish and other putrid substances; and, like. other birds of this genus, sometimes assembling in vast numbers on a field of battle. FULVOUS or GOLDEN VULTURE 2608 Sqp.1 Lonuton Fublifhd bv Ghearstev Fleet Street. 27 FULVOUS VULTURE. Vultur Fulvus. V. fulvo-castaneus, remigibus candaque nigris, capite colloque lanuginosis albidis, fongug albo, Fulvous-chesnut Vulture, with black wing and tail-feathers ; downy whitish head and neck, and white ruff. Folyous Vulture. Will. orn. p07 NGF Vulture. Albin. vol. (Bie pl. 1, Le Griffon. Buff. ois. Ape ol: Mem. Acad. des Sciences, 1666 p. 209. pl. 30, ? Vultur fulvus. Bris Golden Vulture. Tue Fulvous : Vult ire is one of the largest of the genus, ee he size of the Golden Eagle. I g escribed by the accurate Bris length, and — colour of theNs p health, is a fall in some individuals appea more obscu ore ap- proaching to a brown cast, especially on paits of the body: the feathers and the tail are si a dul wes one rola the sk blueish cast: the lower part r the neck is encircled with aruff of white plumes, and beneath the breast is usually observed a considerable cavity, lined with hairs, the tips of which are directed towards the middle: this is the place of the craw, which however may be supposed occasionally to pro- CNTY Ae UD xo BTV wee he, we A webarenyerth Sy Ay Waals Nac X. pweclnaten Av eet, Vyas 98 ' FULVOUS VULTURE. trude when the bird is full-fed: the legs and feet are ash-coloured. The figure of this bird in the Memoirs of the French Academy represents it with a very slight occipital tuft or elongation of the down on the back part of the head. That given at plate 4 of Willughby’s Ornithology, under the name of The Vulture, though by no means elegant, is yet suf- ficiently expressive of the general appearance of the bird. In the wretched publication of Albin there is also a figure of this species; but there seems to be a mistake in the colouring; the ruff being represented of the same colour with the plumage of the body*. It must be confessed that a high degree of confusion seems to take place, even among the latest and best ornithologists, relative to the species of Vultures; and very little de- pendance can, perhaps, be placed on the specific characters usually given; while the figures in va- rious works, being occasionally misquoted and misapplied, have tended to increase the embar- rassment. ‘There can be little doubt that the present and the following species in particular are often confounded; neither indeed is the real dif- ference sufficiently striking in any other respect than colour, to admit of a very correct specific character. * Perhaps the bird may sometimes vary in this particular. 12 Griffith sculp- CHESNUT VULTURE 1808 Scp/1 London Lublifhd bv & hearslev Leet Sect. CHESNUT VULTURE. -Vultur castaneus. V. fuscus, capite colloque lanuginosis albidis, torque subfusco, remigibus candaque nigris. Chesnut Vulture, with whitish downy head and neck, brownish ruff, and black wing and tail-feathers. Le Percnoptere. Buff. ois, 1. p. 149. Pl. Enl. 426... Uw. THE present species, viz. the Percnoptere of Button; and which seems to be onan mistaken by authors for the Vultur Percnop erus of Linnzeus, its plumage, in- vous, pale, or deep for a ~prown spiet shaped like a heart, Mas with a strait white line, situated on the breast under the ruff. In general this bird is of an ugly and ill-proportioned figure, and has even a dis- gusting appearance, from the continual flux of : 30 BENGAL VULTURE. rheum from its nostrils, and of saliva from two other holes in the bill: the craw is prominent, and when it is upon the ground it keeps its wings always extended. The Count de Buffon adds, that it is of the size of an Eagle, that it is an in- habitant of the Alps and Pyrenees, and of the mountains of Greece, and that it seems to be more rare than other Vultures. The Count de Buffon supposes it to be the Percnopteros of Aristotle. Whether this may be the case or not I shall not take upon myself to determine: it is necessary however to repeat that it is not the Vultur Perc- nopterus of Linnzeus, BENGAL VULTURE. Vultur Bengalensis. V. fuscus, subtus pallidior, remigibus nigris, capite colloyue fusco-lanuginosis, torque fusco. Brown Vulture, paler beneath, with the head and neck covered by fuscous down; the lower part encircled by a brown ruff. Bengal Vulture. Lata. syn. 1. p. 19." Tus I place next to the two immediately pre- ceding Vultures on account of its general similarity in point of shape or habit. Its length, according to Mr. Latham, is two feet six inches: its colour a uniform dusky brown, paler beneath: the head. and neck covered with dark grey down, and en- circled at the bottom by a ruff of lengthened plumes: eyes of a very deep brown: bill and legs dusky black. ‘The crop hangs over the breast, as BLACK VULTURE. 3I in many others of the Vulture tribe, and I may here add, that this circumstance, which seems merely to depend on the birds being either full-fed or in a fasting state, has apparently misled some writers to represent it as forming a part of the descriptive character of the animal in several species. ‘The present bird is a native of Bengal. Var.? BLACK VULTURE Vultur Niger. V. niger, remigibus rectricibusque fuscis, pedum pennis nigris. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Briss. av. p. 131. Will. orn. p. 66. Tuts bird is described as larger than the Golden Vulture, and of a black colour, with brown wing- feathers and tail: the head covered with down, and the neck nearly bare: the orbits of the eyes, and the legs, which are. feathered to the toes, white. It is said to be common in Egypt. 32 GINGI VULTURE. Vultur Ginginianus. V. albus, remigibus nigris, rostro pedibus- que griseis. Lath. ind. orn. White Vulture, with black wing-feathers, and grey beak sand legs. Le Vautour Gingi. Sonner. Voy. ind. 2. p. 184. Descrisep by Sonnerat, who informs us that it is of the size of a Turkey, and is found about the coasts of Coromandel, ‘where it is called the wild turkey. If, says Sonnerat, we only regarded the character of the beak, we should not rank this bird = among the Vultures, for it resembles exactly that: of a Turkey: its base is covered with a naked skin,’ and the space between the nostrils and eyes is covered with hair-hke down: the front, cheeks, and throat are naked, and, together with the base of the bill, are of a reddish flesh-colour: the feathers on the back of the head and neck are long and | narrow, and the colour of the whole bird is white, except the quill-feathers of the wings, which are black: the irides are red; the bill and legs grey. Its.size is that of a Turkey; its flight strong and rapid, and its voracity insatiable. It lives on car- rion and ,reptiles; is generally seen single, and particularly in marshy places. 33 GESNERIAN VULTURE. Vultur Percnopterus. V. albus (femind subfuscd) rostro elongaté angusto, fucie nuda, remigibus nigris margine canis. White Vulture (the female brownish,) with lengthened narrow beak, naked face, and black wing-feathers with grey edges. Vultur Percnopterus. V. remigibus nigris, margine exteriore, preter extimas, canis: Lin, Syst. Nat. Aquila quam Percnopterum, et Oripelargum, et Gypaetum vo-« cant. Gesn. av. p. 193. Rachamah. Bruce trav. append. p. 163. Ir is to be lamented that the specific characters given by Linnzus in the Systema Nature are too often of very little use from their excessive brevity. Who can be supposed to be much instructed by such a descriptive character as Vultur remigibus nigris, margine exterioré, preter extimas, canis. 2 Linnezus however adds in a note, that the male bird is entirely white, and the female brown. The bird intended by Linnaeus is the Percnopterus of Gesner, not very ill figured at page 193 of that author’s ornithology*, though represented with the head very much retracted, or immersed in the neck-feathers. From the figure it appears to have been a male bird, being white, with the quill- feathers blackish or deep brown: its size, according to the description sent to Gesner, that of a Stork. _ It appears therefore probable that the Rachamah of Mr. Bruce, the Angola Vulture of Mr. Pennant, * Gesneri Opera, Tiguri, 1551. &e. Vv. VIL. o 34 GESNERIAN VULTURE. the Ash-coloured Vulture of Mr. Latham, and the Petit Vautour of Buffon, (Petit Vautour de Norvege. Pl. Enl. 429.) are in reality one and the same species, and constitute the male Vultur Percnopterus of Linnzus. Iam also strongly in- clined to believe that the A/altese Vulture of Mr. Latham, Le Vautour de Malte of Buffon (Pl. Enl. 427,) is no other than the female of this species”, On this supposition the Vultur Percnopterus should seem to be a pretty general inhabitant of ‘the old continent, being found not only in many of the temperate and warmer parts of Europe, but in various parts of Asia and Africa. It is said to be particularly plentiful in Egypt, where it is highly esteemed for its good services in destroying various putrid substances in the neighbourhood of towns and cities. Its general size, according to Monsieur Levaillant, is that of a female Turkey, but, like the American Vulture, it appears to vary greatly in size in different countries. The male bird also appears to vary in the cast of its colour, which is sometimes merely white, and sometimes a dirty pale-rufous white: the quills are black, but the secondaries are externally of the same colour with the rest of the plumage; thus confirming part of the Linnzean specific character. The female is said to exceed the male in size. The description and figure given by Mr. Bruce of the Vulture called Rachamah appear puke to relate to the present species. * Mr. Latham, in his second eae appears to be nearly of the same opinion. Alay GESNERIAN VULTURE. bs £5 « This bird (says he) is met with in some places in the south of Syria and in Barbary, but is no- where so frequent as in Egypt, and about Cairo. It is called by the Europeans Poule de Faraone, the hen or the bird of Pharaoh. It is a vulture of the lesser kind, the hen being not much larger than our rook or crow, though by the length of its wings, and the erect manner im which it carries its head, it appears considerably larger... In Egypt and all over Barbary it is called Rachamah. The point of the beak of this bird is black, very sharp and strong for about three quarters of an inch, it is then covered by a yellow fleshy membrane, which clothes it as it were both above and below, as likewise the forepart of the head and throat, and ends in a sharp point before, nearly opposite to where the neck joins the breast; this membrane is wrinkled, and has a few hairs growing thinly scat- tered upon the lower part of it: it has large open nostrils, and prodigious large ears, which are not covered by any feathers whatever: the body is perfect white from the middle of the head, where it joins the yellow membrane, down to the tail: the large feathers of its wing are black; they are six in number: the lesser feathers are three, of an iron- grey, lighter towards the middle, and these are covered with three others lesser still, but of thesame form, of an iron rusty colour: those feathers that cover the large wing-feathers are at the top for about an inch and quarter of an iron-grey, but the bottom is pure white: the tail is broad and thick above, and draws to a point at the bottom; itis not composed of large feathers, and is not half 36 AMERICAN VULTURE. an inch longer than the point of its,wings ;_ its thighs are clothed with a soft, down-like feather, as, far as the joint: its legs.are of,a dirty white, in- clining to flesh-colour,,,rough, with small tubercles which are soft and fleshy: it has three toes before and one behind; the middle of these is considerably the longest; they are armed with black claws, rather strong than pointed or much crooked: it has no voice that ever I heard, generally goes single, and oftener sits and walks upon the ground than upon trees; it delights in the most putrid and, stinking kind of carrion, has itself a very, strong smell,.and putrifies very speedily. _ It is ja. very, great breach of order, or police, to kill any one of these birds near Cairo.” me AMERICAN VULTURE. Vultur Aura. V. Nigricans, purpureo viridique. nitens, capite colloque denudatis rubris papilloso-rugosis. . if! teres Blackish Vulture, with purple and green reflexions, and ted, naked, papillated and wrinkled head and neck. Vultur Aura. V. fusco-griseus, remigibus nigris, rostro ates: Lin. Syst. Nat. cry Perv Carrion Vulture. Sloane’s Jamaica, 2. p. 204. pl. 2546) 509 ese Turkey-Buzzard. Catesb, Carol, 1. Be Bic 2) paET 3p } to JRckt oF Turs species, “with some variations*, appears, to. be pretty generally diffused over the whole conti- * It is contended by some that there are in reality two distinct species, viz. the V. Aura, which is of a blackish brown, and the V Uruba, which isentirely black) the bul) héad;!and neck €xcepted: This black species, or Vruba, is most prevalent in South America. AMERTCAN VorTURES - Ss? nent of South America, but is most numerous it the ‘warmer ‘regions: -' Tn ‘some ‘parts ‘of'’ British’ Almerica it is popularly called by the name of the’ pet oleae ‘and'in' other parts by’ that of the’ Carrion Crow.’ Its general size ‘is somewhat smaller than a Take? and its colour brownish black, with varying reflexions of green and purple; the larger wing-feathers and tail being of a deeper’ black ‘than the rest of the plumage. 'The whole head’ and neck, with the base of the bill, are bare’ of ' feathers, of a dull red colour, transversly wrin- kled and granulated, and sparingly scattered over with a blackish down: the bill is rather narrow, lengthened, and of a whitish colour, with a dark tip: the legs and feet flesh-coloured, with black claws. It feeds on every kind of animal matter, and is highly esteemed in the West Indies on ac- count of its activity in clearing away such sub- stances as might otherwise tend to infect the air in those warm climates. In consequence of this mode of life, the birds themselves have always a very offensive odour. ‘They are observed to vary considerably in size in different parts of America, and the smallest are those of the West Indies, the measure of those of Jamaica being, according to Sir Hans Sloane, two feet from the tip of the bill to that of the tail, and twice as much from wing's end to wing’s end. Their general manners are very well described by Catesby. «‘ Their food is carrion, in search of which they are always soaring in the air: they continue a jong time on the wing, and with an easy, swimming 38 | AMERICAN VULTURE. motion, mount and fall, without any visible mov- ing of their wings. A dead carcass will attract together great numbers of them, and ’tis pleasant to observe their contentions in feeding. An Eagle sometimes presides at the banquet, and makes them keep their distance while he satiates himself. This bird (the Carrion Vulture) has a wonderful sagacity in smelling. No sooner there is a beast dead, but they are seen approaching from all quarters of the air, wheeling about, and gradually descending and drawing nigh their prey, till at length they fall upon it. They are generally thought not to prey on any thing living, though I have known them kill lambs; and snakes are their usual food. Their custom is to roost, many of them together, on tall dead pine or cypress-trees, and in the morning continue several hours on their roost, with their wings spread open; I believe, that the air may have the greater influence to purify their filthy carcasses. They are little ap- prehensive of danger, and will suffer a near ap- proach, especially when they are eating.” «¢ At the first landing of the English in Jamaica, (says Sir Hans Sloane) by the bareness and colour of the skin on the head, they took this bird for a Turkey, and killed several of them in several places for such; but soon found themselves deceived with their stinking and lean bodies, which they almost always have.” Mr. Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, observes that these birds are common from Nova Scotia to Terra del Fuego, but swarm in the hotter parts of 3 ~ ANN \\ i KING VULTURE 2806. Sep 1 London Pubbfrdby Gheasley Fleet Street. KING VULTURE. 39 America. He adds that, “ mischievousyas they are in.a few instances*, yet, by the wise and be- neficent dispensations of Providence, they make in the hot climates full reeompence, by lessening the number of those destructive animals the Alligators, which would otherwise become intolerable by their multitudes. During the season in which these reptiles lay their eggs m the sand, the Vultures will sit hid in the leaves of the trees, watching the coming of the female Alligator to deposit its-eggs, who thencovers them with sand to secure them, as she imagines, from all danger; but no sooner does she retire into the water, than the birds dart on the spot, and with claws, wings, and beak, tear away the sand, and devour the contents of the whole depository.” tae Ff RINE. - Vultur Papa. V. albido rufescens, capite collogue denudatis variegatis, naribus caruncula lava crocea, collo torque cuno. Whitish-rufescent Vulture, with naked variegated head and ~ neck; nostrils furnished with a loose orange-coloured ca- runcle, and neck with a grey rofl. Vultur Papa. V. Naribus carunculatis, vertice colloque denudato, “Lin, Syst. Nat. The King of the Vultures, Edw. pl. 2. Turis bird, which exceeds every other species of Vulture an the elegance of its,appearance, is * They are sometimes known to attack cattle in a weak or diseased state and destroy them. 4O KING VULTURE. about the size of a hen Turkey, and: ofa: light reddish brown or buff colour, with ‘black wings:and tail, accompanied with a gloss of green, the edges of the wing-feathers being of a whitish cast: the under parts of the body are white, with a slight cast of yellow; the legs and feet pale flesh-colour; but what constitutes the peculiar ornament of the bird is the vivid colouring of the head and neck, which are bare of feathers, and are thus correctly described in the words of Blakivcss « The bill is pretty thick and strong,. strait for a little way, then bends into a hook, and over- hangs the lower mandible: it is red at the point, and black in the middle-part: the base of the bill, both upper and lower mandibles, are covered with askin of an orange-colour, broad, and pointing to the crown of the head-on each side aboye, in which spaces are placed the nostrils, of an oblong shape; between the nostrils is a loose flap of scolloped skin, which falls indifferently on either side of the bill when the bird moyes its head: the iris of the eye is of a bright pearly whiteness: round the eye is an indifferent broad space of scarlet skin: the head and neck are covered with bare skin; ‘the crown is of a dirty flesh- colour towards the bill, and scarlet in the hinder part, behind which is a little tuft of black hairs: from this tuft proceeds on each side and parts the head from the neck, a sort of stay of wrinkled skin, of a brownish colour, with a little blue and red in its hinder part: the sides of the head are of a black or dirty colour, with spots of brownish purple behind the:angles of PLAINTIVE VULTURE. 41 the! mouth »:the sides of the neck are red, which igradually becomes yellow in its fore part’: there puns) a dirty yellow list down the hind part of the neck; and-at the bottom of the neck a ruff of loose, ‘soft, ash-coloured feathers quite round, in which, by contraction, it can hide its whole neck, and sides of the head.’ yy as This beautiful species is a native of many parts of South-America, and is said to be also found in the West-Indies. In its manners it resembles the west of this tribe, feeding on carrion, and occasion- ally preying on several of the smaller animals, as ligards, &c. &c. The most correct and expressive figure is that of Edwards, which is therefore select- ed for the present work. ‘ PLAINTIVE VULTURE. “'Vultur Plancus. V. albidus, lineis transversis nigricantibus, alis ' “fuscis, vertice subcristato nigro. Whitish Vulture, with transverse blackish ssiiaio brown wings, . and slightly crested black crown. Vultur Plancus. Lath. ind, orn. Falco Piancus. Lin. Gmel, Mill. Tilustr. Wat. Hist. pl. 7, " Plaintive Eagle. Lath. Synops. 1. p. 34. Plaintive Vulture, Lath. Synops. suppl. p. 4. 2 Eva : From a kind of ambiguity of character which the head of this species exhibits, Mr. Latham in his excellent ornithological Synopsis, was induced to place it. m the genus Falco, and others have since: continued:ithe same arrangement.) In ‘re- 42, PLAINTIVE VULTURE. ality however, as Mr. Latham has observed in his Supplement, its characters are rather those of a Vulture than an Eagle. Its length is about two feet four inches, and its. colour white or pale cinereous, crossed with very numerous blackish lines or narrow bars;.but the wings are brown, except some of the larger quill- feathers, which are black, and some of the seconda- ries, which are coloured like the back, and have black tips: the tail is also of the same appearance, and is tipped by a broad black bar, and on the lower part of the belly is a broad black zone: the bill is brown, the cere or naked part, which ex- tends beyond the eyes, is orange-coloured, and slightly besprinkled with a kind of setaceous down, which is continued to a little distance under the throat: the top of the head is black, with the feathers somewhat lengthened, so as to form a slight crest: the legs and feet are yellow. ‘This bird is finely figured in Mr. Miller’s miscellaneous plates of Natural History. It is a native of Terra del Fuego, and is introduced, as an accompaniment to the scenery of Christmas Sound in ‘the thirty- second plate of Captain Cook’s Voyage, vol. 2. p. 184. | | . CHERIWAY VULTURE. - Vultur Cheriway. V. cera rosea, pedibus flavis, corpore fer- rugineo, capite albido, vertice cristato ferrugineo. Lath. ind. orn. Vulture with rose-coloured cere, yellow legs, ferruginous body, and whitish head with ferruginous crest, Falco Cheriway. Jacq. Voeg. p. 17. t. 4. Tuts is a kind of doubtful species, which may either be considered as a Vulture or an Eagle. It seems to have been first described by Jacquin, who observed it in the island of Aruba, near the coast of Venetzuela in South America. Its length is rather more than two feet and a half: the bill pale blue; the head, and neck very pale yellow; the hind-head crested; the cere and parts round the eyes rose-colour: the general colour of the plumage on the upper parts ferruginous, beneath pale: the vent white: the two middle tail-feathers marked with dusky bars; the lateral ones and quills dusky black: the legs pale yellow... This bird is said never to erect the crest on the head, which is always carried in a recumbent state. Ay DOUBTFUL SPECIES. Tawny Vulture. Latham Syn. Brown’s Illustrations of Zoology. pl. 1. A middle-sized species, entirely of a very pale rufous-brown colour, with the tail whitish, and marked ‘by several narrow brown bars. From a specimen in the Museum of the Royal Society. Said to be a native of Falkland Isles. Bill very short, cere large: chin slightly bearded. Hare Vulture. Lath Syn. Will. orn. p. 67. No. 4. Vultur leporarius. Gesn. Said to be about the size of the Golden Eagle, and entirely of a shining reddish black colour ; the breast inclining to fulvous: bill black; legs yellow: head furnished with a crest, appearing as if horned. Said to inhabit the recesses of thick woods, to build in lofty trees, and to prey on leverets and other animals. It is probably a species of Eagle rather than Vulture. Armed Vulture. Mentioned by Brown in his African Travels, and said to be extremely frequent in the country of Darfur, flying about by thousands, and devour- ing all manner of carrion, &c. Its colour is not particularly described, but it is said to have a | DOUBTFUL SPECIES. | 45 white head, and to be furnished with a strong and sharp spur at the joint or shoulder of each wing, which renders it a very formidable adversary. Bold Vulture. Lath. suppl. ad. ; Size uncertain: colour wholly brown, with, pale yellow bill: front of the head bare: quills and tail neatly black. Said to be a very bold bird, and to kill the Pottegorang, and even to attack the natives in New Holland, where ityis called by the name of Boora-Morang. . #< @6-s-7¢-pang <0 Ks Aangerse. +h i tyes ; Pra hood i} ayo . pt ROI ne 4 Ra AG SERPENTARIUS. SNAKE-EATER. Generic. Character. . | Rostrtitn vuleoriaucn, Beak vultur | Tongue Lingua acuminata. Pedes longissimi. Serpentarius cuneata, ree Ash-coloured Snak ead crested, the tail cuneated, - s se lenetnener Sagittarius. Vosmaer monogr. vale 8. Secretary or Sagittarius. Phil. Trans. 61. p. 175. The Snake-Eater. Memoirs of G G. Edwards. p. 34. Secretaire. Sonnerat voy. p. 87. t. 50. Vultur Serpentarius. Lath. ind. orn. Se Vulture. Lath. sy Miller Til, Nat ae erpentarius. Lin iltur Serpentarius. Cimelia Physica. t. 28. Gace on is so much” Mica: in its principal characters to the Vulture tribe, that it has been associated with those birds by one of the first ornithologists of the present age, It has indeed been ae re generally ‘ rey pb at . Rt $y AF 2, Wi A ie hil yorGi, wNA Ow A > wh Sots’ yoni one ct. 2 AFRICAN SNAKE-ELATER 13908, Sep."aLondon Publyhd by Chearsley Fleet Street AFRICAN SNAKE-EATER. £7 considered as belonging to the genus Falco, and has accordingly been so placed in the Gmelinian edition of the Systema Naturee of Linnzeus. The peculiarity of its appearance however is sufficient to justify its being considered as forming a separate genus, allied both to that of Vultur and Falco, but most nearly to the former. “This bird, says the judicious Edwards, is of a new genus, and the only species of it hitherto come tomy knowledge. It is about the bigness of the Heron and Crane kind, except that the neck is a little longer. On first view, I judged it to be no wader in the water, for though the legs are as long, or longer than in Herons, &c. yet they are ‘feathered down to the knees, which we do not find in birds who wade in shallow waters to seek their food: the toes of this bird are also much shorter than they are in Herons; so that I think it must be placed amongst land birds. The bill is exactly like those of Hawks and other birds of prey; which is the only instance I have discovered in any of the long-legged kind of birds: the talons or claws are small, and unfit for a bird of prey, and the eyes are of a dark colour, placed in the spaces covered with a bare skin ofan orange-colour, on each side the head.” y The Count de Buffon places it in company with the Herons, the Jabiru, the Palamedea, and the - rest of the larger kind of waders, and the inge- nious Monsieur Sonnini follows the same arrange- ment. The most accurate description of the Snake- 48 AFRICAN SNAKE-EATER. Eater is that of Monsieur Levaillant, who, during his African travels, had the opportunity of contem- plating it in its native regions. Its size, he in- forms us, is somewhat inferior to that of a Stork, the beak strong, and curved like that of an Eagle ; the base of the beak, and the eyes, are surrounded by a bare orange-coloured skin: the mouth is wide, the gape or opening passing beyond the eyes; which are grey, and ornamented by black brows: on the back of the head is a pendent crest, formed of ten feathers, the lowest of which are the longest: the legs are very long, and the tail is composed of feathers which lengthen on each side, the two middle ones being twice the length of the rest. The colour ofthe bird m its perfect plumage is a blueish grey on the head, neck, breast and back: the coverts of the wings are of the same colour, but clouded with rufous brown, and the quill-feathers are black: the throat and breast are white; the inferior tail-coverts very pale rufous; the lower belly black, mixed or streaked with rufous; the thighs black, very finely streaked. with brown: the tail-feathers are partly black, but be- come more grey as they lengthen, and are tipped with white: the two middle-feathers are of a blueish grey, clouded with brown towards the end, which is white with a black spot. The female differs from the male by its grey colour, less clouded. with brown; by its shorter crest; by the feathers on the belly and thighs being more varied; and lastly, by the two middle tail-feathers, which are shorter than in the male. The skin of the throat AFRICAN SNAKE-EATER, AQ” and neck of this bird are capable of great extension,” and the shouldersare each armed with three strong, rounded, bony protuberances, which enable it to wage successful war against snakes, which it con- stantly persecutes. It also feeds on young tor- toises, lizards,-&c. and occasionally on locusts and other insects. Inthe craw of one examined by Monsieur Levaillant were found twenty-one young tortoises, several of which were nearly two inches in diameter ; three snakes of the leneth of a man’s* arm, and aninch thick; and eleven lizards of seven’ or eight inches in length; and in the stomach, which was. very large, was a ball of the size of a -goose-ege, formed entirely of the vertebra of snakes and lizards, the scales of tortoises, the wing- shells of various beetles, and the wings and legs of locusts. The Snake-eater is an inhabitant of dry open plains in the lower parts of Africa. It is found about the Cape of Good Hope, and in the country of the Caflires and Namaquas. Being almost always obliged to run in pursuit of its prey, it makes but little use of its power of flight. It frequently kills, or at least totally disables a snake with a single stroke of its wing, by breaking the vertebre. In its natural state it is extremely wild, and very difficultly approached. The male and female rarely quit each other. Those which © frequent the neighbourhood of the Cape construct a very large nest or eyry on the top of some high thicket, and line it with wool and feathers; but towards the region of terra de. Natal they» ARH Vu VEL, 4 50 AFRICAN SNAKE-EATER. build on lofty trees. The eggs are two or three in number, white, with reddish specks, and about the size of goose-eggs. When the Snake-eater is taken young, it may be easily tamed, and may be kept with poultry in the farm-yard, where it is serviceable in destroying rats and various other noxious animals. It may be fed with meat, either raw or dressed, and will readily eat fish. If kept too long fasting, it is apt to seize on small chickens and ducklings, which it swallows whole, in their feathers. It is not how- ever of a malignant disposition, and is generally observed to interpose its authority in appeasing the quarrels that happen among the other birds. 5] FALCO. FALCON. Generic Character. Rostrum aduncum, basi cera || Beak hooked, furnished at instructum. the base with a cere. Caput pennis arcte tectum. || Head well covered with feathers. Lingua plerisque bifida. Tongue, in most species, bifid. The birds of this genus differ from the Vultures in having a less elongated beak, very strong, curved, and generally furnished on each side, . towards the tip, with a kind of tooth or process. They prey, in general, on living animals, unless: compelled by hunger. The species are extremely numerous, and are observed to vary considerably in their plumage according to age and other cir- cumstances. The males are smaller than the females. The genus may be considered as con- stituting five tribes or families, viz. Eagles, Falcons, Kites, Buzzards, and Hawks, k 52 _rufo-cinereo ‘oarius, crista t O-nigris. s variegations, and the two crest half black. onnint Buff, fe of South-America, sieur Sonnini, who bh it considerably ns three feet ing above five inches: these two featiens a rufous-grey colour for half their length, mainder being black, with rufous-grey tips: WZ) te Cc IMPERIAL EAGLE 2606 Oct London Publifhed by Cheursle Mlect Sect. IMPERIAL EAGLE. 53 inhabits the deep recesses of the forests, preying on various kinds of game. When disturbed, it immediately elevates the crest on its head. I cannot but imagine the bird described by Monsieur Sonnini and Monsieur Daudin under the name of Aigle Destructeur, (Falco Destructor) to be no other than the male of the same species. Like the preceding, it was first discovered by Monsieur Sonnini in Guiana. Its length is three feet two inches, French measure; and its colour “black above, with greyish clouds or bands; the under parts dull white, with a mixture of grey: the head cinereous, and furnished at the back part with a beautiful semipendent crest, consisting of several feathers of considerable length, and of a grey colour; the middle feather longer than the rest, and of a black colour, tipped with grey: the thighs white, with transverse black undulations; the bill horn-colour; the legs and feet yellow. It is said to be a very bold and ferocious bird, and to prey on fawns, and other young quadrupeds; particularly on the two species of Sloth, viz. the Bradypus tridactylus and didactylus, which in- habit the trees of Guiana. Monsieur Sonnini however declares that he is unacquainted with its manners, and does not conceive that these particulars are properly authenticated. Heisclear that it does not prey on fish, which, from the appearance of the legs, was surmised by Magetear Cuvier. 54 HARPY EAGLE. Falco Harpya. FF. nigro griseoque varius, subtus albus, criste occipitali bifida, rostro nigro, pedibus flavis. Eagle variegated with black and grey; beneath white; with bifid occipital crest, black beak, and yellow legs. Vultur Harpya. Lan. Syst. Nat. Falco Harpya. Lath, ind. orn. Aguila brasiliensis cristata. Brisson. Tuts bird, which appears to be as yet but im- perfectly known to naturalists, is a native of South America, and particularly of Brasil. It seems in some degree doubtful whether it should be con- sidered as an Eagle or a Vulture, and has accord- ingly been differently arranged by authors, as may be perceived from a consultation of the synonyms following the specific character. Its size is said to be that of a Sheep, and its colour black above, with paler variegations, and white beneath: the tail black, with brown bars; the bill black, and the legs yellow: the head is covered with feathers, and is of a blueish brown colour, the hind part being furnished with a lengthened, bifid crest, which it frequently elevates. It is of a highly ferocious nature, preying on various animals, and is said to be able to cleave a man’s skull with a single stroke of his beak. VAR.? The bird described by Jacquin under the name of Vultur coronatus, is by Mr. Latham considered CALQUIN EAGLE. 55: as a variety of the above. It is found in the mountainous parts of New Grenada, and said to be of the same size with the former ; the bill black ; the head of a reddish grey, and adorned with a crest composed of several feathers of the length of six inches at least: part of the wings, the neck, and breast are black; the belly white; the thighs white, spotted with black; the tail long, and varied with black and white: the legs very strong, and yellow. When it stands upright, it is two feet and a half in height. CALQUIN EAGLE. + Falco Calquin. F. nigro-carulescens, capite cristato, pectore : albo mgro maculato, cauda nigro fuscoque fasciata. . Blueish-black Eagle, with crested head, white breast spotted with black, and tail barred with black and brown. Calquin. Molina Hist. Chil. Extent, from wing’s end to wing’s end, ten feet and a half: colour above blue-black; on the “head a blue crest: tail barred with black and brown: breast white, spotted with brown. Native. of Chili, where it is known by the name of Calquin. ROYAL EAGLE, ‘> Falco regalis. F. fuscus, albo nigroque maculatus, subtus albus, occipite subcristato, cauda griseo-fasciata. Brown Eagle, with black and white spots; beneath white ; the head slightly crested, and the tail barred with grey. L’Ouira Ouassou. Sonnini Buff, Monsieur Sonnint, in lis edition of the Count de Buffon’s Natural History, describes and figures this bird from a Portuguese ‘manuscript com- municated to Monsieur Condamine by an eccle- siastical correspondent at Para in Brazil. It isa bird of great beauty, having an elegantly varied plumage, arid commanding attitudes. Its size is double that of an Eagle; its head large, and furnished with a crest in form of a casque: the bill long; the eyes bright and piercing; the nos- trils large, and beset with hair on each side the bill: the neck thick; the legs naked, scaly, and reddish: the claws black, crooked, and of the length of the middle finger : the back, wings, and tail are brown, spotted with black,.and variegated with whitish or yellowish streaks; the belly white, the feathers being very soft, and equal in elegance to those of an Egret. It flies with majestic ra- pidity, and such is the expanse of its wings, that it sometimes strikes and kills its prey with them before it touches it with its claws. Its strength is such as to enable it to tear in pieces In an instant the largest sheep, and it pursues indiscriminately all kind of wild animals. It even dares to attack a GRIFFARD EAGLE. 57 mankind; butits principal food consists of Monkies, and particularly those called Guaribas, which it kills with its beak, and devours in an instant with extraordinary voracity. Its general residence is on lofty mountains, and it builds its nest on the highest trees, employing for their construction the bones of the animals it has slaughtered, and some dry branches of trees, which it binds together with the stems of climbers. It is said to lay two or three eggs, which are white, spotted with red- dish-brown. It is chiefly found about the borders of the river Amazon. Many virtues are attributed to its burnt feathers. Pens are made of its quills, and whistles of its claws. ‘Such is the account given by Don Laurent Alvarez Roxo de Postflitz, Grand Chanter of the cathedral of Para, and correspondent of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris. GRIFFARD EAGLE, Falco Armiger. F. grisco-fuscus, subtus albus, occipite cristato, remigibus secondariis cauduque albido-fusciatis, Grey-brown Eagle, white beneath, with the hind-head crested, and the smaller wing-feathers and tail crossed with whitish bars. Le Griffard. Vaill. Ois. Afr. No.1. Sonnini Buff. Nearty the size of the Golden Eagle: colour grey-brown above; white beneath: head paler . than the rest of the upper parts, the tips of the feathers alone being coloured, and those of the 58 VULTURINE EAGLE. hind-head lengthened into a slight, pendent crest: bill blueish, with black tip; irides bright hazel: craw prominent, and covered with fine, silky, white down: larger quill-feathers black: the smaller and the tail transversely barred with blackish and grey bands: claws black, very strong and crooked. Male similar to the female, but somewhat darker coloured. This is a very fierce and. ravenous species, preying on the young of Antelopes, on hares, and other of the smaller quadrupeds, and driving away all other birds of prey from its haunts. It builds its eyry either on very tall trees, or on the points of rocks: the nest is very large and flat, and strong enough to bear the weight of a man: the eggs are two in number, round, and perfectly white. Native of the country of Namaquas. =e VULTURINE EAGLE. Falco vulturinus. FF. niger, rostro bast subceruleo, apice flavo; pedibus flavis, cauda rotundata. Black Eagle, with the beak blueish at the base, and yellow at the tip, the legs yellow, and the tail rounded. Aigle Caffre. Levaillant. Ois. Afr. pl. 6. Sonnini Buff. Tux size of this species, according to Monsieur Levaillant, is equal to that of the Golden Eagle, and its general colour a deep black, some of the feathers of the back having brownish edges: the bill is very strong and of a pale blue at the base, the tip being yellow: the claws of moderate size, OCCIPITAL EAGLE. 59 and not greatly curved: the legs of a dirty yellow, and feathered for three quarters of their length: the tail rounded, and considerably shorter than the wings. Native of Caffraria, where however it is somewhat rare, feeding principally on carrion or carcasses, but will attack sheep, and devour them on the spot. OCCIPITAL EAGLE. Falco Occipitalis. F. niger, occipite cristato, cauda albo varia, - pedibus flavis. Black Eagle, with crested hind-head, tail variegated with ahi and yellow feet. Le Huppard. Levaill. Ois. Afr. Py ah Nisser Tokoor. Bruce trav. append. p. 158. Falco occipitalis. Daudin, ois, 2. p. 40. Tuis species is described by Mr. Bruce in the appendix to his travels. Mr. Bruce calls it by the name of Nisser Tokoor or Black Eagle. “He was altogether, says Mr. Bruce, of a dark brown, or chesnut, leading to black. ‘The whole length, from the extremity of the tail to the nose, was two feet four inches: the breadth, from wing to wing, four feet six inches. He was very lean, and wei jetiel something less than five pounds: the fourth feather of his wing, after the largest, was white: the feathers of the lower side of his tail were of a blueish brown, checkered with white, and those of the upper side of the tail were black and white alternately: his thighs were thick covered with feathers, so were 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 Leyaillant 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 five or six inches in Jength: the bill is dusky, and the ee a LO Lae a ie pil A Hf if} CROWNED EKAGLE 180. Sep’ tLondow Lublifiid by GKearsley Fleet Strcet: CROWNED EAGLE. 61 legs covered with brown and white down. It isan inhab:tant of Caiiraria, preying on partridges, ducks, leverets, &e. It is a bird of very rapid flight, darting like am arrow on its prey. It builds on lofty trees, liaing its nest with wool or feathers, and layiag roundish eggs, spotted with rufous brown, CROWNED EAGLE. Falco coronatus. F. fuscus, sudéus albo nigroque varius, pectore Julvo, crista oecipitalt bifida. Brown Eagle, variegated beneath with black and white; with fulvous breast, vand bifid occipital crest. u The Crowned Eagle. - Edwards, pl. et | Falco corotiatus.. Lin. ye. Nat. a ear Tue first “Sorteab cota ee this ele sant species appears to be Edwards, who observes that it is about a third part. ‘less. than he” Jarger kind of Eagles, put of equal boldness and strength in proportion. Ss « The bill, ¥ says. Biwate 3 < and a skin that covers the upper mandible, in which the nostrils are placed, are of'a dusky brown | colour: the corners of the mouth are cleft in pretty deep under the eyes, and are of a yellewish colour: the circles round the tyes are of a reddish oran ge-colour: _the fore part of the head, the space round the eyes, and the throat, are covered with white feathers, with small black spots : the hinder part of the head and neck, the back and wings, are of a dark-brown or 62 ZONE-TAILED EAGLE. blackish colour, the outer edges of the feathers being of a light brown: the quills are darker than the other feathers of the wings: the ridge in the upper part, and the tips of some of the lesser covert- feathers of the wings are white: the tail is ofa brown colour, barred across with black, and on its under side appears of a dark and light ash- colour: the breast is of a reddish brown, with large transverse black spots on its sides: the belly and covert-feathers under the tail, are white, spotted with black: the thighs and legs, down to the feet, are covered with white feathers, beautifully spotted with round black spots: the feet and claws are very strong: the feet aré covered with scales of a bright orange-colour: the claws are black: it raises the feathers on the hinder part of the head in the form of a crest or crown, from which it takes its name.” The Crowned Eagle is a native of Africa, and is said to be principally seen in Guinea, ZONE-TAILED EAGLE. - Falco zonurus. fF. niger, caude zona media apiceque albis, occipite subcristato, pedibus flavis. Black Eagle, with the middle zone and tip of the tail white, the hind-head slightly crested, and yellow legs. . L’Aigle noir huppé d’Amerique. Sonnini Buff. Size of the Osprey (I. Haliztus.) colour black, the tail white from the base, then crossed by a URUBITINGA EAGLE. 63 broad bar of black, and tipped with white: the bill horn-colour; the space between the bill and eyes on each side naked and beset with bristles: the hind-head furnished with a short crest, in the middle of which is a white spot: the thighs barred with white streaks; the legs long, naked, and yellow; the claws black, and rather weak. Native of South-America, and described by Monsieur Sonnini from a specimen in the Paris Museum. URUBiTINGA EAGLE. -+ Falco Urubitinga. fF. fuscus, cincreo 6 mnigricante varius, cauda alba, apice nigra albo terminata. Brown Eagle, with blackish and ash-coloured variegations, and white tail, with a terminal black band tipped with white. _Urubitinga Brasiliensibus. Marcgr. Bras. p. 214. Falco Urubitinga. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Tuer description of this species is copied by au- thors from Marcgrave, who mentions it in his History of Brasil. It is of the size of a half-grown goose: the bill large and black, with a yellow cere: the plumage brown with a blackish mixture; the wings varied with ash-colour, and the tail white, with a black terminal band tipped with white: legs bare and yellow. From the description of the tail, this bird has been supposed tl:e same with the preceding, but both Monsieur Daudin and Sonnini consider it as very distinct. 64 CARACCA EAGLE. Falco Caracca. FF. capite cristato, dorso alis gulaque nigris, abdomine albo, rectricibus fasciis quatuor cinereis. Lath. ind. orn. Eagle with crested head, back, wings, and throat black, ab- domen white, and tail marked by four ash-coloured bands, Crested Falcon. Diullon’s travels through Spain. p. 80. pl. 3. Caracca Falcon. Lath, synops. Size of a Turkey: the back, wings, and throat are black; the belly white, and the tail marked by four parallel ash-coloured stripes or bands: the bill is strongly hooked, and the feathers of the head are elevated at pleasure in the form of a EVIGGESE vin) i. Described in Dillon’s travels through Spain. It was kept in the Royal Menagerie at the Palace of — Buon Retiro at Madrid. - f SUPERB EAGLE. . + Falco superbus. F. fuscus, subfulvo varius, occipite cristato, nucha fulva, abdomine albo nigro maculato. Brown Eagle, with subfulvous variegations, crested hind-head, fulvous nape, and white abdomen spotted with black. ' L’Aigle moyen de la Guiane. Sonnini Buff. Mauduyt encycl. meth, ? Falco ornatus.? Daudin ois. Autour huppé.? Levaill. ois. Afr. No. 26. Tus bird, says Monsieur Sonnini, I have seen in iis native country, but am unacquainted with its SUPERB EAGLE. 65 manners, except that, like other birds of the genus, it inhabits the vast forests of Guiana, where it is not uncommon. It is distinguished by a pecu- liarity of conformation which has escaped the notice of Monsieur Mauduyt, one of its describers, viz. akind of pendent naked craw, like some of the Vultures. Its length, from the tip of the bill to that of the tail, is twenty-five inches, and the tail exceeds the length of the wings, when closed, by about a third part. The upper part of the head, and the crest, which is composed of five or six feathers, are brown: the back and wings brown, with a few transverse tawny bars, and the tail is alternately barred above with black and pale brown: the sides of the neck are tawny; the throat and breast white, the abdomen white, marked with round and oblong black spots, disposed in such a manner as to form transverse stripes, inter- rupted by the white ground-colour: the feathers of the thighs and legs are white, striped with black. A species allied to the above is described and figured in Levaillant’s African Birds, under the name of dutour huppé, and Monsieur Daadin has called it Falco ornatus; but Monsieur Sonnini is doubtful as to the identity of species in these birds; since the Autour huppé of Levaillant has the crest black and white; the feathers of the head black, the back of the neck of a deep rufous colour, and. the fore part of a reddish white, a black line, which passes from the corners of the mouth, separating the rufous colour of the nape from the white of the throat; while all the fore part of the body is “ee a2) 66 MAUDUYT’S EAGLE. white, more or less tinged with rufous, and spotted with black; the wings and back deep brown, with blackish clouds; and the tail brown with large black bands; the bill blueish with a reddish base, and the feet yellowish with black claws. It should be added, that Monsieur Levaillant considers this species as a kind of Goshawk rather | than Eagle; and Monsieur Daudin in his Orni- thology observes, that from the appearance of its bill and strong claws, it probably commits great ravages among the feathered race. Levaillant . observes that it is a third larger than the European Goshawk. ~ MAUDUYT'S EAGLE. Falco Mauduyti. F. cristatus supra fusco-nigricans, subtus albus, alis cinereo-fasciatis. Crested brownish black Eagle, white beneath, with the wings barred with cinereous. Falco Mauduyti. Daud. orn. 2. p. 73. Grand Autour de Cayenne. Manduyt Enc. Meth. Lenern two feet: bill and cere black: eyelids and skin between the bill and eye covered with hairs: nape ash-colour; the feathers with black shafts, and streaked with white: cheeks white: from behind the eyeto the hind-head a black streak: bind-head furnished with a long crest: upper part of the body black-brown; middle of the wing barred with cinereous grey: belly white, barred SONNINI’S EAGLE. 67 with rufous brown; shins covered with feathers, rufous and white, in rings: tail long, banded al- ternately with four bands of black and grey: wings, when closed, reaching half way down the tail: toes yellow. The female is larger, and is destitute of the crest. Tiis species belongs rather to the Buzzard or Falcon tribe than to the Eagles. SONNINI’S EAGLE. + Falco Sonnini. F. fuscus, pennis intus albis, remigibus rectrici= busque albo-fasciatis. Brown Eagle, with the feathers white within ; those of the wings and tail barred with white. Petit Aigle de la Guiane. Sonnini Buff. Tuts small Eagle, according to Sonnini, has not yet been described by any other naturalist. Its length is but twenty-two inches, and the legs are feathered down to the toes: the hind-head is crested by feathers about an inch longer than the rest: the wings, when closed, extend rather more than half the length of the tail. The whole bird, when at rest, appears of an uniform brown colour ; but when it spreads its wings and prepares for motion, it appears every where varied with white, the quills and tail being barred with that colour, but the white is brighter beneath than above: the feet are yellow. We must observe that this species is a very different bird from the following one, which is described under the same title by Mr. Mauduyt 68 DELICATE EAGLE. in the Encyclopedie Methodique; and Monsieur Sonnini is even inclined to doubt the existence of Monsieur Mauduyt’s bird, as described by him. I shall give a new title to the bird, in order te prevent confusion. SSS SEES DELICATE EAGLE. ~~ Falco delicatus. F. cristatus albus, remigibus caudaque grisco nigroque fasciatis, criste penna media elongata, apice nigra. Crested white Eagle, with the wings and tail barred with black and grey; the middle feather of the crest elongated, and marked with a black spot at the tip. Petit Aigle de la Guiane. Mauduyt Encyc. Meth. Its length is twenty-one inches, and the plumage in general is entirely white, except the quills and tail, the feathers of which are banded chequerwise with grey and black, so that the colours on each side the shaft oppose each other: the hind-head is crested; one of the feathers, which is much longer than the rest, being marked at the end with a black spot: the wings, when closed, reach twe thirds of the tail. Native of Guiana. ae a 69 CHEELA EAGLE. Falco Cheela. F. fuscus, occipite leviter subcristato, tectricibus albo maculatis, cauda fascia media alba. Brown Eagle, with the hind-head very slightly crested, the wing coverts spotted with white, and a white bar across the middle of the tail. Falco Cheela. Lath. ind. orn, Cheela Eagle. Lath. Synops. A LARGE species, measuring two feet in length. It is of a stout make, and of a deep brown colour, but on each side the head, before the eyes, is a mixture of white: the wing-coverts and thighs are marked with small white spots, and the tail is crossed in the middle by a white band: the bill is blue at the base, and black at the tip: the irides and legs pale yellow; and the feathers on the back of the head are slightly lengthened, though scarcely so much as to constitute a crest. Native of India, where it is called Cheela. 70 SPOTTED EAGLE, Falco maculatus. F. nigricans, alis albo maculatis, cauda apice albida, Blackish Eagle, with the wings spotted with white, and the tail whitish at the tip. Falco maculatus. Lath. ind. orn. Spotted Eagle. Lath. synops. Morphno congener.? Rati syn. p. 7. Will. orn. p. 63- Size of the preceding, measuring two feet in length: colour deep, rusty, blackish brown, the wing-coverts and scapulars each marked with an oval white spot at the end; the spots becoming gradually larger as they descend, so that the shoulders appear dashed with oblong marks, while _ the middle of the wings exhibit large oval spots; the back-feathers are spotted with rust-colour, and the feathers on the top of the head and neck, which are of a narrow form, are tipped with pale fer- ruginous: the larger quill-feathers are deep brown, the smaller tipped with dull white; the upper tail coverts and the tip of the tail are also whitish: the thighs are dashed with longitudinal whitish stripes: the bill is black, and the feet yellow, the legs being feathered down to the toes. Native of Europe, and is said to be frequent in Russia. It is of a less spirited disposition than other Eagles of its size, and is remarkable for its plaintive cry.. It has been sometimes trained to Falconry; but in its Se ae ~ ae = Rr OS aE INA 5 ——= SE BOB RE Ss een Ne ser i : i y N lal i \ ile aN \\ i \ \\ LZ — Se 2 DAV”2 <= Z = ZZ EFA = = AAG = LA Se SS SS LE ZZ RING-TAILED EAGLE. 71 wild state has been the occasional victim of that amusement, and has been subdued and brought to the ground even by so small a bird as a Sparrow- Hawk. x" RING-TAILED EAGLE. re Falco fulvus. F, nigro-ferrugineus, cera flava, cruribus plu-— mosis, digitis flavis, cauda fascia alba, - Black-ferruginous Eagle, with yellow cere, ea nered Ee, yellow feet, and tail crossed by a white bar. Falco fulvus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Ring-tailed Eagle. Will. orn. p. 59. ‘ Black Eagle. Penn. Brit. Zool. White-tailed Eagle. Edwards Dis L'Aigle Commun. Buff, ois. 1. p. 86. Tuis species is by Mr. Pennant and some othels called the Black Eagle, from the dark colour of the plumage, which: however i is in reality a very . deep subferruginous brown, the upper half or . base of the tail being white, the remainder deep brown; the bill is horn-coloured, with a yellow cere, and the feet, which are feathered to the toes, are yellow likewise. In size this species equals the Golden Eagle, and of similar manners. It is a native both of Europe and North-America, varying in that part of the world from the European speci- mens in having the breast marked with small, triangular white spots. In our own island it is chiefly seen in Scotland, where it is very destruc- a 42 RING-TAILED EAGLE. tive to the smaller animals, and will even seize on roebucks, &c. , Mr. Wiliughby thus detenibeel its nest. “Inthe — year of our Lord 1668, in the woodlands, near the river Derwent in the Peak of Derbyshire, was found an Eagle’s nest, made of great sticks, resting one end on the ledge of a rock, and the other on two birch-trees, upon which was a layer of rushes, and over them a layer of heath, and upon the heath rushes again; upon which lay one young one, and an addle egg, and by them a lamb and a hare, and three heath-poults. ‘The nest was about two yards square, and had no hollow init. The young Eagle was as black as a Hobby, of the shape of a Goshawk, of almost the weight of a Goose, rough-footed, or feathered down to the foot, having a white ring about the tail.” ” Mr. Willughby’s description of the nest reminds us of a curious anecdote given in the life of the celebrated Thuanus or De Thou, viz. that when himself and Monsieur Schomberg were passing through that part of France, on an embassy from Henry the third to the King of Navarre, they were entertained for some days, together with their suite, at Mande, the seat of the Bishop and Count of Gevaudan. At the first repast, it was observed, with some surprise, that all the wild-fowl or game brought to table wanted either a head, a wing, a leg, or some other part, which occasioned their host pleasantly to apologize for the voracity of his caterer, who always took the liberty of first tasting RING-TAILED EAGLE. aS what he had procured, before it was brought to table. On perceiving the increaséd surprise of his guests, he informed them that in the mountain- ous regions of that district the Eagles were ac- ‘customed to build their eyries among the almost inaccessible rocks, which can only be ascended with ladders and grappling-irons. The peasants however, when they have discovered a nest, raise a little hut at the foot of a rock, in which they screen themselves from the fury of the birds when they convey provision to their young, which the male carefully nourishes for the space of three months, and the female continues the employment till the young are capable of quitting the eyry. While the young continue in the eyry, the parents ravage all the country, and convey to the nest - Capons, Chickens, Ducks, Lambs, Kids, Pigs, &c. but the fields and woods supply them with the choicest game, for from thence they seize Pheasants, Partridges, Woodcocks, Wild-Ducks, Hares, and young Fawns. When therefore the shepherds pér- ceive that the Eagles have left the eyry, they plant their ladders, climb the rocks, and carry off what the Eagles have conveyed to the young; leaving instead the entrails of animals or other offal; but as this cannot be done so expeditiously as to pre- vent the young Eagles from devouring a part of what has been brought them, it follows that it is generally mutilated; in recompence however for this disadvantage, it has a much finer flavour than any thing the markets can afford. He added, that when the young Eagle has acquired strength " be BLACK EAGLE. enough to fly, the shepherds fasten him to the eyry, in order that the parent birds may supply him so much the longer with food; that three or four Fagle’s nests were sufficient to furnish a splendid table throughout the year; and that, far from murmuring at the ravages of Eagles, he thought himself very happy in being situated in their neighbourhocd, and reckoned every eyry as a kind of annual rent. Var.? BLACK EAGLE. Falco Melanaetus. F. cera lutea, pedibus semilanatis, corpore ferugineo-nigricante, striis flavis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Blackish-ferruginous Eagle with yellow streaks, half-feathered legs, and luteous cere. Black Eagle. Lath. synops. mt Lenetu two feet ten inches: general colour blackish, the head and upper part of the neck | mixed with rufous: lower halfof the tail white with blackish spots; the end-part blackish: bill horn- colour; legs covered with dusky-white feathers: feet yellow. Native of Europe. Perhaps a sexual difference of the Ring-tailed Eagle. It is to be observed that this is the Black Eagle of Willughby, and that the Ring-tailed Eagle is the Black Eagle of Pennant. We 3 = Ly NN i \N \ WING \\ \ GOLDEN EAGLE 2308 Sept London Lublifhd by Ghearstey Fleet Street. GOLDEN EAGLE. ‘> Falco Chrysietos. F. fusco-ferrugineus, rostro rae ye cauda ENG cinereo-undulata, Falco Dippaetas. Lin, Syst. Nat. Golden Eagle. Will. orn, p, 58. Le Grand Aigle. Buff. ois. 1. L’Aigle doré. Briss. ao p. ‘Tuis is reg bee ee ‘ase being gene- | ar aa coloure ® aie marked with blotches: the legs are yel strong, being three inches in circumference, and feathered to the very feet, which are covered with large scales, and armed with most formidable MEA s | PCE Eh 4 “76 WHITE EAGLE. claws, the middle of which are two inches or more in length. The Golden Eagle is a native of several parts of Europe and Asia, building its eyry or nest on the summits of rocks, &c.; the nest, like that of the Ring-tailed Eagle, is flat, extremely large, and composed of twigs and branches, interlaced and covered by layers of rushes, heath, &c. The female is said to lay two eggs, or three at the most, one of which is generally unproductive. The Golden Eagle has the reputation of great longevity, and is said to have survived a century. POC CREED Sa Se Var.? WHITE EAGLE. --Falco cygneus. FF. totus albus. Lath. ind. orn, Eagle entirely white. Aguila alba cygnea. Klein, Hist. av. p. 42. Aldrow. av. p. 231. Gesn. av. p. 190. L’Aigle blanc. Briss, av. 1. p. 424. Size of the Golden Eagle, and entirely white as snow. Mentioned by Albertus Magnus, and from him by Gesner and Aldrovandus, and succeeding writers. Albertus says it inhabits the Alps, and the rocks on the borders of the Rhine; and that it preys not only on hares, rabbets, &c. but some- times on fish, for which reason Aldrovandus sup- poses it to be more allied to the Osprey than to any other kind of Eagle. It does not appear CONCILIATING EAGLE. Ti to be knewn to modern naturalists. Monsieur Sonnini supposes it to be the same with the fol- lowing. CONCILIATING EAGLE. “~ Falco Conciliator. FF. candidus, alis apice nigris, White Eagle, with the tips of the wings black. White Eagle. Penn. Arct. Zool. Tuts is mentioned by Du Pratz in his History of _ Louisiana, and is said to be a highly beautiful and rare species. It is entirely or very nearly white, except the tips of the wings, which are black. It is much esteemed by the natives of Louisiana on account of its feathers, with which they adorn the Calumet or Pipe of peace, which is described as consisting of a very long reed, ornamented with feathers, the bowl being made of a kind of soft red. marble. This instrument always appears in solemn congresses for determining peace or. war. Its acceptance, by smoking for a few moments with it, is a mark of concurrence with the terms proposed ; and the refusal a certain mark of rejection. Even in the rage of a conflict the Calumet is sometimes offered; and if accepted, the instruments of de- struction suddenly drop from the hands of the warriors, and an immediate truce ensues. 78 WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. | Falco leucocephalus. I’. cera lutea pedibusque semilanatis, corpore fusco, capite caudaque albis. Lin, Syst. Nat. Brown Eagle, with white head and tail, half-feathered legs, and yellow cere and feet. Bald Eagle. Catesby Carol. 1. pl. 1. Lenern three feet three inches, Colour dark brown, except the head and tail, which are white: the bird however does not acquire the white head. till the second year. It isa bird of great spirit; preying on fawns, lambs, fish, &c. ‘ It is, says Mr. Pennant, the terror of the Osprey, whose motions it watches. The moment the latter has seized a fish, the former pursues till the Osprey drops its prey, which, with amazing dexterity, it catches before it falls to the ground, be the distance ever so great. This is matter of great amusement to the inhabitants of North America, who often watch their aerial contests.” According to Catesby this Eagte builds in vast decayed cypresses or pines, impending over the sea, or some great river, in company with Ospreys, Herons, and other birds, and the nests are so nu- merous as to resemble a rookery. Lawson, in his History of Carolina, says that it breeds very often, laying again under the callow young, whose warmth hatches the eggs. 79 CINEREOUS EAGLE. “> Falco Albicilla*. F. fusco-cinercus, capite colloque canis, cauda alba. Brown-cinereous Eagle, with grey head and neck, and white tail. Vultur Albiulla. Lin. Syst. Nat. The Pygarg or White-tailed Eagle. Will. orn. p. 61. Cinereous Eagle. Latham and Pennant. In size equal or nearly equal to the Black Eagle, Native of Europe as far North as Iceland and Lapmark, and is common in Greenland, but ac- cording to Pennant, does not proceed into America, strictly so called, unless it should vary into the White-headed Eagle, to which it has great affinity, and in particular, in its feeding so much on fish. It is said to inhabit Greenland the whole year, making its nest on lofty cliffs with twigs; lining the middle with mosses and feathers, and laying two eggs. It is found in Scotland and in the Orkney islands. ) The beak, cere, and irides are of a very pale yellow; the space between that and the eyes bare, and of a blueish colour: the head and neck pale ash-colour: the body and wings cinereous, clouded. with brown; the quill-feathers very dark: the tail white: the legs feathered but little below the knees, and of a very light yellow. ‘The male is of a darker colour than the female. * In the Systema Nature, by a typographical error, 4biulla. 80 Var.? SMALLER WHITE*TAILED EAGLE. Falco Hinnularius. 2. fusco-ferrugineus, capite colloyue canis, cauda alba. Brown-ferruginous Eagle, with grey head and neck, and white tail. Erne. Gesn. av. p. 205. Le petit Pygargue. Buff. vis. Lesser White-tailed Eagle. Lath. syn. Size of a large Cock: length two feet two inches : bill, cere, and irides yellow: plumage above dull rust-colour, beneath ferruginous, mixed with black- ish: head and neck ash-coloured, inclining to chesnut; the tips of the feathers blackish: tail white: legs yellow and naked. Inhabits Europe, and is supposed by Buffon, with great probability, to be no other than a variety of the preceding. Var.? AUSTRALASIN CINEREOUS EAGLE,’ This is mentioned (perhaps from a drawing) by Mr. Latham, in his second Supplement, under the article Cinereous Eagle. Its size is said to be large, and the general colour of the plumage deep brown, but the under parts much paler, and the wings much darker than the rest: the rump and tail very pale ash-colour, nearly white; and the bill and legs black. Native of New Holland. ce eee ire en BecoceL of HL ie oe, es hae Eee MO ae ee , a oe) woes FlntA SF evn le Yl a ariel. as Han gurcee . Bel fy 6 Whevig Scr nF Cann paz SEA EAGLE 2808 Sepi1.LondonL£ub bifid bv Glea whey Llect SO 4. SEA EAGLE. gus. 2. fusco-ferrugineus, cruribus seminudis flavis, albo-nebulosis, Lin, Syst. Nat. Isprey. Will. orn, p. 59. in Nortt which it | swimmi casionalh Pennant @ the spectacle ellto the ground. uded and sp ‘with white, and »,,.has the legs featheréd half wa m. It is very “common in. the north of “America, prey- : : is, and on young seals, which it seizes while. swimming. * Barlow's Plates. No. 36, Vv. VII. saa 6 Cire ale 4 f 82 OSPREY EAGLE, T Falco Halietus. F. supra fuscus, subtus albus, capite albido, cera pedibusque ceruleis. Brown Eagle, white beneath, with whitish head, and blue cere and legs. Falco Haliztus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Haliztus. Aldrov.p. 188. Morphnos. p. 211, The Bald Buzzard. Will. orn. p. 69. Balbuzardus Anglorum, Bald Buzzard, or Sea Eagle. Rai syn. Osprey. Penn. Brit. Zool. Lath. syn. Le Balbuzard. Buff. ois. Tue names of this and the preceding species, to use an expression of Sir Thomas Brown, present a puzzling homonymy; both being called by differ- ent writers by the name of Osprey and Sea Eagle. Its size is much inferior to that of the Falco Ossifragus, and its proportions more approach to those of the Falcon tribe. Its general length seems to be about two feet. A female observed by Mir. Pennant measured twenty-three inches in length, and five feet four inches in breadth. The bil is black, with a blue cere: the irides yellow: most of the feathers of the head brewn with white margins: the hind-head, throat, and neck white, with very little mixture of brown: on each side the neck, beginning from beneath the eye, 1s a band of brown, reaching almost to the shoulders: the body is brown above, and white beneath: the tail-feathers transversly barred with. white on the inner webs; the two middle feathers OSPREY EAGLE. 83 being plain brown: the legs are naked, short, strong, and of a blueish colour, and the claws remarkably large, hooked, and black. This bird is well figured in the folio edition of the British Zoology, which figure is repeated, on a smaller scale, inthe Faunula, annexed by Mr. Pennant to Mr. Lightfoot’s Flora Scotica. The Osprey frequents rivers, lakes, and the sea shores, preying on fish, which. it plunges after into the water with great rapidity, and bringing them up in its talons, retires to a smail distance to devour them. It also preys occasionally on water-fowl, &c. In the Arctic Zoology it is observed that the American Osprey perfectly resembles the Euro- pean. Notwithstanding it is so persecuted by the White-Headed Eagle, yet it always keeps near its haunts. It is a species of vast quickness of sight; and will see a fish near the surface from a great distance ; then, descending with prodigious | rapidity, carries the prey, with an exulting scream; high in the air. The Eagle pursues, and attacks the Osprey, which often drops the fish, and the Eagle seizes it before it reaches the ground. It sometimes happens that the Osprey perishes in seizing its prey; for if it chances to fix its talons on an over-grown fish, it is drawn under water before it can disengage itself, and is drowned. The Osprey, according to Mr. Pennant, builds its nest on the ground, among reeds, and lays three or four white eggs of an elliptical form, and rather less than those of a hen, ROUGH-FOOTED EAGLE. Falco nevius. YF. cera tridibus pedibusque lanatis luteis, corpore Ferrugineo, rectricibus bast apiceque albis. Lath. ind. orn. Ferruginous Eagle, with cere, irides, and feathered legs yellow, and tail white at the base and tip. Le Petit Aigle. Buff. ots. L’Aigle tacheté. Briss. av. Rough-Footed Eagle. Lath. syn. Descrizep by Brisson and others as of the size of a large Cock: length two feet seven inches and a half: cere and irides yellow: general colour dull ferruginous, the wings beneath and the thighs spotted with white: under tail-coverts white: legs covered to the toes with dull ferruginous feathers spotted with white: feet yellow; claws black. Inhabits Europe, and is said to prey. chiefly on | rats. Brisson supposes it to be the Jdorphno congener of Aldrovandus, but Mr, Latham applies that synonym to a different species. $3 ASTRACHAN EAGLE. Falco Astracanus. FF. fusco-ferrugineus, dorso abdomineque albis Serrugineo maculatis, cauda fasciis quatuor albidis. Brown-ferruginous Eagle, with the back and abdomen white with ferruginous spots, and the tail crossed by four pale bars, Falco ferox. S.G. Gmelin nov. comm. petrop. 15. t. 10, Fierce Eagle. Lath. syn. Lznern two feet one inch: head and neck tawny, mixed with whitish: eyelids blue; irides yellow: bill blackish lead-colour, with green cere. Plumage brown; dorsal, abdominal, and uropygial feathers white, with ferruginous spots: tail even, brown, marked with four paler bars. Found about the neighbourhood of Astrachan, and said to be a very ferocious as well as voracious bird, devouring carrion as well as living prey. Monsieur Sonnini doubts whether it may not be a mere variety of the Falco Fulvus, , 86 BLACK-BACKED EAGLE. Falco melanotus. F. fusco-ferrugineus, gula pectore dorsoque nigris, cauda nigra bast alba. Brown-ferruginous Eagle, with the throat, breast, and back black, the tail black with a white base. Black-Backed Eagle. Brown’s Illustrations of Zoology. pl. 2. Lath, synops. Sarp to be of the size of the Golden Eagle; and is of similar colour, but with the fore part of the neck and breast, the back and quills black: the tail, from the base to the middle, white; the end- half black: the bill black, with a yellow cere, the legs yellow, but covered to the toes with ferruginous feathers. Native place unknown. Described merely from a figure in Brown’s Illustra- tions of Zoology, and, as Sonnini very properly observes, may be no other than a mere variety of the Black Eagle, (Aigle Commun Buff.) It is at all times dangerous to describe animals merely from figures, unless we could be well assured that the artist was himself a Zoologist. $7 MOGILNIK EAGLE. Falco Mogilnik. F. fusco-ferrugineus, dorso albo variato, rostro nigro, cruribus lanatis, pedibus flavis. Brown-ferruginous Eagle, with the back varied with white, the legs feathered, and the feet yellow. Falco Mogilnik. S. G. Gmelin. nov. comm. petrop.15.t. 11. B. Russian Eagle. Lath. synops. Le Mogilnik. Sonnint Buff. Leneru two feet three inches: plumage dusky ferruginous, or dark, with the back slightly varied by an: intermixture of white: wings spotted or varied beneath with white: tail black, with a few grey bars, and tipped with ferruginous: legs fea- thered to the toes, which are yellow: bill black: Inhabits the midst of the deserts which border the river Tanais, and often seen about the environs of the town of Tschercask. Its manners are not those of the nobler Eagles, feeding principally on field- mice, small birds, &c. 88 BLACK-CHEEKED EAGLE. Falco Americanus. F. niger, capite collo pectoreque cinereis, fascia genarum transversa nigra. Black Eagle, with the head, neck, and breast cinereous, and a black bar across the cheeks. Black-Cheeked Eagle. Penn. Arct. Zool. Lath. synops. Falco Americanus. Lath. ind. orn. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Size of Falco fulvus. Head, neck, and breast deep ash-colour: each cheek marked with a broad black bar, passing from the corner of the mouth beyond the eyes: back, belly, wings, and tail black: bill lead-coloured; legs yellow, and fea- thered below the knees. Native of North America, and suspected by Mr. Pennant to be the species figured by Robert, among the Birds of the Menagery of Louis the fourteenth. CHINESE EAGLE. Falco Sinensis. FF. ferrugineus, subtus flatescens, alis caudaque Susco-fasciatis, cera pedibusque flavis. Ferraginous Eagle, yellowish beneath, with the wings and tail barred with brown, and yellow cere and legs, Chinese Eagle. Lath. syn. Descrisep and figured by Mr. Latham from a Chinese drawing lent him by Mr. Pennant. Size said to be little inferior to that of an Eagle: colour of the head and all the upper parts ferruginous, FRENCH KAGE yt Vy Gul 7)! 2008. Sep" Londen Publf{hd bv Kearstea Fle, “ x y FRENCH EAGLE. 89. with a tna dusky bar across the wing-coverts, and two or three across the tail: quill-feathers (guask -: Bill -: thighs clothed with long fea- thers, feet a cere yellow: the whole under part of the bird is yellowish buff-colour, and its habit or general shap / seems to resemble that of the larger Falcons. other drawing which Mr. vatham obs er" -ollection on sale, was a figure which se the same bird with some "variations; the ead vg furnished with a va- -riegated crest, markings. 4 a corpore anal Fst subtus Fes oe fuscis. Lath. ind. orn. if ith cinereous bill, nee yellowish leg nd gre 5 3 ale ee beneath, with : if Lath, syn. Pl. Enl. 413. vin | ; in iC : xtham, does not fall far sh: ide vi transvers y a enked with brown: legs i ne naked ; claws cinereous.. This bird is common in 00 WHITE-CROWNED EAGLE. France, but seems to be rare in other parts of Europe. It feeds in the manner of the Buzzard, on mice, frogs, &c. and makes its nest on the ground, among heath, broom, furze, &c. and sometimes, though rarely, on tall trees. It lays generally three eggs, of a grey slate-colour. The female is almost entirely grey. WHIiTE-CROWNED EAGLE. Falco Leucoryphos. F.cera cinerea, pedibus semilanatis albidis, corpore nebuloso- ge macula verticis trigona gulaque tota alba. Lath. ind. orn. Eagle with cinereous cere; half-feathered whitish legs, body clouded with brown, the throat white, and a white trigonal spot on the head, Falco Leucoryphos. Pall. reise. 1. p. 454. ~ White-Crowned Eagle. Lath. syn. Tuis species is described in the travels of Dr. Pallas, who discovered it in the southern parts of Siberia. Its size is equal to that of an Osprey, to which it bears some resemblance, but the limbs are longer. It measures six feet in breadth, and weighs nearly six pounds. The bill is strait at the base, and the cere is of a livid ash-colour, the irides grey-brown, with a black outer circle: the head grey-brown, with a triangular white spot on the crown; the throat white; the sides of the head darker than the rest, as in the Osprey: the upper part of the body is of a clouded brown colour; the parts beneath the same, but paler: the second PONDICHERRY EAGLE. Oi coverts have grey margins: the quills are very dark; the tail longish, even at the end, black at the tip, and white beneath; some of the side- feathers are dotted within with white: the legs are pale, one third of the shins being covered with feathers, | PONDICHERRY EAGLE, Falco Ponticerianus. . castaneus, eee collo pectoreque te cera cerulea, pedibus flavis. Chesnut-coloured Eagle, with white nie neck, and breast, blue cere, and yellow feet. Aigle de Pondicherry. Buff. ois. p. 136. PI. enl. 416. Pondicherry Eagle. Lath. syn. Nat. Misc. vol. 10. pl. 389. - A utcuty elegant species, equal, or nearly equal in size to a Jerfalcon. Length about a foot and a half: head, neck, breast, and upper part of the abdomen white, the remainder of the bird reddish chesnut-colour, the wings slightly tipped with black: bill and legs yellow: cere blue. In the bird described by the Count de Buffon the shafts of the neck and breast feathers are dashed with a chesnut streak; but in a specimen preserved in the British Museum these parts are entirely white. It is an inhabitant of many parts of India, and in Malabar is esteemed a sacred bird. It is extremely voracious, flying in company with Kites, and feeding not only on living prey, but on the entrails and other remains of dead animals, STATENLAND EAGLE, “ Falco Australis. I’. fuscus, cera flava, cauda nigra apice lutes= cente. Lath. ind, orn. Brown Eagle, with yellow cere, and black tail with a yellooeiat tip. Statenland Eagle. Lath. syn. Size of the Plaintive Vulture: length twenty- five inches: cere yellow; body brown; tail black, tipped with yellowish white. Observed in Staten- Jand by Dr. G. R. Forster. Its cry exactly re- sembles that of a Hen. | AUSTRALASIAN WHITE EAGLE. Falco Albus. FF. albus, rostro nigro, cera pedibusque flavis. White Eagle, with black beak, and yellow cere and legs. Faleo Nove Hollandie. Luth. ind. orn. New Holland White Eagle. Lath. syn. White Hawk. White's Journ. of Voy. to New South Wales. p. 250. Lenetu about twenty inches, the size being rather superior to that of a Hen-Harrier, to which it appears to be considerably allied. ‘The whole plumage is white, without any variegation; the bill black with a yellow cere, and the legs yellow. Native of New Holland. In Mr. White’s Voyage to New South Wales I have described this bird under the title of White Hawk, and indeed it ALBESCENT EAGLE. 03 seems rather to belong to that tribe than to the Eagles properly so called. ALBESCENT EAGLE. Falco albescens. FF. -albescens subcristatus, supra fusco-flavese cente varius, cauda nigra albo-fasciata. Whitish subcristated Eagle, varied above with yellowish brown, with blacix tail barred with white. Le Blanchard, Levaillant ois. Afr. No.3. Asourt a third less than the Golden Eagle, and of a more slender shape: plumage soft, whitish, and slightly tinged with yellow-brown, especially on the upper parts: quill-feathers brownish: tail barred with black and white, and longer than the wings: legs feathered to the feet, which are of a bright yellow: bill lead-colour: on the back of the head a slight crest, less conspicuous in the female. This species is an inhabitant of the parts of Africa bordering on the Cape of Good Hope, and was observed by Levaillant in the Woods of the country of the Hottniquas. It is a bird of bold manners, and of rapid flight; preying on par- tridges, pigeons, &c, It suffers no other bird of prey to come near its haunt, but, if we may rely on the attestation of Monsieur Vaillant, will permit small birds to reside near it, and even to perch upon its nest, without offermg them any violence ; and even protecting them against the attacks of other rapacious birds. The n¢st is built on the 94 VOCIFEROUS EAGLE. top of some high tree, and contains two white eggs of the size of those of a Turkey, but rounder. The male and female perform the task of incubation in turn. VOCIFEROUS EAGLE, Falco Vocifer. F. fusco-ferrugineus, nigro undulatus, capite collo pectore caudaque albis. Brown-ferruginous Eagle, undulated with black, with the head, neck, breast and tail white. Le Vocifer. Vaill. ois, Afr. pl. 4. Tus, according to Monsieur Levaillant, its discoverer, is one of the finest of the whole Aquiline tribe, and is not only distinguished by the beauty of its colours, but by the elegance of its shape. It is equal in size to an Osprey*, (Orfraie.) The fore parts of the body, and the tail, are white; the remainder rufous brown imtermixed with black; but, to be more particular; the feathers of the head and neck are white with brown edges, and the scapular-feathers are of similar colour: those of the breast have a few longitudinal dashes of blackish brown: the rest of the plumage is brown- ferruginous, undulated with black: the smaller wing-coverts are ofa paler cast, and the neighbour- ing scapular-feathers are mixed with black, and * Monsieur Levaillant, I presume, means the Falco Haligius, but the Orfraie of the French is the Falco Ossifragus. VOCIFEROUS EAGLE. 95. ferm an agreeable contrast with the white of the others which extend in a pointed form down the back: the wing-feathers are black, and as it were finely marbled with rufous and white on their exterior sides: the lower part of the back and upper tail-coverts. are black intermixed with dull white: between the beak and eye is a bare yellow- ish skin, beset with scattered’ hairs: the base of the beak, the legs, and the feet are also yellowish: the feathers of the thighs descend about half an iach down the leg in front: the beak and claws are of a blue horn-colour: the craw, which is slightly visible, is covered with long, frizzled down: the tail is slightly rounded; the side feathers being shortest, and the: others successively lengthening to the two middle-feathers. The female has much less of the-black in its plumage; the white is less pure, and the rufous brown less deep: the female however is stronger than the male. The wings, when closed, reach to the extremity of the tail, and their extent, when spread, is nearly eight feet. It is not till the third year that this species acquires its full colours. In its first year the grey prevails instead of the white: in the second the white commences; and in the third the plumage appears in complete beauty. The male and female are inseparable companions, hunting their prey, flying, and resting together. Like most other Eagles, they place their nest either on the top of lofty trees, or on the points of rocks, and line it with wool, feathers, &c. the eggs are white, and - 06 BLAGRE EAGLE. of the same shape with those of a Turkey, but whiter. The flight of these birds is rapid, and they rise to a vast height, the male often uttering a loud and singular cry. Their principal prey is fish, which they seize by plunging with incredible celerity into the water. They therefore constantly fre- quent the neighbourhood of the sea shore, or that of such rivers as abound most in fish. They also feed on a kind of large lizard, very common, ac- cording to Monsieur Vaillant, in many of the African rivers, and will even: sometimes prey on young Antelopes, but never on birds. BLAGRE EAGLE. Falco Blagrus. F. fuscus, eapite collo cauda corporeque subtus toto albis. Lath. Suppl. ind. orn. 2. No. 18. Brown Eagle, with the head, neck, tail, and whole body be- neath white. Le Blagre. Levaill. Ois. Afr. pl. 5. Tuts is so nearly allied, both in form and man- ners, to the European Osprey, (Falco Haliztus) that it might be considered as a variety of that bird. The head, neck, and all the foreparts of the body are white with a satin lustre, but the head and back of the neck are streaked with pale brown: the smaller wing-coverts, shoulders, and tail are grey-brown; the latter being tipped with ZQUINOCTIAL EAGLE. 07 white: the wings are blackish brown, with paler edges : the beak brownish, and the iris deep brown: the legs yellow, and the claws black. It frequents the borders of rivers, preying on fish, which it plunges entirely under water to seize. EQUINOCTIAL EAGLE, “> Falco xquinoctialis. F. pedibus luteis, corpore nigricante fers : rugineo vario, remigibus medio ferrugineis, rectricibus V albo _ notatis. Lath, ind. orn. Eagle with Iuteous cere, blackish body varied with ferruginous; wing-feathers ferruginous in the middle, and tail marked with V-shaped white spots. fEquinoctial Eagle. Lath. syn. Native of Cayenne: length twenty-one inches: bill pale: body rufous beneath, with dusky trans- verse streaks, each feather being barred with four stripes: wings reaching to one third of the tail, which is nearly black, with the two middle feathers plain, and all the rest marked about the middle with a white V-shaped spot, pointing upwards. ~Jt ¥. vit. 08 MANSFENY EAGLE. ~ Falco Antillarum. FF. corpore toto fusco. Lath. ind. ori. Eagle with the body entirely brown. Mansfeny Eagle. Lath. syn. Mansfeny. Buff, ois. 1. p. 144. Falco Antillarum. Sriss. av. 1. p. 361. Tus, which is described by Buffon, has the shape and plumage of ari Eagle, differing only in size, which is not superior to that of a Falcon. Its colour isentirely brown: legs and feet very strong. Native of the Antilles or Caribbee islands, preying on small birds, snakes, lizards, &c. _ SHORT-TAILED EAGLE. Falco ecaudatus. FF. wiger, alis pallidis, dorso caudaque breviore rufis. Lath. ind. orn, suppl. Black Eagle, with pale wings, rufous back and tail, the Jatter very short. | Le Bateleur. Levaill. Ois. Afr. pl. 7 Short-tailed Falcon. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. Tus is one of the species for which we are indébted to the indefatigable zeal of Monsieur Levaillant, who informs us that it partakes of the nature both of the Eagle and the Vulture, but is more nearly allied to the former. Its size is be- tween that of the Sea Eagle and the Osprey, and differs from other Eagles in having the bill less SHORT-TAILED EAGLE. 99 strong, the claws less curved, and the tail very short: the legs are also naked or unfeathered: the beak and claws are black; the membrane at the base of the beak yellowish; the head, neck, breast, and body beneath are all deep black, forming a fine contrast with the deep rufous of the back and tail: scapulars dusky, with a blueish grey cast in certain lights: all the small wing-coverts are of an Isabella colour; the quills black, edged outwardly with silver-grey: the irides are deep brown. ‘The female is of paler colours, and is a fourth larger than the male. The young birds have the beak horn- coloured, with a blueish cere; the plumage brown, less deep on the head and neck; all the feathers edged with pale brown, and the feet yellowish. _ As they advance in age, the rufous feathers begin to appear on the head and rump, and the black ones on the belly: and it is not till the third moulting that they acquire their complete co- louring. This species is very common in the whole country of the Hotiniquas, and along the coast of Terra de Natal as far as Caffraria. Like the Vociferous Eagle, the male and female are in- separable: they build their nest on high trees, and the females lay from three to four white eggs: they prey chiefly on dead animals; yet often attack young Antelopes and Ostriches, and lie in wait for lambs, and sheep which happen to be in a weakly state. Monsieur Levaillant has seen the female feed her young by disgorging the contents of her craw. It must therefore be confessed that this 100 TIGER EAGLE, species might without impropriety be arranged among the Vultures. Sa ee eee TIGER EAGLE. Falco tigrinus. F. fuscus subtus albus, femoribus fusco maculatis, tectricibus alarum inferioribus nigro fasciatis. Lath. ind. orn: suppl. Brown Eagle, white beneath, with the thighs spotted with brown, and the under wing-coverts banded with black. Tiger Falcon. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. Falco tigrinus. Besek. Vog. Kurl, S. 10.11. S1zE of the Golden Eagle, or even larger: cere blue; irides and legs yellow: head, neck and breast pale brown, but the upper parts of both black; the crown being streaked with that colour: the rest of the upper parts dull brown; quills black: greater wing-coverts black brown or paler; tail dull brown, crossed with three narrow distinct bands: beneath, from the breast, white, marked with some light brown spots on the thighs, and under part of the wings, in the manner of a tiger. Described from a male bird. Said to inhabit Courland, and to be an extremely fierce as well as beautiful bird, preying on the grous tribe, and on hares, &e, 101 COURLAND EAGLE. \ Falco Germanicus. F. rufo-albus, dorso “alis caudaque fuscis, rectricibus fasciis quatuor pallentibus. Lath. ind, orn. suppl. Rufous-white Eagle, with the back, wings, and tail brown, the Jatter marked by four pale bars. Der rothlichweisse Falke. Besek, Vog. Kurl. S. 10. 12. a, & 13,0. Courland Falcon. Lath. Suppl. 2. Tuts also is said to inhabit Courland, and is rather smaller than the preceding. Its general colour is a reddish dusky white, the back, wings, and tail dull brown, the tips of the wings paler: the head, neck, and breast are spotted with brown: the feathers of the thighs brown, each feather having an oval spot at the tip of that colour: cere, irides, and legs yellow. Male and female much alike in colour, but the male about a fourth part smaller than the female, 102 DRANSBERG EAGLE. Falco Glaucopis. fF. cera et pedibus semilanatis citrinis, dorsa et pectore fusco, capite et cervice ex flavicante albis, striis fuscis, remigibus nigris. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Eagle with the cere and half-feathered legs citron-coloured ; back and breast brown, head and neck yellowish white with black streaks, and black wing-feathers. Merrem Beytr. 2. p. 25. t. 7. Tora length rather more than one foot nine inches: openings of the nostrils large and oval, and covered behind with black bristles: tongue fleshy in the middle; horny at the edges, and scarcely divided at the tip: thighs short, and beset with soft feathers: legs covered half way with woolly down: breast and back brown: on the front small crescent-shaped streaks: head and top ofthe neck yellowish, varied with brown: wings black: tail reddish brown above, and dull white beneath, with six black bands. Found on the mountain called Dransberg near Gottingen. 103 COMMON KITE. #alco Milvus. FF. fusco ferrugineoque varius, capite albido fusco striato, cauda ferruginea forficata. Kite with brown and ferruginous variegations, whitish head streaked with brown, and ferruginous forked tail. Falco Milvus. F. cera flava, cauda Sorficata, corpore ferrugineo, capite albidiore. Lin. Syst. Nat. Milvus. Gesn. Aldr. Will. &c. Kite. Penn. Brit. Zool, pl 38 Bet 13. Tue Kite is so common in England as to super- sede the necessity of any very particular descrip- tion of its figure and manners. Its general length is something more than two feet, and its breadth five feet: the bill is two inches long, and very much bent or hooked at the end; the cere yellow, and the irides straw-coloured: the whole upper part of the body is ferruginous brown, the edges of the feathers brighter or yellower than the middle: the tail bright ferruginous: the edges both of wings and. tail dusky or blackish: the head and neck are pale ash-colour, or whitish, the feathers being of a narrow or slender form on those parts, and each marked down the shaft by a dark streak: the under parts of the body are yellow-ferruginous, with longitudinal dusky spots: the legs yellow, and the claws strong and brown: the tail is forked, by which mark it is at once distinguished from every other British bird of prey. No one can be unacquainted with the elegant appearance of this bird while sailing aloft in its 104 COMMON KITE. circling flight, and maintaining its equilibrium by a slight exertion of its pinions at distant intervals. During these wanderings it is meditating its prey beneath, and occasionally descends from"its aerial height in order to seize some bird or other animal within its view. It principally preys on young chickens, ducks, goslings, &c. and isin consequence proscribed by the universal voice of every village in the country. Were it not for these depredations its appearance would be welcomed as the har- -binger of clear skies and fine weather; for it is in such that it makes its principal excursions. It breeds in large forests, and wooded hily countries ; - and its nest is said to be composed of sticks and twigs, and lined with a kind of miscellaneous assortment of wool, pieces of rope, fragments of flannel, paper, or any other articles which it hap- pens to find on the ground, It lays two, and sometimes three eggs, which are white, roundish, and marked with dull-yellow spots. ; In the days of King Henry the eighth, as appears from the observations of the celebrated Clusius, (L’Ecluse) the British metropolis itself swarmed with Kites, which were attracted by the various kind of offals thrown into the streets, and were so fearless as to take ‘their prey in the midst of the greatest crowds, it being forbidden to kill them. Thus the Kite was as much reverenced in the streets of London in those times as the Vulture is at present in those of Grand Cairo or Alexandria. The descent of a Kite at the present day, in Cheapside or Charing-Cross, would probably at- 4 BLACK KITE. 105 tract as sudden a crowd as any other unexpected phenomenon, and would doubtless be recorded in the public prints as an eyent of singular curiosity. Var? RUSSIAN KITE. Length twenty-one inches and a half: colour ale brown, with bright chesnut head and throat: bill lead-colour, cere green; legs yellow; tail fork- ed. Described in the Petersburg Transactions, and said to be often found at Tanain near Tscbercask. BLACK KITEe Falco ater, I’. cera pedibusque flavis, corpore supra fusco-mgre, capite et subtus albidiore, cauda forficata. Lath. ind. orn, Blackish-brown Kite, with yellow cere and legs, head and under parts whitish, and forked tail. Falco ater. Lin. Syst, Nat. Gmel. Black Kite. Lath. syn. SmaLter than the Common Kite, and of a dark blackish brown colour above, with the head, breast, and under parts whitish: bill, cere, and legs like those of the Common Kite, Native of Germany. 106 AUSTRIAN KITE. Falco Austriacus. J’. cera pedibusque scmilanatis flavis, capite corporeque supra castaneo, pennarum scapis nigris, rectricibus Suscis fasciis nigris, apicibus albis. Lath. ind. orn. Kite with cere and semiplumed legs yellow, head and body above chesnut, with the shafts of the quills black, uu brown tail with black bars and white tip. Austrian Kite. Lath. syn. Size equal to that of the Common Kite: colour chesnut, the shafts of the wings being black; the belly brown-chesnut spotted with dark brown: tail even, crossed with several black bars, and tipped with white: legs and bill as in the Common Kite: fore-head and throat whitish with brown spots. Native of Austria, living principally in woods, “4 £4: 38 f PTI CARACARA KITE. + Falco Brasiliensis. F. pedibus flavis, corpore rufo albo flacoque punctato, rectricibus fusco alboque varicgatis. Lath. ind. orn. Kite with yellow legs, rufous body, with white yellow and rufous spots, and tail varied with brown and white. Brasilian Kite called Caracara. Will. orn. p. 76. MenTionep by Willughby from Marcgrave’s Brasil, who however does not call it a Kite, but rather a Sparrow-Hawk (Nisus). Its size is that of a Kite, and it preys on poultry. Native of Brasil. 107 - 8SWALLOW-TAILED FALCON, “ Falco furcatus. F. albus, dorso alis caudayue longissima for- Jjicata purpureo-nigricantibus. ie: White Falcon, with the back, wings, and very long forked tail purplish black. Falco furcatus. J. cera obscura, pedibus flavescentibus, corpore supra fusco subtus albido, cauda forficata longissima, Lin. Syst. Nat. Swallow-tailed Hawk. Catesb. Carol. 1. p. 4. pl, 4. Tuts species is a native.of America, and may certainly be considered as one of the most. beau- tiful birds ofthe present genus. Its length is about two feet, and its proportions in the highest degree elegant: the wings very long and slender, and the tail more sharply forked in proportion than in a swallow: the back, wings, and tail are of a rich purplish black, with a gloss of changeable green; the head, neck, and whole under parts, together with the thighs, milk white, in some specimens very slightly tinctured with a cast of pale yellow: the insides of the smaller wing-feathers, towards the tips, are also white: the bill is black, rather small, curved, and extremely sharp-pointed: the legs short, and the thighs covered somewhat lower than the knees with lengthened plumes. The whole bird, on a general view, has so much the appearance of some gigantic species of Swallow, that we cannot be surprised at the assertion of the elder Scaliger, who affirms that he had seen an exotic Swallow or Swift of the size of a Buzzard, 108 SWALLOW-TAILED FALCON. but of the colour of a common Swallow, and no otherwise differing, except in having a hooked beak and strong claws, like those ofa bird of prey. In its manners as well as in its aspect this bird bears a resemblance to the Swallow tribe: it feeds principally on insects, which it catches in its flight, and is often observed to tear off the nests of wasps, | as it glides along the trees on which they are fixed: it preys also on the smaller kind of snakes, lizards, &c. The Count de Buffon has very properly observed, that this bird should rather be considered as a native of South than of North America, since it migrates from the latter into the former on the least approach of cold weather. The best figure of this most elegant species hitherto given is that in Mr. Pennant’s Arctic Zoology, which yet is scarce sufficiently expressive of its beautiful shape: that of Catesby is a very inferior representation, ! 109 COMMON BUZZARD. Falco Buteo. F. supra fusco ferrugineoque subtus albo- fer- rugineoque varius, cera pedibusque luteis, cauda fusco fasciata, Buzzard varied above with brown and ferruginous, beneath with white and ferruginous, with luteous cere and legs, and tail banded with brown. Falco Buteo. FF’. cera pedibusque luteis, corpore fusco, abdomine pallido maculis fuscis, Lin, Syst. Nat. Common Buzzard, or Puttock. Will. orn. Penn. Brit. Zool. Tut Buzzard, like the Kite, is so well known in England as to require no very elaborate description. Its size exceeds that of a Kite, the body being of a heavier or thicker form: its general length is about one foot eight inches, and its breadth four feet and a half: the bill is lead-colour; the cere and legs yellow: in colour the Buzzard is apt to vary considerably, but is usually of a ferruginous brown above, and yellowish white beneath, with large longitudinal brown spots and dashes: the middle of the back, as in the Kite, is covered merely with a thick white down: the larger wing-feathers are blotched internally with dull white and. brown bars, and .the tail is marked with cinereous and dusky, or ferruginous bars, that next the tip being broader and darker than the rest. The Buzzard is well figured both in the folio and smaller editions of the British Zoology. It is supposed to be the most common in this country of all the Hawk tribe, breeding in woods, and. usually building in some old crow’s nest, which 110 GREATER BUZZARD. it enlarges, and lines with wool or other soft ma- terials: it lays two or three eggs; which, according’ to Mr. Pennant, are sometimes white, and some- times spotted with yellow. It is said that if the hen be accidentally killed, the cock Buzzard will hatch and bring up the young. It is observed also that the young accompany the old birds for some time after quitting the nest; a circumstanee unusual in other birds of prey, which always drive off their young as soon as they can fly. The Buzzard is a very sluggish and inactive bird, con- tinuing perched on the same bough for the greatest part of the day, and seldom wandering from its accustomed haunt or spot. It feeds on the smaller birds, as well as on worms, frogs, and insects of various kinds. Var. ASH-COLOURED BUZZARD. Rather larger than the Common Buzzard, and of an ash-coloured brown above, varied beneath with white: tail marked with numerous dusky bars. Native of North America. Perhaps this should rather be considered as a distinct species. GREATER BUZZARD. A trifle larger than the Common Buzzard, and of similar colour above, but beneath rufous, with eval brown spots.. Native of Europe. tli SPOTTED BUZZARD, Smaller than the preceding, being of the size of a Common Buzzard: colour above the same, but more variegated with white; the smaller quills being of that colour from their middles almost to the tips; which are blackish: upper wing coverts spotted with ash-colour, and a transverse blackish bar across the wings. Native of Europe. CREAM-COLOURED BUZZARD. Of a dusky cream-colour or brownish buff, with a mixture of brown on the back and some bars of brown across the wing-coverts: abdomen and sides somewhat irregularly blotched with brown: tail rather shorter than in the Common Buzzard. Native of Jamaica. 112 SPECKLED BUZZARD: ~~ Falco variegatus. F. pedibus flavis, corpore fusco, subtus albo fusco maculato, capite colloque albidis striis ferrugineo fuscis; tectricibus alarum albo maculatis, rectricibus albo fasciatis. Lath. ind. orn. Buzzard with yellow legs and brown body, white beneath speckled with brown, head and neck whitish with fer- ruginous-brown streaks, and tail-feathers banded with white. Leneru rather more than twelve inches: shape that of the Common Buzzard: wing-coverts spotted with white: tail dark brown, crossed by several obscure white bars. Native of North America: This species seems to be described in the Arctic Zoology of Mr. Pennant under the name of Buzzardet. AMERICAN BUZZARD. ~ Falco Borealis. F. cera pedibusque luteis, corpore fusco; abdo- mine albo maculis hastatis nigris, cauda ferruginea fascia ad “ apicem nigra. Lath. ind. orn. 4 Buzzard with deep yellow cere and legs, brown body, white abdomen with spear-shaped black spots, and ferruginous tail with a black bar at the tip. Size of a Common Buzzard, or a trifle larger: Native of North America. mes 118 HARPY BUZZARD. Haico rufus. F. pedibus flavis, corpore rufo maculis longitudi- nalibus variv, dorso fusco, rectricibus cinereis. Lath. ind. orn. - Rufous Buzzard with longitudinal brown spots, brown back, ash-coloured quill-feathers, and yellow legs. La Harpaye. Buff. ois. 1. p. 217. Le Buzzard roux. Briss. av. 1. p. 404. SizE of a female Goshawk: general- colour rufous, but the wing-coverts and rump brown: greater quills black, and smaller ash-colour: tail ash-colour: bill black: irides orange. Native of Germany and France, frequenting low grounds, and the banks of rivers, and preying often on fish, BARRED-BREASTED BUZZARD. ~f- Falco lineatus. F. cera pedibusque flavis, corpore fusco ferruginea alboyue vario, pectore rufo albo fasciato, rectricibus fasciis duabus albis. Lath, ind. orn, Buzzard with yellow cere and legs, body varied with brown, ferruginous and white, breast rufous with white bars, and tail marked with two white bars. Barred-Breasted Buzzard. Lath. syn. Red-Shouldered Falcon? Penn. Arct, Zool. Lencoru twenty inches: size that of the Com- mon Buzzard: parts above deep brown, the fea- thers having ferruginous margins; but the greater wing-coverts margined with white: the greater quills black, marked on the outer edge with white Dee yer § 4 ~. HONEY-BUZZARD. spots, except toward the tip: fore part of the neck and breast rufous, with black shafts, besides which, both on the breast and belly, are interrupted white and pale-ferruginous bars: tail rather short; deep brown, with two narrow bars of dull white. Mr. Latham, in his Index ornithologicus, supposes this the same with the Red-Shouldered Falcon of Pennant, described in the Arctic Zoology. If so, the bird probably varies much in colour. Mr. Pennant describes the smaller wing-coverts as ferruginous, spotted with black, and the tail as crossed by seven white bands; the bill slender and dusky, and the legs weak. Native of North America, HONEY-BUZZARD. Falco apivorus. F. fuscus, alis cinereo fasciatis, subtus albus fasciis subferrugineis transversis. Brown Buzzard, with cinereous bands on the wings; beneath white, with transverse subferruginous bars. Falco apivorus. Lin. Syst. Nat. La Bondreé. Buff. ots. 1. p. 208. Honey-Buzzard. Penn. Brit. Zool. Tuts is one of the most elegant of the British birds of prey. Its size is that of acommon Buzzard, which it exceeds a few inches in length, on ac- count of its more slender shape: the plumage above is dusky brown, the larger quill-feathers cinereous on their exterior sides, the larger coverts HONEY-BUZZARD. 115 crossed by a cinereous band with dusky lines, and the crown of the head ash-coloured: the under parts are white, with pretty numerous dusky-fer- ruginous transverse bands, consisting of so many rows of slightly lengthened spots of that colour: the tailis of a brown colour, crossed by two or three dusky bands, the spaces between each being marked by dusky lines or much narrower bars: the bill and cere are brown; the legs yellow. This bird however appears to vary considerably in the disposition of its colours, and has been seen of an uniform brown both above and below, with an ash-coloured band across the wings: the spots on the under parts are also described by some authors as longitudinal, but without any mention of their being disposed into transverse rows. The Honey-Buzzard is considered by Willughby as anon-descript species, “* though frequent enough with us.’ tis however at present regarded as of rather rare occurrence in England. <“ It builds its nest, says Willughby, of small twigs, laying upon them wool, and upon the wool its eggs. We saw one that made use of an old Kite’s nest to breed in, and that fed its young with the Nymphz of Wasps: for in the nest we found the combs of wasp’s nests, and in the stomachs of the young the limbs and fragments of wasp-maggots. There were in the nest only two young ones, covered with a white down, spotted with black. Their feet were of a pale yellow, their bills between the nostrils and the head white. ‘Their craws large, in which were Lizards, Frogs, &c.. In the crop of one of them 116 MOOR BUZZARD. we found two Lizards entire, with their heads lying towards the mouth, as if they sought ‘to creep out.” Mr. Willughby adds, that it differs from the Common Buzzard in having a longer tail, an ash-coloured head, the irides of the eyes yellow, thicker and shorter feet, and in the broad transverse dun beds or’ strokes in the wings and tail, which are about three inches broad. The most expressive figure of this bird is that in the folio edition of the British Zoology, MOOR BUZZARD. | Falco eruginosus, F. fuscus, vertice luéeo, cera pedibusque fiavis. Brown Buzzard, with the crown of the head luteous; the cere and legs yellow. ihe he Falco zruginosus. J. cera virescente, corpore griseo, vertice ~ gula avillis pedibusque luteis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Moor Buzzard. Will. orn. Penn. Brit, Zool. Lath. syn. Le Busard. Buff, ois. 1. p. 218. pl. 10. Pl. Enl. 424, Size smaller than that of the Falco apivorus, to which it seems extremely allied, but differs in colour, which is a deep subferruginous brown, except on the upper part of the head, which is distinguished by a large yellow-ferruginous patch, sometimes accompanied with a few scattered spots of the same colour on the upper part of the neck, and sometimes eyen extending in a continued bed of colour over the neck and shoulders: the bill is MOOR BUZZARD. 117 black, with a yellow cere; and the legs are yellow, long, and slender. ‘This species frequents heaths and low watery grounds, and preys upon various kinds of water-birds, as young ducks, &c. It also, according to Mr. Pennant, is a great destroyer of rabbits and fish. It makes its nest, which is said to be composed of sticks, dry sedges and leaves, in the midst of a tuft of grass or rushes. It is never observed to soar, like most other Hawks, but either to sit on the ground, or on some low bush. _ It is sometimes seen entir ely brown, or without the least appearance of pale luteous on the head, &c: VAR? This, which is described by Doctor R. Forster in the Philosophical Transactions under the name of Falco spadiceus or Chocolate Falcon, and by Mr. Pennant in the Arctic Zoology by the same title, is, according to Mr. Latham, no other than a variety of the Moor Buzzard, beiiig merely rather smaller, and without any spot on the head. It should be observéd however, that Doctor Forster describes it as much less than the European Moor Buzzard. The specimen described was sent from. Hudson’s Bay. Mr. Pennant’s Chocolate-Coloured Falcon measures one foot ten inches, and is of a deep bay or chocolate-colour, but with a patch or speculum of pure white on the wings, formed by the lower exterior side of the greater quill-feathers. A farther variety has been mentioned by Mr. Latham under the title of Placentia Falcon, entirely 118 GOSHAWK. of a dusky-ferruginous colour, except a few slight dashes of white on the breast. Said to be a native of Newfoundland. Ad, oe GOSHAWK. ~- Falco palumbarius. F. fuscus fasci albus lineis transversis JE Brown Falcon with white with transverse brown Falco palumbariuss corpore fusco, leek bars ; eer in one a. species sci ob! § or ed 5] are long and large, . y exceeds the at Pon and the et creed with very strong claws, particularly on the back toe. The whole bird is of an elegant form, and by the old Falconers was considered as the; chief,of the short-winged Hawks, or such whose wings when closed do not wis wo yk A AVERY reelnwy Lalit, Worn GOSHAWK 2808 Sept London Pubbffod by Gliearsley ect Street. 20 GOSHAWK. i19 reach to the end of the tail. Like some others of the Falcon tribe, the Goshawk is sometimes seen entirely white, and sometimes white, elegantly varied with brown. In both these states it may be distinguished from the white Jerfalcon by the greater length of the tail, on which may be also distinguished the traces of the distant broad bars which it exhibits in its common or general state. The Goshawk is a native of many of the middle and northern parts both of Europe and Asia, and is found in some parts of our own island; breeding in Scotland on the tops of high trees, and preying on every kind of game, &c. VAR. A most beautiful specimen of the Goshawk in in its white, or rather in its mixed state, answered to the following description, viz. Length nearly two feet: colour white, elegantly varied above with pale brown: the head and neck streaked with longitudinal deep-brown dashes: the breast and under parts marked down the middle of each fea- ther with a leaf-shaped spot: the bill and feet pale yellow, the claws very strong and black, ae. the hind claw. 120 JERFALCON. Falco Gyrfalco. F. fuscus, subalbido variatus, subtus albidug’ maculis fuscis, cauda fasciis numerosis fuscis. Brown Falcon with whitish variegations, beneath white with brown spots, and tail-with numerous brown bars. Falco Gyrfalco. FF. cera coerulea, pedibus luteis, corpore fusco,- subtus fasciis cinereis, caude lateribus albis. Lin. Syst. Nats- Iceland Falcon. Gent. magaz. vol. 41. p. 207. Le Gerfault. Buff. ois. Brown Jerfalcon. Lath. synops. Jerfault d'Islande. Planches Enluminées 210. Jerfault de Norvege. Planches Enluminées 462. White Jerfalcon. Penn. Brit. Zool. White Jerfalcon. Lath. synops. Falco candicans. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Le Gerfault. Briss. ois. 1. p. 370. t. 30. f. 2. Gerfault blanc du pays du Nord. Planches Enluminées 446. Tuts species, by the almost unanimous consent of authors, stands at the head of the Falcons pro- perly so called, and is considered as the boldest and most beautiful of the tribe. It is a native of the northern regions, and is found in its greatest. perfection in Iceland. In size it equals, and_ per- haps rather exeeeds the Goshawk, which it resem- bles in its shape, but has longer wings and shorter legs in proportion. Its general colour is brown above, in deeper and lighter variegations, and whitish beneath, with brown longitudinal spots; those on the neck and thighs, which latter are well covered with long and large feathers, being in the form of longitudinal streaks, and sometimes in. JERFALCON. 12. bars: the tail is crossed by numerous deeper and lighter bands, and the bill and legs are generally blueish: it is allowed however by the best informed. ornithologists that this bird varies infinitely in the particular cast of its colour, which in some exhibits a considerable mixture of white in its plumage; in others so much that. it might rather -be described as white with brown variegations, than as brown with white ones; while in others the bird is either completely white, or slig ghily spotted and streaked with brown. In these varieties it is also observed that the bill and legs sometimes vary into pale yellow, though more commonly pale blue. From these changes in the plumage of the Jerfalcon seems to have arisen ,the wonderful discordance in the descriptions of authors; which haveamounied at length to so confused an assemblage of contra- dictory characters as almost to set at defiance all attempts to reconcile them. The Norwegian and Swedish Jerfalcons are brown, or of the first de- noniination, and ‘seem to constitute the Falco Gyrfaico of Linnzeus. The Iceland Jerfalcons are those which afford the mixed and white varieties, and these have been often distinguished by authors, as distinct species, under the name of Fulco Ice- landicus or Iceland Falcon emphatically so called. Jerfalcons in their elegantly mixed plumage, in which the white greatly prevails, are sometimes found in Scotland, and a specimen is represented im the British Zoology of Mr. Pennant. It is observed by Monsieur Daudin, in his ornithologi- eal work, that the beak of the Jerfalcon has but a 122 CENTIL FALCON. very slight appearance of the tooth-like process on each side, so conspicuous in many of the Accipi- trine tribe; but this I consider as a very uncertain criterion; since in the best and most authentic figures and descriptions of the Jerfalcon, the notch in the bill is often very conspicuous; not to men- tion, that Mr. Pennant in his Arctic Zoology expressly describes the upper mandible as “ sharp- ly angulated on the lower edges.” y GENTIL FALCON. / > Falco Gentilis. F. fuscus, ferrugineo undulatus, subtus albd- flavescens maculis subcordatis fuscis, cauda fasciis quatuor nigricantibus. Brown Falcon with ferruginous undulations, beneath yellowish- white with subcordate brown spots, the tail crossed by four blackish bars. Falco gentilis. FF’. cera pedibusque flavis, corpore cinereo maculis fuscis, cauda fasciis quatuor nigricantibus. Lin, Syst. Nat. Falco montanus? Raid. syn: p. 13. Falcon gentle. Will. orn. p. 79. Gentil Falcon. Penn. Brit. Zool. p. 154. pl. 21. Lath. syn. 1. p. 64. Faucon Gentil. Daudin orn. p, 102. Tus is described as a degree larger than the Goshawk; with the head brown-ferruginous, mark- ed with oblong black spots, the upper part of the body and wings brown, each feather tipped with ferruginous; the under parts whitish, with brown spots and dashes, which in the young or yearling GENTIL FALCON. 123 bird are said to be rather transverse than longitu- dinal; the quills dusky, barred on the outer webs with black, and on the lower part of the inner webs marked with white: the wings reach to the middle of the tail, which is alternately banded with black and ash-colour, and tipped with white: the bill is lead-coloured, and the cere yellow: the legs are of the same colour, and rather short, the thighs being well covered with feathers. The Count de Buffon supposes this bird to be the head or representative of the Common Falcon, or in other words, the bird in its full plumage and perfection, for which reason it has obtained among Falconers the title of Falcon Gentil; but it is ob- served by a more modern ornithologist, Monsieur Dandin, that in this particular Buffon was mistaken or misinformed ; that the present bird constitutes a really distinct species from the Common Falcon, though greatly allied to it; and that the Falconers call the Commen Falcon, when in full plumage, -and completely bred or trained, by the title of Falcon Gentil also; so that no stress is to be laid on this circumstance. Monsieur Sonnini also, in his improved edition of the Count de Buifon’s Natural History, is of the same opinion. The Falcon Gentil is figured on the fiftieth plate of the smaller editions of the British Zoology. I have heard it maintained, on the faith of an eminent Falconer, that the Falcon Gentil is in reality no other than a young or incomplete Goshawk. 7 COMMON FALCON. Falco communis. F. fuscus rufo undulatus, cauda subnigré fasciata, péctore abdomineque albidis fusco maculatis. Brown Falcon, with rufous undulations, the tail marked by dusky bars ; the breast and belly whitish, with dusky spots. Falco communis. FF. rostro cerulescente, cera, iridibus pedi- busque luteis, corpore fusco, pennarum margine rufo, rectricibus fasciis suturatioribus, Lath, ind. orn, Falco communis. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. Common Falcon. Lath. syn. Le Faucon. Bujf. ois. Pl. Eni. 470. 421. 469. Tux standard or representative of the Common Falcon: is described as of the size of a middling Hen, and of the length of eighteen inches: the general colour brown, the feathers having rufous edges, and the tail transversly banded with lighter and darker brown: the bill blueish, with a yellow cere, and on each cheek a large brown patch or spot, which is said often to remain through all the varieties: the legs yellow* and strong, and the thighs, as in most other birds of this tribe, well clothed with lengthened feathers. _ It.is well known that the birds of the genus Falco vary more than most others im respect to size and plumage, according to their age and sex. The Common Falcon appears to admit of nu- * Buffon affirms that the feet and ¢ere are gréenish, and that those birds which have them yellow are considered by the Fal- coners as of a very inferior kind. COMMON FALCON. 125) merous varieties, and these, having often been described as distinct species, have caused much confusion in ornithological works. The Falcon is a native of the temperate and colder parts of Europe, frequenting rocky, moun- tainous, and wooded regions, and preying on various birds as well as on the smaller quadrupeds; generally darting perpendicularly downwards with great violence on its victim, It builds in the hollows of rocks exposed to the South; usually laying its eggs about the close of winter, or very early in the spring: these are often four in num- ber, and are white, spotted with brown. So rapid is said to be the growth of the young, that in'the- space of three months they equal the parents in size. The Varieties of this species are thus summed up’ by Monsieur Daudin, in his work entitled: Traité elementaire et complet @Ornithologie. 1. White-Headed Falcon. With the head, neck, and breast white, with small brown spots, 2. White Falcon. Entirely white, except a few indistinct yellowish spots. ] 3. Black Falcon. Upper part of head and hack blackish-brown; under parts of the bird reddish-brown, with a black spot at the tip of each feather: wings “and tail blackish-brown, crossed beneath with paler bars: legs deep lead-colour. 126 COMMON FALCON. 4. Spotted Falcon. Wings spotted with white ; under parts white, spotted with brown: bill lead- colour ; legs yellow. 5. Brown Falcon. Body brown, with deeper spots above, and white with brown spots beneath, those on the breast lanceolate. 6. Reddish Falcon. Differs from the Common Falcon in having black and reddish spots. 7. Red Indian Falcon. Cinereous-brown above; wing-coverts and under parts reddish-fulvous: tail marked with semicircular black and ash-coloured bars. _ 8. Ltahan Falcon. Head and neck tawny, with ferruginous lines or streaks: breast brown, with ferruginous specks: end of the wings marked with round white spots: legs yellow. 0, Sacre Falcon. This, which Buffon conceives to be a variety of the Lanner, Monsieur Daudin, with Monsieur Brisson, considers as a variety of the Common Falcon, Length two feet: bill and cere blue: back, wing-coverts, and breast, spotted with brown: tail marked with crescent-shaped spots: legs blue. To this, as a farther variety, should be added the American Sacre of Mr. Pennant, measuring twenty-two inches in length, and three feet in breadth: irides yellow: head whitish, with longitudinal brown streaks: bill and COMMON FALCON. 137 cere blue: throat white spotted with brown: parts above brown, the feathers spotted and edged with ferruginous; the spots not touching the shafts: beneath white, with longitudinal dark-brown spots: quill-feathers black-brown; margins and ends of the prime oris white, transversly spotted within with pale ferruginous: smaller quill-feathers mark- ed with round spots on the outside. Inhabits the northern parts of America, and is called at Hudson’s Bay by the name of Speckled Partridge- Hawk. 10. Spotted Falcon. ‘This, which is described and figured in the British Zoology, is of the size. of a Buzzard, with a black bill, and yellow cere and legs: irides pale yellow: crown and hind part of the neck white, spotted with light reddish brown: back and scapulars of the same colour, edged with white: quill-feathers dusky, edged with ash-colour: under side of the neck, breast, belly, and thighs, white; the first, as well as the beginning of the breast, marked with a few rusty spots: rump white: middle tail-feathers marked by pretty numerous bars of white and deep brown; the rest with a lighter and darker brown: legs very strong. Two of these birds were shot near Longnor in Shrop- shire. 128 PEREGRINE FALCON. Falco Peregrinus. F. supra plumbeus fusco fasciatus, subtus albo-flavescens striis maculisque fuscis. Lead-coloured Falcon, with brown bars; beneath yellowish white, with brown streaks and spots. Falco peregrinus. . cera pedibusque luteis, corpore nigricante transversim striato, supra ca@rulescente, subtus albido, rectrict- bus fasciatis apicibus. albidis. Lath. ind. orn. Peregrine Falcon. Lath. syn. A Falco barbarus. I’. cera pedibusque luteis, corpore cerulescenie fuscoque maculato, pectore immaculato, cauda fasciata. Lin, _ Syst. Nat. Lath. ind. orn. Peregrine Falcon. Penx. Br. Zool. pl. 20, and Blue-Backed Falcon. edit. fol. ply A 5. Tut Peregrine Falcon, originally so named, either from its supposed extra-European origin, or from its migratory nature, is found in various parts both of the European and Asiatic world. Its size is that of the Common Falcon, or rather, accord- ing to Mr. Pennant, of the Moor Buzzard. In its full growth and plumage it isa very elegant bird, and of a strong and bold habit. The general colour on the upper parts is a deep blueish lead- colour, barred with black, but the crown of the head and upper part of the neck nearly black: the sreater wing-feathers dusky, barred with oval white spots, and the tail of similar colour with the back: on each cheek, beneath the eyes, is usually a patch of black, pointing downwards: the under parts, from the chin to the bottom of the breast, are yellowish white, with a blackish-brown streak down PEREGRINE FALCON. 129° the shaft of each feather, and the remainder, to- gether with the thigh-feathers, white, elegantly barred with blackish brown: the-biil is blue, with yellow cere; the legs short and yellow, and the toes long. The Peregrine Falcon appears to be a general inhabitant of Europe and Asia. In our own island it is said to breed on the rocks of Llandidno in Caernarvonshire; and that promontory, according to Mr. Pennant, has long been celebrated for pro- _ ducing a generous kind, as appears from a letter extant in the Gloddaeth library, from the Lord Treasurer Burleigh to an ancestor of Sir Roger Mostyn, in which his Lordship thanks him for a present of a fine cast of Hawks taken on those rocks, which belong to the family. This species is also commen in the north of Scotland. It ap- pears however to have been frequently confounded with the common Falcon by the older writers, and very little dependance can be placed on the general descriptions given in such works; more especially as both this bird and the common Falcon are known to vary so much in their colours according to age, sex, and other circumstances. | Var. BARBARY FALCON. The Barbary Falcon, described by someas distinct from the Peregrine, appears, from every investiga- tion that can be made on the subject, to be the self- Vid VALI -9 130 PEREGRINE FALCON. same species with the preceding; and indeed it is difficult to consider it as even deserving the title of a striking variety: the only pretended difference consisting in the cast of colour, whichinclines more or less to blue on the upper parts. Var.? LANNER. This-is a kind of Falcon described by Belon ag common at that time in France, though, according to Buffon, it is now become extinct, or at least unknown. It was said to build on tall forest-trees, and on elevated rocks, and to be easily distinguished by its blue bill and feet, by the feathers on the front being mottled with black and white, the spots being transverse, and not longitudinal as in other Falcons; and that when the wings were spread, they appeared different on their under surface from those of other Falcons, exhibiting scattered , round spots, like pieces of coin. (deniers) The neck and bill were said to be short and thick, and the male and female to resemble each other in. plumage, the female being. called Lanner, and the male Lanneret. The Falco Lanarius of Linnzeus is characterized in the Systema Nature by having the bill blue with a yellow cere, the legs blue, and the body marked _ beneath with longitudinal black spots. He adds that it has a white band along the front, over the eyes; that the legs are short, and that it is of a PEREGRINE FALCON. 131 migratory nature. In the Fauna Suecica he de- scribes it with ferruginous back and wings; the head, and whole body beneath, cinereous-white, with black longitudinal spots: tail long, and mark- ed with opposite white spots; legs feathered be- yond their middles; feet and bill blue; and observes that it is a species very distinct from the Italian Lanner. Mr. Pennant, in the British Zoology, describes and figures a bird communicated to him by the name of Lanner, and taken in a decoy in Lincoln- shire. It was less than a Buzzard, the cere of a pale greenish blue: the legs short and strong, and of a blueish cast: the plumage on the upper parts deep-brown, the edges of the feathers paler, those on the head being brown and clay-colour: over each eye was a white streak, and beneath each a black mark, pointing downwards: the throat white, the breast tinged with dull yellow, and marked with longitudinal brown spots, the thighs and vent being marked in a similar manner: the quill-feathers dusky, the inner webs marked witi oval rust-colour- ed spots, and the tail spotted in the same manner. After all these descriptions, one would be in- clined to suppose this bird entitled to the rank it hias hitherto maintained in ornithological writings. { am informed however, on seemingly good au- thority, that the Lanner, so often considered as a distinct species both by Falconers and Naturalists, is in reality no other than the Peregrine Falcon in its first or second year, and before it has arrived at its full and genuine plumage. It is for this 132, PEREGRINE FALCON. reason that I have ventured to assign it the place it occupies in the present work; though at the same time, I must beg to be understood as being ~ by no means perfectly convinced of the truth of this supposition. The chief objection seems to be ° the colour of the feet, which are blue, not yellow as in the Peregrine. Some have supposed both the Lanner and the Sacre to be varieties of the Jerfalcon. The Jerfalcon, the Gentil Falcon, the Common Falcon, the Peregrine, and the Goshawk were the principal species used in the diversion of Falconry, now so much in its decline, having been, in most parts of Europe, superseded by the readier and more certain services of the gun. “The art of Falconry, says the learned Sir Thomas Browne, appears to have been either un- - known, or so little advanced among the ancient Greeks and Romans, that it seems to have pro- ceeded no higher than the daring of birds; which makes so little thereof to be found in Aristotle, who only mentions some rude practice thereof in Thracia; as also in AZlian, who speaks of Hawks and Crows among the Indians; little or nothing of true Falconry being mentioned before Julius Firmicus, in the days of Constantius, son to Con-. stantine the great. If the Romans, says the learn- - ed Rigaltius, had well understood this airy chace, they would have left, or less regarded their Cir- ceasian recreations.” In the European world the Germans and the French seem to have been the first who devoted PEREGRINE FALCON. 1337" themselves to the science of Falconry. The tech- nical terms in English Falconry are evidently of French extraction. “In our own country, says Mr. Pennant, I cannot trace the certainty of Falconry till the reign of King Ethelbert the Saxon monarch, in the year 760, when he wrote to Germany for a brace of Falcons which would fly at cranes and bring them to the ground, as there were very few such in Kent. It seems highly probable that Falconry had its ~ rise in Scythia, and passed from thence to the northern parts of Europe. ‘Tartary is even at present celebrated for its fine breed of Falcons; and the sport is in such general esteem that, ac- cording to Olearius, there was no hut but what had its Hagle or Faleon. The boundless plains of that country are as finely adapted to the diversion as the wooded or mountainous nature of most part of Europe is ill calculated for that rapid amuse- ment.” ; In England Falconry seems to have continued in full glory till about the time’ of the Usurpation, after which it appears gradually to have declined. With what ardor it was pursued in the reign of James the first may be gathered from the anecdote recorded by Mr. Pennant, who relates that Sir James Monson gave no less a sum than a thousand pounds for a cast of Hawks. It should be observed, that almost every kind of Falco, from the largest to the smallest, may be trained to Falconry; even Eagles themselves have been used for ‘the chace of the Roebuck, the 134 PEREGRINE FALCON. Antelope, the Wolf, Fox, &c. The larger kind of Falcons, as the Jerfalcon, the Peregrine, and the Goshawk were used for the flight after the Heron, the Wildgoose, the Crane, the Hare, &c. the Com- mon Falcon principally for the more general run of game; while the smaller kind were often in- structed to fly at the Partridge and the Quail. The Iceland Falcon is, according to Mr. Pennant, in the highest esteem, and will last ten* or twelve years, whereas those of Norway and other countries are seldom fit for the sports of the field after two or three years use. The feats performed by the Jerfalcon are indeed to be numbered among the noblest in the practice of Falconry. Scaliger attests, that he saw one which belonged to Henry, King of Navarre, strike down a Buzzard, two Wildgeese, divers Kites, a Crane, and a Swan. Among the best of Hawks for Falconry is also the Goshawk: these were used by the Emperor of China in his sporting progresses attended by his Grand Falconer, and a thousand subordinate. The Emperor often carried a Hawk on his hand, to let fly at any. game which might present itself, and which were usually Pheasants, Partridges, Cranes, or Quails. This diversion was witnessed by Marco Polo in the year 1269, The flight of a strong Falcon is wonderfully swift. It is recorded, that a Falcon belonging to * Some writers speak of Falcons continuing in fall vigeur for twenty years. PEREGRINE FALCON. 135 s Duke of Cleve flew out of Westphalia into Prussia in one day; and in the county of Norfolk a Hawk has made a flight at a Woodcock near thirty miles in an hour. A very agreeable general description of Falconry is given by the ingenious Abbe La Pluche. This sport, says he, is one of the noblest, and frequently proves one of the most profitable of pleasures. Mankind have discovered the secret of making even the voracious qualities of birds advantageous, either by employing them against malignant and NOXIOUS species, or against those whose flesh affords the most exquisite relish. For the various kinds of this diversion the Falcon, the Gerfalcon, the Lanner, the Saker, the Goshawk, the Merlin, and the Sparrow-Hawk are used; but in general the Faleon and Hawk are in more frequent use than the rest. The Falcon, Gerfaleon, and Goshawk are in extraordinary repute, and are trained up to various flights, some of which are pointed against the Heron, others against the Kite, the Curlew, or’ the Owl. But these pleasures are expensive, and fit only for Princes. The Hawk is used in low flights: he is sagacious, and very dextrous in attacking the Partridge, and is sure to furnish the larder with excellent game. Falco bidentatus. £. rostra bidentato fusco corpore plumbeo, pectore abdomineque rufis, crisso albo, remigibus fasctis pluribus, rectricibus tribus albis. Lath. ind, orn. Falcon with brown double-toothed bill, lead-coloured body, rufous breast and belly, white vent, quill-feathers marked with several and the tail with three white bars. Wotched Falcon. Lath. syn. suppl. Lenetu fourteen inches: under mandible and lJegs yellow: native of Cayenne. 176 BEHREE FALCON, Falco calidus. JF’. pedibus flavis, corpore fusco-nigro subéus albo lunulis nigris, rectricibus fasciis obsoletis, Lath. ind. orn. Yellow-legged Falcon, with blackish-brown body, white be- neath with black crescents, and tail marked by indistinct pale bars. Behree’Falcon. Lath. syn. suppl. Native of India; where it is called Behree. CHICQUERA FALCON. , Falco Chicquera. F. caerulescens subtus albus, vertice nuchaque ferrugineo-rufis, cauda fascia nigra. Lath. ind. orn, suppl. Blueish Falcon, white beneath, with rufo-ferruginous. crown and nape, and a black bar across the tail. Le Chicquera. Levaill. ois, pl. 22. Tuts is perhaps no other than a variety of the Falco cirrhatus before described, with which it agrees in the general colour, and in the structure of the lower mandible, which 1s truncated at the tip; but it is entirely destitute of a crest on the head. Mr. Leyaillant supposes it to be a native of India, So 177 BLACK-WINGED FALCON. Falco melanopterus. F. canus, subtus albus, cauda subrufescente subforficata, alarum tectricibus nigris. Grey Falcon, white beneath, with subrufescent subforficated tail and black wing-coverts. Falco melanopterus. FF. pedibus plumosis, corpore cerulescente subtus albo, tectricibus alarum nigris. Lath. ind. orn, suppl. Le Blac. Levaill. ois. pl. 36. 37. Size of a Kestril: irides orange: bill black: legs short and yellow: the female, as usual in this genus, is somewhat larger, and of less decided colours. Native of Africa: supposed to feed prin- cipally on insects of the locust tribe. A 37 7. RADIATED FALCON. “Falco radiatus. F. ferrugineus, nigro striato-maculatus, alis caudaque elongata fuscis nigro fasciatis, Ferruginous Falcon with black streaks and spots, with brown quill-feathers and lengthened tail, both barred with black. Falco radiatus. FF. nigro radiato-maculatus, corpore ferrugineo, alis caudaque elongata fuscis. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Radiated Faleon. Lath. syn. suppl. 2. LeneTu nearly two feet: colour bright ferru- ginous, with numerous black spots and linear streaks: bill’ black; cere, orbits, and legs blue: © quill-feathers and tail brown with several black bars. Native of New Holland. ; Vo VIL. 12 178 RUFOUS-HEADED FALCON. 7 Falco meridionalis. F. cera gulaque luteis, capite colloque rufis fusco nigrove striatis, abdomine albido fasciolis cinerets, rectrici- bus quatuor intermediis fascia unica, lateralibus sex pallidis, _ Lath. ind. orn. ‘Falcon with luteous cere and throat, rufous head and neck with black or brown streaks, white belly with ash-coloured bars, the two middle tail-feathers marked bya single and the side ones by’ six pale bands. Falco meridionalis. Lath. ind. orn. Rufous-Headed Falcon. Lath. syn. Native of Cayenne: scapulars ash-coloured barred with brown: quills cream-colour, barred with narrow black lines: length nineteen inches. A FORSKAHL’S FALCON. Falco Forskahlii. Falco cera pedibusque semilanatis flavis, supra cinereus subtus ferrugineus, alis supra fuscis, cauda forficata Susco-fasciata longitudine corporis. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. Falcon with cere and half-feathered legs yellow, above cinere- ous, beneath ferruginous, the wings brown above, the tail forked, of the length of the body, and banded with brown. Falco egyptius. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Falco cinereo-ferrugineus. orsk. F. Arab. Native of Egypt, where it is said to. be ver © 2 . y common in summer: size somewhat smaller than a common Kite: length eighteen inches. By an oversight, very pardonable in arranging this nu- KESTRIL. 179 merous genus, the present species is twice particu- larized in the Gmelinian edition of the Systema Nature, viz. first under the title of Falco egyptius, and again under that of F. Forskahli. KESTRIL. Falco Tinunculus. F. ferrugineus nigro maculatus, capite cau- daque (maris) canis, hac fascia subterminali nigra, Ferruginous Hawk spotted with black, the head and tail (of the male) grey, the latter marked by a subterminal black bar. Falco Tinunculus. F. cera pedibusque flavis, dorso rufo punctis nigris, pectore striis fuscis cauda rotundata. Lin. Syst. Nat. The Kestril, Stannel, Windhover. Will. orn. p. 84. Penn, Brit. Zool. edit. ful. p. 68. pl. A. Hayes Brit. Birds, pl. 4. By far the most elegant of the smaller British Hawks: general length of the male about fourteen inches, and the breadth about two feet three inches: colour of the back and wing-coverts bright ferru- ginous, spotted with black: the quill-feathers black with pale edges; the head blueish grey with small longitudinal black streaks; and the tail blue-grey with a broad black bar near the tip, which is white: the under parts of the bird are pale or yellow- ferruginous, with longitudinal black streaks: the billis blue; the cere and legs yellow. The female is much larger than the male: the colour of the back and wings less bright, and the spots disposed into transverse bars; the head pale ferruginous, streaked with black, and the. tail of similar colour, marked by numerous black bars, that at the tip 180 KESTRIL. being rather broader than the rest, It is said that the male bird scarcely differs from the female in plumage during its first and second year. The Kestril is a very common inhabitant of our own country, and in clear weather is very frequent- ly observed in the state so well described by Mr. Pennant, viz. “fixed, as it were, in one place, and fanning the air with its wings.” At such times it is intent on its prey below, which frequently con- sists of the different species of field-mice, frogs, &c. Italso preys on birds, and such is the violence with which it sometimes directs its horizontal flight, either in avoiding some more powerful enemy of its own tribe, or in the ardent pursuit of distant prey, that it has been known to break through a pane of glass, and fall stunned into the middle of a room in which were two opposite windows*. It has been often trained to the pursuit of the smaller kind of game, and is said to have been excellent in the chace of partridges and quails, and sometimes even of pheasants. It usually breeds either in tall trees, the hollows of rocks, or of lofty towers and ruins, and lays four eggs, similar in colour to those of the Ring-Tail. The best figures of the Kestril are those in the folio edition of the British Zoology. * Such an event I remember to have happened; and it was supposed that some pigeons on the opposite side might have occasioned the Hawk’s mistake. 18] Var. , F. Lithofalco. JF’. cera lutea, corpore fusco ; mer iy subtus ru= 4 Jescente strats ees neck Stone-Falcon. 447. transversly on their inner webs with white, except the first; which is barred on both sides: the smaller wing-feathers are cinereous, barred internally with white: the tail cinereous, but blackish towards the end, tipped ‘with white, and marked by a few ZO ERE aA Or Ss wi vene Dich tat Mo has4) lian »\ 5 ape ts & STONE FALCON 2808, Sel London LPublfid by Chearsler Flect Street. 24 MOUNTAIN FALCON. 183 blackish spots*: the cere, irides, and legs are yellow: the bill cinereous blue, and the claws black, The above is the description given by Monsieur Sonnini, who observes, that the Stone-Falcon. though an European bird, seems to be but imper- fectly known. ee nd MOUNTAIN FALCON. -Falcomontanus. F*. pedibus luteis, corpore supra ex fusco cinereo, gula juguloque albidis, maculatis, caude bast cinerea, medio nigricunte, apice albo. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Falcon with ycllow legs, body above brown-cinereous, throat white and spotted, tail grey at the base, blackish in the middle, and white at the tip. Falco montanus. Raii. av.p.13. Briss. orn. Mountain Falcon, Will. orn. Lath. syn. Tuts is said to be less than the Peregrine Falcon, but with a shorter tail: the throat spotted some- times with black or ferruginous, and sometimes entirely black. Mr. Latham observes, after Brisson, that when the bird has arrived at its full colours the head is black. Brisson thinks it probable that it may be a variety of the Stone-Falcon, and like- wise mentions another variety of a cinereous colour above, paler on the wing-coverts, and beneath en- tirely white. * Mr. Latham describes the tail as barred transyersly with black, except on the two middle feathers. 184 LUNATED FALCON. Falco lunulatus. FF. fuscus, pectore maculoso, fronte lunula colli corporeque subtus flavescentibus. Lath, suppl. ind. orn. Brown Falcon, with spotted breast; front, crescent of the neck, and body beneath yellowish. Lunated Falcon. Lath. suppl. 2. Native of New Holland: length twelve inches: all the upper parts brown, the under buff-yellow, passing upwards in shape of a crescent on each side under the eyes: breast marked with numerous brown spots, and thighs with fine brown lines. eee EO FAIR FALCON, Falco clarus. FF. fuscus, capite §; corpore subtus albo, vertice & abdomine medio cerulescentibus. Lath. suppl. ind, orn. Brown Falcon, with the head and body beneath white, the top of the head and abdomen blueish in the middle. Fair Falcon, Lath. suppl. 2. Native of New Holland: length about twelve ‘inches: legs and irides yellow: said to vary in having the top of the head spotted with black. 185 LURID FALCON. Falco discolor, FF. griseo-nigricans, subtus ferrugineus, tectrici- bus inferioribus alarum & caude albis. Lath. suppl. ind. orn, Blackish-grey Falcon, beneath ferruginous, with the under wing and tail-coverts white. Rusty and grey Falcon. Lath. suppl. 2. Mentrionep by Mr. Latham from a description given in the Transactions of the Natural History - Society of Paris: size not ipartigularized : native of Cayenne. i SONNINI'S FALCON. ‘ Falco Sonninensis. FF, cauda subforcipata, corpore cinereo subtus albo, tibiis plumosis. Lath. suppl. ind. orn. Falcon with subforcipated tail, cinereous body white beneath, and plumed legs, * Lenetu about a foot: bill very hooked, and an inch long: cere and legs yellow: tail scarce per- ceptibly forked unless when expanded. Native of ‘Egypt, where, according to Monsieur Sonnini, it is common, hovering about over the rice-fields in the manner of a Kestril. 186 WINKING FALCON. Falco connivens. F. badius subtus flavescens maculis fuscis, cervice & axillaribus albo-maculatis. Lath. suppl. ind, orn. Brown Falcon, yellowish beneath with brown spots, with the neck and axillary feathers spotted with white. Winking Falcon. Lath. suppl. 2. Size of a Hen-Harrier: quill and tail feathers barred with white. Native of New Holland. PACIFIC FALCON. Falco pacificus. J. fuscus nigro maculatus, subtus flavescens lineis nigris, capite colloque albis. Lath. suppl. ind. orn. Brown Falcon spotted with black, beneath yellowish with black lines; the head and neck white. Lenetu from sixteen to eighteen inches: bill, irides, and legs yellow: tail longish, with seven or eight oblique black bars. Native of New Holland. 137 SPARROW-HAWKE. Falco Nisus. F. griseo-fuscus, subtus albidus fusco undulatus, cauda nigro fasciata apice alba. Grey-Brown Hawk, beneath whitish undulated with brown, tail barred with black, and white at the tip. Falce Nisus. F. cera viridi, pedibus flavis, abdomine albo grisco undulato, cauda fascits nigricantibus. Lin. Syst. Nat. Sparrow-Hawk. Will. orn. Penn. Brit. Zool, Lath. syn. Tuts well-known species, so remarkable for the ravages it commits in the neighbourhood of dove- houses, &c. is numbered by Falconers among the short-winged Hawks, or such in which the wings. when closed fall short of the end of the tail. It is a species in which the difference of size between the male and female is more remarkable than in most other Hawks; the male usually measuring about twelve inches, and the female fifteen. The general colour is grey-brown above, varying in depth or intensity in different individuals: the quill-feathers are marked by blackish or dusky bars, and the tail is crossed by four or five black- ish bars: the under parts of the bird are white, elegantly crossed or undulated by numerons linear dusky or blackish bars: the bill is dusky-blue, the cere and legs yellow. In some birds the throat and breast are marked by perpendicular rufous or dusky streaks, while the abdomen is barred as before described; and in some a cast of ferruginous takes place on various parts of the plumage. “ This, says Mr. Pennant, is the most pernicious Hawk 188 PIGEON-HAWK. we have; and makes great havoc among pigeons as well as partridges. It builds in hollow trees, in old nests of crows, large ruins, and high rocks, and lays four white eggs, encircled near the blunter end with red specks.” Monsieur Brisson mentions a variety of the Sparrow-Hawk, spotted and otherwise varied with white; and Mr. Latham records an elegant speci- men entirely of a milk-white colour, which was shot in Dorsetshire. PIGEON-HAWK. Falco columbarius. F. griseus, subtus albus maculis oblongis nigris, cauda fusca fasciis quatuor ciereis. Grey Hawk, white beneath with oblong black spots, and brown tail crossed by four grey bands. Falco columbarius. fF. cera pedibusque luteis, corpore fusco subtus albido, cauda fusca fasciis lineuribus quatuor albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Pigeon Hawk. Catesb. Carol. 1. pl. 3. Tuts is a North-American species, and seems to have been first described by Catesby in his Natural History of Carolina. It usually measures about ten or twelve inches in length, and is of a blueish grey colour above, with a dark or blackish streak on each feather: the quill-feathers are dusky, and marked on their inner webs with large, oval, white spots: the tail is long, of a black colour tipped with white, and crossed by four bands of blueish PIGEON-HAWK. 189 grey: the hind-head is generally spotted with pale ferruginous, and the under parts of the bird are . white, with large oblong black spots. This species 1s found from Hudson’s Bay as low asSouthCarolina, - In Hudson’s Bay it appears, according to Mr. Pennant, in May, on the banks of the Severn river; breeds, and retires south in autumn. It feeds on small birds, and on the approach of any person flies in circles, and makes a great shrieking. It forms its nest in a rock, or some hollow tree, with sticks and grass, and lines it with feathers. It lays - from two to four eggs, which are white spotted with red. In Carolina it is observed to prey on pigeons and the young of wild turkies. Var. DUBIOUS FALCON. This is described by Mr. Pennant in his Arctic Zoology, and is probably a variety of the preceding bird. Its length is about ten mches: the bill dusky; the cere, legs, and irides yellow: the head dusky with ferruginous streaks; the back and wing- coverts brown, edged with ferruginous: the pri- mary or large wing-feathers dusky ash-colour bar- red with black; the inner webs marked transversly with oval ferruginous spots: the breast and belly dull white, with oblong brown streaks nearly as in the English Merlin: the tail long, deep cinereous, crossed with four black bars. 190 GREAT-BILLED SPARROW-HAWK. - Falco magnirostris. Ff. cera pedibusque flavis, eorpore supra fusco subtus albo ferrugineo striato, cauda fasciis nigris et albis. Lin, Syst. Nat. Gmel. Hawk with yellow cere and legs, body brown above, white beneath with transverse ferruginous streaks, and tail marked by black and white bars. Epervier a gros bec de Cayenne. Buff. ais. Pl. Enl. 464. SuicHtLy described by Buffon, who received ié from Cayenne: size somewhat larger than that of a Sparrow-Hawk, to which it is. much allied, but has a larger bill in proportion, and the throat is subferruginous. INGRIAN FALCON. Falco vespertinus. J. fusco-cerulescens, subtus albedus, cera pedibus palpebrisque luteis crisso femoribusque ferrugineis. Blueish-brown Falcon, whitish beneath, with yellow cere, eyelids, and legs, and ferruginous vent and thighs. Falco vespertinus. £. cera pedibus palpebrisque luteis, crisso femoribusque ferrugineis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Ingrian Falcon. Lath. syn, SIZE of a pigeon: bill yellow with a brown tip: native of Russia and Siberia, flying chiefly in the evening, and even by night, and preying princi- pally on quails. The bird which I have already GUIANA FALCON. 191 described as a supposed variety of the Kestril, under the title of Lead-coloured Kestril, may perhaps belong to the present species. GUIANA FALCON. ~ Falco superciliosus. FF. cera pedibus palpebrisque luteis, corpore fusco albido undulato, remigibus ferrugineis nigro fasciatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. _ Falcon with luteous cere, eyelids, and legs, brown body with whitish undulations, and ferruginous wing-feathers banded with black. Guiana Falcon. Lath. syn. _ Iris, according to Linnzus, of the size of a Magpie, with the body brown above, the lower parts and thighs thickly undulated with black: the wing-feathers ferruginous with several black bars, but the secondaries are whitish on their hinder edges: the tail is black, with two broad cinereous bars, and is also cinereous at the tip: the vent is white with black variegations: the eye-brows naked beneath and prominent: the lores or spaces be- tween the bill and eye beset with black spreading bristles: the bill and legs black: the under wing- coverts white, with very fine black lines. Native ° of South America. 192 CAPE KESTRIL. Falco Capensis. F. supra ferrugineus nigro maculatus, subtus rufo-flavescens maculis longitudinalibus nigris, cauda albido nigroque fasciata. Falcon, ferruginous above with black spots, beneath rufo- flavesent with longitudinal black spots; and the tail marked by black and whitish bars. Le Montagnard. Levaill. ois. pl. 35. So much allied is this bird to the Falco Tinnun- culus or European Kestril, that we can hardly consider it in any other light than as the Kestril modified and in some degree altered by the effect of climate. The figure given by Monsieur Levail- lant under the title of Le Montagnard, seems to differ in scarcely any material respect from a female Kestril. It is however, according to Levail- lant, a larger bird, and differs in having the tail more rounded, and barred in a similar manner in both sexes, while the wings are somewhat shorter im proportion. It is found in many of the interior parts of Africa, and is likewise very common at the Cape of Good Hope, where it is called the red or stone-falcon. It is chiefly observed in high and rocky situations, and feeds on the smaller kind of quadrupeds, lizards, insects, &c. It makes its nest among rocks, of dry twigs and grass, and lays six, seven, or even eight eggs, which are of a deep rufous colour, resembling the plumage of the bird itself. HoBByY 2808. Scp.'1 London Lublifid by Ghearstey lect Street. F 58 THE HOBBY. ~f- Falco Subbuteo. F. subceruleo nigricans, subtus albus maculis oblongis fuscis, genis utrinque macula des “ Blueish-dusky Falcon, beneath white wit and cheeks marked on each side by ; Falco Subbuteo. F. cera pedibus alba, abdomine pailido macut The Hobby. Will, orn, ong black spots, ing pies spot. Tut Hobby is «Tt is, says he England, weighs s tl breadth 1 inches est fe and orbits yellow: | one pointing onmdias: es of the wings are of the same colour ae t ae : te webs of the ee es oa Gal varied with oval transverse reddish spots: breast white, marked with oblong spots of ble rei: thighs and vent-feathers pale orange: the two middle. fe cor the tail are entirely of a deep dove-colour: t é others are barred on their interior sides with rust-colour and tipped with a dirty white. The spots on the breast of the female are of a higher colour than those of Vv. VIL. 13 194 ORANGE-BREASTED HOBBY. the male: it is greatly superior in size: its legs have a tinge of green; in other respects it re- sembles the former.” ORANGE-BREASTED’ HOBBY. Falco aurantius. . roséro pedibusque plumbeis, corpore nigri- cante, dorso basique cawde fascits albtcantibus interruptis, pec- tore fuloo, femoribus ferrugineis. Lath, ind. orn. Falcon with lead-coloured bill and legs, blackish body with the back and base of the tail marked by interrupted whitish bars, fulvous breast, and ferruginous thighs, Orange-Breasted Hobby. Lath. syn. Tue different specimens of this bird vary in size, some measuring ten, and others fifteen inches: they also vary in intensity of colour, some being marked with blueish instead of whitish bands on the back; and the smaller varieties have orange- coloured legs, Supposed to be a native of South Americas \ 195 GREATER HOBBY. - Falco pinetarius. F. supra nigro-carulescens, fasciis obsoletis cinereis rufo-griseisque, subtus rufo-albus genis nigris. Falcon of a blueish black colour above with obscure cinereous and rufous-grey bars, beneath -rufous-white with black cheeks, F. Subbuteo-Major. . fasciatus supra nigricans subtus rufas albus, genis nigris, rectricibus fusco cinereoque fasciutis, Lath. and. orn. suppl. 2. Der Grosse Baumfalke. Allg. Ueb. der Vog. 1. Zusass. p. 660. Tuts is much allied to the common Hobby, ' but according to its describers, is as large as a Raven. In its colours it considerably resembles the Peregrine Falcon, and inhabits_the pine-forests of Germany, preying on hares, grous, and small birds. The female is considerably larger than the male, and less distinct in colours. In both the spots on the under parts are disposed into a kind of bars, 196 SPOTTED-TAILED HOBBY. > Falco plumbeus. J. cera obscura, pedibus flavis, capite dorso infimo abdomineque cinereis, rectricibus lateralibus intus maculis tribus albis. Lath, ind, orn. Falcon with obscure cere, yellow legs, head, lower'part of back, and abdomen cinereous, and tail-feathers marked internally with three white spots. Spotted-Tailed Hobby. Lath, ind. orn. Size of a Sparrow-Hawk. Native of Cayenne. Described by Mr. Latham from a preserved spe- cimen. THE MERLIN. ~ Falco Asalon, F. cera pedibusque flavis, cupite ferrugineo, corpore supra ex cerulescente cinereo, maculis strisque Serru- gineis, subtus ex flavicante albo maculis oblongis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Falcon with yellow cere and legs, ferruginous head, body above blueish grey with ferruginous spots and streaks, be- neath yellowish white with oblong spots. Falco Assalon. Briss. orn. Merlin. Jill. orn. Penn. Brit, Zool. edit. fol. p. 70. pl. A. 12. Tue Merlin is the smallest of the British Hawks, and scarcely exceeds the size of a Blackbird. It is thus accurately described by Mr. Pennant. “The Merlin weighs near five ounces and a half: its length is twelve inches; its breadth twenty-five : the bill is of a blueish lead-colour; the cere of a THE MERLIN. _ 107 lemon-colour: the irides very dark, almost black: the head is ferruginous, and each feather is marked with a black streak along the shaft: the back and wings are of a deep blueish ash-colour, adorned with ferruginous streaks and spots, and edged with the same: the quill-feathers are almost black, mark- ed with reddish oval spots: the under coverts of _ the wings brown, beautifully marked with round white spots: the tail is five inches long, crossed with alternate bars of dusky and reddish clay- colour: on some of the feathers of the same bird are thirteen, on some fifteen; but in one bird I examined were no more than eight: the breast and belly are of a yellowish white, marked with oblong brown spots pointing downwards: the legs yellow: the wings when closed reach within an inch and a half of the end of the tail. This species was often trained for hawking, and small as it is, was inferior to none in point of spirit: it was used for taking partridges, which it would kill by a single stroke on the neck. The Merlin flies low, and is often seen along road-sides, skimming from one side of the hedges to the other in search of prey.” The Merlin, according to Mr. Pennant, does. not breed in England, but migrates into this country in October, about the time that the Hobby disappears. Mr. Latham however, on the au- thority of a highly respectable observer, assures us that it breeds in Cumberland, placing its nest on the ground, in the manner of the Ring-Tail, 198 THE MERLIN. Of this two instances have occurred, and in both were observed four young birds. The eggs, on the authority of the Portland Museum, are said to be of a plain chocolate-brown colour, roundish, and an inch and a quarter in length. Var. CARIBBEE MERLIN. Inhabits the Antilles, and is but very little sus perior in size to a Thrush. It is rufous ahove, spotted with black; and beneath white, with black longitudinal spots. Another variety is recorded by Buffon, allied in habit to the Hobby, and figured in the Planches Enluminées under the title of Emerilillon. Buffon calls it Esmerillon des Fau~ conniers. 26 AMERICAN MERLIN. 2606 Sip) iLondon Publijhd by GHearster Llect Strect. 199 AMERICAN MERLIN. ius. F. ferrugineus, nigro subceruleoque varius, 1; femina feminam Tinnunculi referente. k with black and blue-grey variegations and the female coloured like the female Kestril. F. cera lutea, cupite fusco, vertice abdomi« entibus. Lin, Syst. Nat. (Mas.) Ca pite citer compere) alin Little I Little St. Domingo Falcon, ; __ Emerillon de St. oe sgant species, sreatl to the Kestril, but of sand the male of a more 1¢ of. a fine deep ferruginous colour iy te. ew at pale: or yellower beneat h, with pats s, the quill-feathers bluckieb, | the tail Gedacus with a black bar near the tip, and the two exterior feathers white with black bars: the head is dove-coloured in front and at the nape, while beneath each eye is a descending black spot, generally accompanied by two others at some dis- tance beyond it on each side. The female has the head coloured jas) invthe) males but with the > mwt, Soe keh cy) Wilabiw. wot agt. bot 200 CRIARD FALCON. throat less white: in other respects it is similar to the female Kestril. This beautiful species inhabits various parts both of North and South America, occurring, according to Pennant, from Nova Scotia to the Antilles. It is a bird of an active and spirited nature, and preys on small birds, mice, lizards, and insects. CRIARD FALCONe Falco clamosus. F. griseus, alarum tectricibus nigris, subtus albus, orbitis rubris, palpebris cilatis. Grey Falcon, with black wing-coverts, beneath white, with red orbits and ciliated eyelids. Falco vociferus. F. pedibus flavis, corpore cinereo-griseo subtus , albo, tectricibus alarum minoribus majoribusque nigris. Lath. ind, orn. Criard Falcon. Lath. syn. Petite Buse criarde. Sonner. voy. ind. 2. p. 184. Native of India, frequenting the coast of Coro- mandel: size of a Wood-Pigeon: bill short: irides and legs yellow: often seen in rice-fields, where it feeds on frogs, &c. and when disturbed sets up a loud cry. TACHIRO FALCON, Falco Tachiro. Falco fuscus, subtus albus maculis lunatis, ree- tricibus fasciatis, Lath. ind. orn. suppl. . Brown Falcon, white beneath with lunated brown spots, and fasciated tail. Speckled Sparrow-Hawk. Lath. syn. Nearty the size of a Goshawk: head and neck varied with white: wing-feathers white at the tips: tail longish, brown, with deeper bands: bill blue- ish: irides and legs yellow. Inhabits the deep forests of Africa, and is figured and described by Monsieur Levaillant under the name of Le Lachiro. TACHARD FALCON, Falco Tachardus. F. fuscus, subtus flavescens fusco varius, cauda fasciatu, tibiis maculatis. Lath, ind. orn. suppl. Brown Falcon, yellowish beneath with brown variegations, fasciated tail, and spotted thighs. . Tachard Falcon, Lath, suppl. 2. Le Tachard, Levaiil. ois. Hasit of a Buzzard, but smaller: tail longish, brown, with blackish bars: legs red: thighs well plumed. Native of Africa, frequenting the banks of rivers, 9.02, GABAR FALCON. Falco Gabar. JF. fuscus,. subtus griseo-cwrulescens, abdomine albo fasciis fuscis. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Brown Falcon, blueish-grey beneath, with white ahdonifin banded with brown. Red-Legged Falcon, Lath. suppl. 2. Le Gabar. Levaill. ois. Size of a Sparrow-Hawk: bill black: irides yel- low: cere and legs bright red: thighs banded with brown like the belly, Native of the interior of Africa, BUZON FALCON. » Falco Buzon. F. nigricans, rufo varius, subtus rufus, rectricibus nigris medio fascia interrupta alba. Lath, ind. orn. suppl. 2. Blackish Falcon with rufous variegations, beneath rufous, with black tail marked on the middle by an interrupted white bar. Hobby Buzzard. Lath. suppl. 2. Le Buzon. Levaill. ois. 51zE of a Hobby: bill dusky: cere and legs yel- low: wings, when closed, reach only about a third of the tail: Native of Cayenne. 205 BUZZARET FALCON. Faleo Buzarellus. F. fasciatus, supra rufo-fuscus, subtus fld- vescens, remigibus nigris. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Fasciated Falcon, above rufous-brown, beneath yellowish, with black wing-feathers. Buzzaret. Lath, syn. suppl. 2. Le Buseray. Levaiil. ois. Size of the Moor-Buzzard: head and neck ru- fous white, varied with brown: back and wings rufous, spotted or streaked with black in a fasciated manner: tail barred with similar colours: wings, when closed, reach to the end of the tail. In- habits.Cayenne, and may perhaps be the species mentioned by Monsieur Mauduit in the Encyclo- pedie Methodique under the name of Busard vouw de Cayenne. BRISSONIAN HAWK, ' Falco Brissonianus. F. fuscus rufo varius, subtus albus striis subferrugineis transversis, cauda nigro fasciata. Brown Hawk with rufous variegations, beneath white with transverse subferruginous streaks, and tail barred with black. Falco minutus. FF. cera fusca, pedibus luteis, corpore subtus albo, rectricibus fuscis nigro fasciatis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. Accipiter minor. Briss, av. Falco minutus, Lath. ind. orn, Descrizep by Brisson, who says it is smaller than the Merlin, measuring only eleven inches and three quarters; the bill is black, the cere brown, 90 4 VIELLOTINE HAWK. and the legs yellow: it is a native of Malta, and, according to Brisson, varies occasionally, in having lance-shaped spots on the breast, and only four bands across the tail, which, in the figure accom- panying Monsieur Brisson’s description, appears to be crossed by five or six. a VIELLOTINE HAWK. + Falco Viellotinus. F. Serrugineus, gula albida, pectore abdomine Semoribusque albo ferrugineuque striatis. Ferruginous Hawk, with whitish throat; the breast, belly, and thighs marked by white and ferruginous stripes. Le Petit Malfini. Sonnint Buff. Native of St. Domingo: length nine inches: colour uniform ferruginous above; the throat white, with a dusky streak down the shafts of the feathers; the breast, belly, and thighs varied with ferruginous and white bars. Described by Sonnini from Monsieur Viellote, who discovered the spe- eles. The female has not been observed, 205 DWARF HAWK. Falco Minullus. £. fuscus, subtus albus, pectore striis descen= dentibus, abdomine fasciis transversis fuscis. Brown Hawk white beneath, the breast marked by descending brown streaks, the abdomen by transverse brown bars. Falco Minullus. I’. fuscus, subtus albus, pectore strits abdominé fasciis fuscis. Lath. ind. orn. suppl. Le Minule. Levaill. ois. pl. 34. Dwarf Hawk. Lath, suppl. 2. Sma.ier than a Merlin: upper parts brown, the tail crossed by a few deeper bars: under parts white, marked on the throat and breast by oblong brown spots, and on the belly and thighs by nar- row transverse bars. ‘This small Hawk is a native of the interior of Africa, where it was observed by Monsieur Levaillant, who describes it as of a highly bold and spirited nature, preying on small birds, and occasionally driving away from its haunts even the larger birds of its own genus, as well as Shrikes, gc. It builds on trees, forming its nest of small twigs, intermixed with moss and leaves externally, and lining it with wool and feathers: the eggs are five in number, spotted with brown near each end, | The female bird is nearly twice the size of the male. Monsieur Levaillant relates a singular instance of the audacity of this species. He was sitting at a table, engaged in preparing some birds lately killed ; when one of these Hawks suddenly stooped, and seized one of the newly stuffed speci- mens, and flying with it to a neighbouring tree, began to plume and tear it open, but finding 2906 - BARRED HAWK. nothing but moss and cotton, seemed indignant at the disappointment, and, after tearing in pieces the skin, at length contented itself with devouring the head, the only part which remained in its natural state. (BARRED HAWK. Falco doliatus. F. fuscus supercilits albis, alis albido fasciatis, subtus albo-flavescens fusco maculatus. Brown Hawk with white eyebrows and whitish-banded wings, beneath yellowish white with brown spots. . Emerillon varié. Sonnint Buff. Emerillon bariolé. Daud. ois. Lenctu ten inches: bill violet: cere, irides, and legs yellow: tail marked with whitish bars, more apparent beneath than above: under tail-coverts and flanks brown, with two or three round white spots on each side the shafts: thighs ferruginous with black shafts. Native of Carolina: observed by Bose. ; SIBERIAN HAWK. Falco Sibiricus. F. plumbeus, torque ferrugineo, subtus albido maculis ferrugineo-fuscis. Lead-coloured Hawk with ferruginous collar, beneath white with ferruginous-brown spots. Falco Regulus. ’. cera wirescente, pedibus obscure flavis torque Serrugineo, corpore supra plumbeo, subtus albido maculis ex Serrugineo fuscis. Pall. it. 2. p. 707. Lin. Syst. Nat. Gmel. ° : Siberian Falcon. Lath. syn. Native of Siberia: observed by Dr. Pallas: shape or habit that of a Kestril: weight less than half a pound: cere greenish, irides brown, which colour, according to Dr. Pallas, is observed in all the more spirited kind of Hawks. The particular size of this species is not mentioned. It is said to prey chiefly on Larks. 208 CHRULESCENT HAWK, subtr 8 luteus, genis Falco cerulescens. F. nigro-cerules € pene intus -albis macula descendente nigra, albo-fasviatis. Blueish-Black Hawk, luteous marked by a descending bl feathers barred intexs The little black and pl. 108. Falco cerulescens temporibus line Bengal Falcon. th, with white cee pot; the quill and tail- inches in leneth its colour on th an elegant glossy blue-black, a parts bright orange-yellow: the are bare and yellow; the fore - head white; and from a long black spot or Falcon tribe: tk its of the eyes d and sides of the > downwards runs , as in several of the eathers are crossed on their inner webs by s¢ ae bars: the bill is blue, and furnished with a s ong y or process on each side the upper mandible: the cere and legs are yellow, and it is observable that the latter are very strong, rather short, and that the proportions ROA TRUROVAMLIT AE vat. rv Mast oe) SA wolves ait Bsn CQ@RULESCENT HAWK. 2608 Step thondon Lublifid by Clivarsley Fleet Sirect. co TINY HAWK. 909 of the whole bird are somewhat like those of an Eagle in miniature. The male differs in being ‘still smaller than the female, and in being white beneath, with a tinge of yellow-ferruginous on the abdomen: above and beneath each eye is a white stripe, as in the female. The Cerulescent Hawk is a native of Bengal, and it is probable that, not- _ withstanding its diminutive size, it has been some- times trained to the pursuit of game; since, ac- cording to Edwards, the specimen which he de- scribed had on each of its legs a piece of leather, such as Hawk’s bells are usually fastened with. | TINY HAWK. ~ Falco tinus. F. pedibus flavis, corpore cinereo-fusco, subtus albido fasciis nigricantibus, vertice albido. Lath. ind. orn. Hawk with yellow legs, cinereous-brown body white beneath with blackish bars, and whitish crown. Tiny Hawk. Lath. syn. suppl. Descrizep by Mr. Latham from a specimen in the Leverian Museum. Mr. Latham commemo- rates it as by far the smallest of the hawk kind he ever met with; but there seems to be some mistake as to the length, which is said to be six inches from the bill to the rump, the tail being wanting in the specimen. The reader will observe that the pre- ceding species measures scarcely more than six inches from the bill to the end of the tail. Vv. VIL. 14 STRIX. OWL. Generic Character. Rostrum aduncum, absque || Bill hooked, without cere. cera. Nares oblong, pennis se-|| Nostrils oblong, covered taceis recumbentibus ob- with recumbent setaceous tecte. | feathers. Caput grande, auribus ocu- Head, eyes, and ears large. lisque magnis. Lingua bifida. Tongue bifid. Digitus externus retro mo- || /xtertor toe moveable back- bilis. wards. Tue alliance between the genus Strix and that | of Falco is extremely strong, and indeed Owls may be considered asa kind of nocturnal Hawks, differ- ing, as Linnzeus most happily observes, from those birds, in the same manner as Moths differ from Butterflies; the one being chiefly nocturnal, and the other diurnal. ‘They possess the power of turning backwards at pleasure the exterior toe or joint of the foot: their sense of hearing is very — acute, on account of the large orifices of their ears: their sight, in general, is dull or feeble by day, ‘but strong during the hours of evening, or in very dusky, obscure states of the atmosphere. ‘They are divided into the Horned Owls, or such as have 20 Gok » cup. GREAT HORNED OWL Jrom Leverui Museu: 1808. SepoTl ono Lua kyl bv i hcarsler £ lute Stree. GREAT HORNED OWL. ne | lengthened feathers on each side the head, re- sembling horns or ears, capable of being more or less erected at the pleasure of the bird, and into the Smooth-Headed Owls, or such as are destitute of the elongated plumes above-mentioned. To these I shall in the present work take the liberty of adding a third division, under the name of Accipitrine. Owls, or such as from their general habit, which is more slender than in the two preceding sections, their greater length of tail, and their subdiurnal flight, are more nearly allied to Hawks than the rest of their congeners. GREAT HORNED OWL. Strix Bubo. §. auriculata rufa, maculis punctisque nigris, fuscis, cinereisque variato. ' Rufous Horned Owl, variegated with black, brown, and ash- coloured spots and freckles. Strix Bubo. S, capite auriculato, corpore Re Lin. Syst. preg Nat. Strix Bubo.. Museum Leverianum. p. 119. Great Horn-Owl, or Eagle-Owl. Jill. orn. “LeGrand Duc. Buff ois. Pl. Enl, 435. Eagle-Owl. Penn. Brit. Zool. Or all the species of Owls yet known the present is the largest, being scarcely inferior in size to an Eagle. Its general colour is rufous or ferruginous, varied with larger and smaller spots and markings of brown, black, and grey ; together with innumer- able freckles or minute specks of the same colours. 912, GREAT HORNED OWL. It is found however of a deeper or lighter hue, according to various circumstances of age, health, and climate: the larger wing and tail-feathers are obscurely varied by dusky transverse bars: the bill is black, the eyes very large, and of a bright reddish or golden-orange colour: the legs are short and strong, thickly clothed, down to the very claws, with fine downy and setaceous plumes, and the claws are extremely large, strong, and black. This species, including its varieties, appears to be pretty generally diffused throughout the tem- perate and northern parts of the old continent, ‘and is even supposed to occur both in North and South America*. - In our own country it is very rarely seen, and can only be considered in the light of an occasional straggler. In Germany it seems to be more common than in other parts of Europe. It preys in the manner of Eagles and the larger Falcons, on hares, rabbets, and almost all kind of ~ birds, and builds its nest, which is composed of strong twigs, and lined or spread with dried leaves, &c. among the crags of rocks, or among ruined edifices, and lays, as is supposed, rarely more than two eges, which are larger and rounder than those of a hen, and of a rufous colour, blotched with variegations not much unlike those of the bird itself. ) 3 | It is needless to observe that Owls in general are regarded in most countries as birds of ill omen, * The Jurucutu of Marcgrave seems to be the same species, as well as the Bubo Ludovicianus, or Grand Duc de la Louisiane of Monsieur Daudin. Hh Na dt WTISHIWA ii AG WKN AA \ ATHENIAN HORNED OWL. JSrom Ldwards 206 Sep rhinden Lublipa by Ghearsley Fleet Street. GREAT HORNED OWL. 913 and superstitiously considered as messengers of woe. This appears to be the case in the New World as well as the Old, since the Americans hold the same opinion. The Athenians alone among the ancients seem to have been free from this popular prejudice, and to have regarded the Owl with veneration rather than abhorrence, considering it as the fa- vorite bird of Minerva. The kind thus venerated appears to have been a variety of the present spe- cies, somewhat smaller than those which occur in the colder parts of Europe, and of rather darker colours, and is said to be common in many parts of Greece. But, if the Greeks thus honoured the appearance of the Owl, the Romans on the contrary viewed it with detestation and dread: It was held consecrated to Proserpine: itsappearance foreboded unfortunate events, and we are assured by Plmy that even the city of Rome itself underwent a solemn lustra- tion in consequence’of one of these birds having accidentally strayed into the Capitol. The generality of figures of this magnificent species do but ill express the beauty of its plumage, the yariegations of which are such as to produce an uncommonly elegant association of colours in themselves obscure. One of the finest speci- mets I recollect any where to have seen was pre- served inthe Leverian Museum, and is represented in the third number of the work entitled Museum Leyerianum: it is copied into the present work, and is accompanied, by Edwards’s, representation of the smaller or Athenian variety. Var.? LAPLAND HORNED OWL. Strix Scandiaca. dee Syst. Nat. This, from the description given by Linnzeus, on the authority of a drawing in the possession of Rudbeck, and confirmed ni the attestation of a Mr. Tonning of Drontheim in Norway, is, probably, no other than a variety of the Strix Bubo or Great Horned Owl, in a state of plumage changed into whiteness by the effect of an arctic winter; a circumstance which is well known to take place in several of the northern animals. Its size is compared to that of a Turky: the body is whitish, with black spots, and the head furnished with ear-like plumes. It has been observed in the Alpine parts of Swedish Lapland*. BARE-LEGGED HORNED OWL. This is commemorated by Aldrovandus, Gnd from him repeated by Willughby and others. It differs only in having the legs less stout, destitute of feathers, and furnished with smaller claws, per- haps owing to some accidental circumstance, or from inaccuracy in the drawing, from which alone it seems to have been described by Aldrovandus, * See Rariora Norvegie, in Amoen: Acad: vol, 7. p. 479. 3O at bin wat i tit WW jad ion ot Tf nino u cat che tT Pee as ‘ \ ae 4 i" i i My rn i in N a VIRGINIAN HORNED OWL 2808 Sp! 1 London Lublfidbhy Gliarstey Flect Strect. mth oon Wa NA Mi 215 AFRICAN HORNED OWL. This, which is described and figured by Monsieur Levaillant, is of somewhat smaller size than the European bird, with a browner and less elegantly variegated plumage: it is found about the Cape of Good Hope, where it frequents rocky places, forming its nest-with a heap of small branches, mixed with dried leaves and moss, and depositing three eggs. MAGELLANIC HORNED OWL. Size of a Goose: colour.consisting of white, yellow, and blackish variegations: ear-feathers or horns two inches long: mentioned by Marcegrave. VIRGINIAN HORNED OWL. Strix Virginiana,)S, aurécillata fusca, cinereo rufoque variata, subtus albida lineis transversis fuscis. Brown Horned Owl, with rufous and ash-coloured variegations, beneath whitish, with transverse brown lines. Strix Virginiana. S. corpore fusco rufo cinereoque lineato, subtus cinerascente striis*transversis fuscis, remigibus rectricibusque Fusco fasciatis, Lath. ind. orn. Bubo Virginianus. Briss. orn. Virginian Eared Owl. Edw. pl. 60. Lath. syn. Tuis, which by some. ornithologists, and even by Mr. Pennant, has been considered as a variety of the preceding species, is marked by so charac- 216 VIRGINIAN HORNED OWL. teristic a disposition of colours as to leave no doubt of its being truly distinct. It is a native of many parts of North America, and seems to have been. first figured and accurately described by Edwards, from a living specimen then recently brought from - Virginia. “It approaches, says Edwards, near in magnitude to the Greatest Horn or Eagle-Owl: the bigness of the head in this seems not at all inferior to that of a Cat: the wing, when closed, measures from the top to the ends of the quills full fifteen inches: the bill is black, the upper mandible hooked, and overhanging the nether, as in Eagles and Hawks, having no angle in them, but plain on its edges: it is covered with a skin in which are placed the nostrils, and that skin hid with a bristly kind of grey feathers that grow round the basis of the bill: the eyes are large, having circles round them, pretty broad, of a bright, shining gold-colour: the space round the eyes, which one may call the face, is of a light brown, confusedly mixed with orange-colour, gradually becoming dusky where it borders on the eyes: over the eyes it hath white strokes: the feathers that compose the horns begin just above the bill, where they are intermixed with a little white, but as they extend onwards beyond the head, they — become of a red-brown, clouded with dusky, and tipped with black: the top of the head, neck, back, wings, and upper side of the tail are barred across with dusky bars of reddish: the greater wing-feathers and the tail are barred across with dusky bars of half an inch breadth, some a little VIRGINIAN HORNED OWL. po Ne more, some less: the feathers between the back and wings are orange-coloured tipped with white: the fore part of the neck and breast are bright brown inclining to orange, which grows fainter on the sides: this brown part is spotted with pretty large dark spots, and intermixed between the spots with the same dusky colour: the middle of the breast, belly, thighs, and under side of the tail. are white, or faint ash-colour, barred transversly with dusky lines pretty regularly: the inside of the - wings coloured and variegated in the same man- ner: the legs and toes, almost to the ends, are covered with light ash-coloured feathers: the ends of the toes, and claws, of a dark horn-colour.” Like the Great European Horned Owl, this species varies occasionally in the cast of its colours, which are sometimes darker, and with fewer of the ‘orange-ferruginous variegations in its plumage: the under parts are also of a clearer white, and more closely and distinctly barred with the trans- verse blackish lines in some specimens than in others. This bird is found in North America as high as Hudson’s Bay, frequenting woody districts, and uttering, according to Mr. Pennant, “a most hideous noise in the woods, not unlike the hollowing of a Man; so that passengers, beguiled by it, often lose their way.” 218 CEYLONESE HORNED OWL. Strix Zeylonensis. §.corpore rufo-fusco nigro striato, subtus lutescente, remigibus rectricibusque nigro albo rufescenteque striatis. Lath. ind. orn. | Rufous-brown Horned Owl, with transverse black streaks, beneath subluteous, the wings and tail marked by black, white, and rufescent streaks. Ceylonese Eared Owl. Brown’s fll, Zool. Tuts is described by Mr. Pennant from the work entitled Brown’s Illustrations of Zoology, in which most of the figures were from drawings in the collection of Governor Loten. The length of this species is near two feet, and its weight two pounds nine ounces and three quarters: the bill is horn- coloured: the irides yellow: the upper parts of the bird of a pale reddish brown; the under parts yellowish white; each feather appearing to be streaked and barred with dusky black: the ears er horns are short and pointed: the prime quills and tail are barred with black, white, and pale red: legs naked to the knees: native of Ceylon, where it is called Rata Alla. 219 CHINESE HORNED OWL. Strix Sinensis. S. ferruginea nigro lineata, collo antico maculis subtrigonis nigris, pectore abdomineque albo nigroque fasciatis. Ferruginous Horned Owl, lineated with black, the fore part of the neck marked with subtrigonal black spots, the breast and belly with black and white bars. Strix Sinensis. S. fronte albo, corpore fusco-rufo lineis nigris undulatis, subtus rufo nigricante striato fasctis albis, remigibus secundariis fascits quatuor nigricantibus. Lath. ind. orn. Hibou de laChine. Sonner. Voy. Ind. 2. p. 185. We owe the knowledge of this species to Mon- sieur Sonnerat, who informs us that its size is equal to that of the Strix Otus or Long-Eared Owl. The whole upper part of the head, body, and wings, is rufous-brown, undulated by fine black lines or streaks: on the wings are four transverse bands of pale rufous, with reddish-white spots: the fore- head is white, the fore part of the neck pale rufous with triangular black spots: the breast, belly, and thighs of a deeper or tawny colour, each feather crossed by white bars, with a black or dark lon- gitudinal streak: the bill and legs are black, and the latter, according to Monsieur Sonnerat’s figure, appear to be naked. 220 COROMANDEL HORNED OWL. Strix Coromanda. 8. griseo-rufescens, albido maculata, alis i caudaque albido fasciatis ; subtus ferruginea nigro undulata. Rufous-grey Horned Owl, with whitish spots; the wings and tail with whitish bands; the under parts of the bird fer- - ruginous with black undulations. ~ Strix Coromanda. S. corpore rufo-griseo rufescente-albo macu- lato, subtus pallide rubro lunulis nigris, remigibus rectricibusque fascuis rufo-albis. Lath, ind, orn. — ‘ Le petit Hibou de la Céte de Coromandel. Sonn. Voy. Ind. 2. p. 185. Tuts species is also described by Sonnerat. Its size is said to be a third smaller than that of the Long-Eared Owl: the head and upper parts of the bird are of a rufous grey colour, with paler or whitish spots, which are smallest on the head and neck: the larger quill-feathers are of a deeper colour, but spotted, like the others; and the tail is of the same colour, crossed by three whitish bands: all the under parts of the bird are rufous or fer- ruginous, crossed or undulated by black bars: the legs are rufous, and covered with plumes; the bill and claws deep brown. It does not appear clear from Monsieur Sonnerat’s description, whether this species belongs to the Horned division of owls or not; but a drawing in the collection of Sir Joseph Banks, quoted by Mr. Latham in his first Supplement, seems to determine the point; since it agrees perfectly in colours, and is represented with very large horns. In size however it greatly PN eh i OSH Petit ors i Ow ar h | BHAA iit mh i il i) i it c Zz cS los = LONG-EARED OWL. 291 exceeds that mentioned by Sonnerat, measuring twenty inches in length. LONG-EARED OWL. Strix Otus. S$. auriculata ferrugineoflavescens, nigro griseoque variata, pennis auricularibus nigro-fasciatis. ! Yellowish-ferruginous Horned Owl, with black and grey va- riegations, the ear-feathers barred with black. Strix Otus. S. capite auriculato pennis senis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Hibou, ou Moyen Duc. Buff. ois. The Horn-Owl, Will. orn. p. 10. Long-Eared Owl. Penn. Brit. Zool. Lath. syn. Bewick's Brit, Birds. p. 48. Tus Long-Eared Owl in its general appearance and colours is very considerably, and even strikingly allied to the Strix Bubo:or Great Horned Owl, but its size is far inferior; the measure attributed to it by Willughby being fourteen inches and a half in length. The Count de Buffon, who compares its size to thatvof.a crow, states its measure at one foot, from the tip of the bill to that of the claws; the length of the tail at five or six mches, and the extent of its expanded wings at three fect. Its colours, as before observed, bear so near a re- semblance to those of the Great Owl, that a se-. parate description is almost unnecessary: the general cast however inclines more to ferruginous on the breast and under parts, with a mixture of white in front of the head and on the thighs. Mr. Pennant’s description of the colours is as follows. 9992 LONG-EARED OWL. “The irides bright yellow: the bill black: the circle of feathers surrounding the eyes is white, tipped with reddish and dusky spots, and the part next the bill black: the breast and belly are of a dull yellow, marked with slender brown strokes pointing downwards: the thighs and vent-feathers of the same colcur, but unspotted: the back and coverts of the wings are varied with deep brown and yellow: the quill-feathers of the same colour, but near the ends of the outmost is a broad bar ‘of red: the tail is marked with dusky and reddish bars, but beneath appears ash-coloured: the horns or ears are about an inch long, and consist of six feathers, variegated with yellow and black: the feet are feathered down to the claws.” This bird is an admirer of woody and rocky solitudes, and is not observed to build a nest of its own, but contents itself with the deserted nest of a Magpie or Buzzard, and usually lays five eggs. The young are at first entirely covered with white down, and begin to acquire their colours at the expiration of about fifteen days. In some parts of Italy is found a variety of this bird, which differs in being somewhat larger, and in having the plumage mixed or varied in a con- siderable degree with ash-colour; the bend of the ‘ wing, and the coverts white, and the tail marked with zigzag black lines. , The Long-Eared Owl is considered as a pretty general inhabitant of Europe, and though far less common in our own country than some other species, is yet of no very unfrequent occurrence. SHORT-EARED OWL. 293 In North America it is found to inhabit the woods at a distance from the sea-coast, and has been observed at Hudson’s Bay, preying by night, with much clamour, and often approaching the dwellings of the inhabitants, SHORT-EARED OWL. Strix brachyotos. S. auriculata ferrugineo-flavescens, fusco varia, pennis auricularibus angustis, cauda maculis subocellatis, Yellowish-ferruginous Horned Owl, varied with brown, the ear-feathers narrow, and the tail marked by subocellated spots. Strix brachyotos. S$. auricularum penna brevi, corpore supra Susco pennis margine flavis, subtus pallide flavo lengitudinaliter striato. Lin. Gmel. Short-Eared Owl. Penn. Brit. Zool. edit. fol. t. B. 3. and €. B. 4. f. 2. edit. quart. p. 174. pl. 31. Bewick’s Brit. Birds, p. 50. , La Chouette, ou La Grande Cheveche.? Buff. ois, 372. pl. 27? Tus species, confounded by Buffon, and some others with a very different bird, appears to have been first correctly described by Mr. Pennant in the British Zoology. It is therefore highly preper to deliver the description in his own words. « The length of the Short-Eared Owl is fourteen inches: extent three feet: the head small and hawk-like: the bill is dusky: weight fourteen ounces: the circle of feathers that immediately surrounds the eyes is black: the larger circle white; terminated with tawny and black: the feathers on 994 SHORT-EARED OWL. ‘the head, back, and coverts of the wings, are brown, edged with pale dull yellow: the breast and belly of the same colour, marked with a few long narrow streaks of brown, pointing downwards: the thighs, legs, and toes are covered with plain yellow fea- thers: the quill-feathers are dusky, barred with red: the tail is of-a very deep brown, adorned on each side the shaft of the four middle feathers with a yellow circle, which contains a brown spot: the tip of the tail is white. The horns of this species are very small, and each consists of only a single feather ; these it can raise or depress at pleasure, and in a dead bird they are with difficulty discover- ed. This bird is scarcer than the former, (Long- Eared Owl;) both are solitary birds, avoiding in- habited places. These species may be called long- winged Owls; the wings when closed reaching beyond the end of the tail; whereas in the common kinds they fall short of it. This is a bird of passage, and has been observed to visit Lincolnshire the beginning of October, and to retire early in the spring; so probably, as it performs its migrations like the Woodcock, its summer retreat is Norway. During the day it hes hid in long old grass; when disturbed it seldom flies far, but will light, and sit looking at one, at which time the horns. may be seen very distinctly. It has not been observed to perch on trees, like other Owls: it will also fly in search of prey in cloudy hazy weather. Farmers are fond of seeing these birds in their fields, as they clear them from mice. It is found frequently on the hill of Hoy in the Orknics, where it flies about SHORT-EARED OWL. 995 and preys by day, like a Hawk. I have also re- ceived this species from Lancashire, which is a hilly and wooded country; and my friends have also sent it from New England and Newfound- land.” The Count de Buffon, erroneously supposing a figure of this species in the folio edition of the British Zoology to be intended for a very different bird, expresses himself on the subject of that work in general, and of the description and figure of this _ species in particular, with a degree of indecorous criticism bordering on rude invective. He com- plains indeed with some degree of justice that the figures represent:ng not only this bird, but the former, or Long-Eared Owl, are ill executed, and convey a wrong idea of the lengthened feathers or ears, which in these figures have a thick and fleshy, rather than feathery appearance; but the remain- ing part of his criticism must be allowed to recoil on himself, and is entirely owing to his not having perceived that the bird then first mentioned by Mr. Pennant was, in reality, a species before un- distinguished by naturalists, or confounded with some other birds of this genus. | Mr. Pennant, in his “ Literary Life,” hints at this circumstance, and imputes the Count’s freedom of expression to a comparison made in the British Zoology between the free-thinking Frenchman and our own illustrious countryman Ray, much to" the advantage of the latter. Mr. Pennant also, in his Catalogue of the work entitled Planches En- lumineés, published as a companion to the Histoire Vo Vil. } 15 996 SHORT-EARED OWL. . Naturelle des Oiseaux of Buffon, retaliates, in his” own peculiar vein of humour, on the Count de Buffon, for the palpable injustice and falsehood of: his criticisms, and takes ample, but very polite revenge on his erring antagonist. In the Arctic Zoology we are infofmed that ‘this bird occurs, with some very slight variations, in many parts of North America, and is even sup- posed to extend into South America. In Hudson’s Bay it is called the Mouse-Hawk. It never flies, like other Owls, in search of prey, but sits quiet on the stump of a tree, watching the appearance of. Mice. It breeds near the coast; makes its nest with dry grass, upon the groun-l; and migrates southward in Autumn.” Mr. Latham observes that this species is very common in the northern and woody parts of, Siberia, often rushing blindly towards such fires as are lighted by night, and assaulting the persons near them. It is a very fierce and courageous’ bird, and an instance has been known of one which was shot springing up with great fury at the sports- man when endeavouring to secure it. Mr. Latham is inclined to suppose, from the difficulty of detect- ing the ear-plumes in dead specimens, that the- bird described and figured by Edwards under the name of Hawk Owl, may be the same species. He also adds that the ear-feathers or horns are in reality composed of several feathers, and do not consist of one only on each side, as commonly supposed; and that their power of elevation is not great at any time. MARSH HORNED OWL. 994 Tt remains to be observed, that though the figure of this species in the folio edition of the British Zoology is but very indifferently executed, yet that given in the smaller editions is extremely good. In the Planches Enlumineés also, according to Mr. Pennant, this bird is tolerably well figured at plate 29, though erroneously supposed by many to represent the former species, and improperly inscribed Moyen Duc, ou Hibou. The figure also at least, if not the description, of the bird entitled ~La Chouette in the Histoire des Oiseaux, is sups posed by Mr. Pennant to belong to the same ‘species. : MARSH HORNED OWL. Strix palustris. S. albo griseo fuscoque varia, remigibus fusco maculato-fasciatis, torque fusco-maculato. Horned Owl with white, grey, and brown variegations, quills fasciated by brown spots, and collar spotted with brown. Strix palustris. S. capite aurito pennis sex, corpore albo griseo Sfuscoque vario, torque flavescente, maculis fusco-rufis. Lath. ind. orn, suppl. 2. Size of a Crow: ear-plumes six in number on each side: legs hairy. Native of Pomerania and Thuringia, inhabiting peat marshes, among the high grass, and feeding on field-mice, &c. 228 AMERICAN HORNED OWL. Strix Americana. |S. capite § curpore supra cinereo, subtus Serrugineo, uropygio albo nigro maculato, alis caudaque fer- rugineis lineis transversis cinereis et griseis. Lin. Gmel. Ow! with head and body cinereous above, ferruginous beneath ; rump white spotted with black; wings and tail ferruginous, — with transverse lines of deep and light grey. American Eared Owl. Lath. syn. Size rather larger than that of the Strix Otus: head and upper parts cinereous; under parts fer- ruginous: rump and vent white, spotted with black: quills and tail ferruginous, transversly barred with deep and light grey: irides and legs yellow: sup- posed by Buffon to be a variety of Strix Otus, differing in the cast of its colours. | MEXICAN HORNED OWL. Strix Mexicana. S. corpore ex fusco et nigro vario, Tin. - Gmel. Owl with body variegated with black and brown. Mexican Eared Owl. Lath, syn. Tuts, which seems only known from the very brief description of. Ray, is said to be a native of Mexico, where it is called by the name of Tecolod! ; its colour isa variegation of black and brown. RED HORNED OWL. Strix Asio. S. capite aurito, corpore supra ferrugineo, subtus cinereo, alis punctis quinque albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Horned Owl with the body ferruginous aboye, cinereous beneath, and five white spots on the wings. Scops Caroliniensis. Briss, ois. Little Owl. Catesb. Carol. 1. pl. 7. Red Eared Owl, Penn. Arct. Zool. Lath, syn. Native of North America, and thus described by Mr. Pennant in his Arctic Zoology. “ Owl - with yellow irides: horns, head, back, and wings, of a pleasant tawny red, streaked with black: the ‘scapulars marked with large white spots: primaries barred with black, red, and white: breast pale tawny, marked with oblong black spots: tail red, barred with dusky: feet covered with feathers to the claws: length ten inches and a half: inhabits New York, and as low as the Carolinas: lives in the woods near the coast.” The female is said to differ in being brown instead of ferruginous. MOTTLED HORNED OWL. Strix nevia. 8. capite aurito, corpore griseo ferrugineoque vario, dectricibus albo maculatis, pectore nigro punctato. Grey Horned Owl, with. ferruginous variegations, coverts spotted with white, and breast speckled with black. Strix nevia. S. corpore griseo, subtus pallidiore, utrinque maculis ferrugineis et nigris, capitis pectorisque pennis nigro punctatis. Lin, Gmel. Mottled Qwl. Penn. Arct. Zool. Native of North America. Thus described in the Arctic Zoology. “Owl with the face white, spotted with brown: head, wings, and upper parts of the body mottled with ash-colour and pale red : the scapulars marked with great white spots; as are the covyerts of the wings; the primaries with black and pale ferruginous: breast and_ belly whitish, varied with ragged stripes pointing down- wards: toes feathered to the claws: length eleven inches: inhabits the province of New York: breeds in May, and continues in the country the whole year.” Mr, Latham describes the plumage of this bird as of a grey colour mottled with ferruginous and black; the shaft of each feather being black, with three or four waved bars of the same on each side: the under parts are paler than the upper; the measure of the bird is eight inches and a half, and the horns an inch or more in length. 931 ¢ CARNIOLIC HORNED OWL. Strix Carniolica. S. corpore ex cinereo albicante, maculis striisque transversis nigricantibus variegato. Scopoli ann, 1. p. 19. Lin. Gmel. Whitish-grey Horned Owl, variegated with transverse black- ish spots and streaks, Carniolic Eared Owl. Lath. syn. Tuis species is described by Scopoli, who informs us that it is of a pale or whitish ash-colour, varied with blackish spots and transverse streaks: the wing and tail-feathers are spotted internally with white: the size of the bird nearly equals that of , _the Strix passerina of Linnzeus, and the ears or horns are scarcely observable except in the living bird: the irides are yellow. BRASILIAN HORNED: OWL. Strix Brasiliana. S$. auriculata subfusca, albo maculata, subtus alba subfusco maculata, cauda albo undulata. Brownish Horned Owl, spotted with white, beneath white spotted with brown, the tail waved with white. Strix Brasiliana. Lin. Gmel. Brasilian Noctua called Cabure by Marcgrave. Will. orn. p. 107. Descrizep by Marcgrave in his History of Brasil, and thus translated by Willughby. “It’s about the bigness of a Throstle: hath a round 932 BRASILIAN HORNED OWL. head, a short, hooked, yellowish bill; two nostrils ; fair, great, round, yellow eyes, with a black pupil : under the eyes and on each side the bill it hath many long dusky hairs: the legs are short, wholly clothed with feathers, yellow, as are also the feet, which are cloven into four toes, standing after the usual manner, armed with semicircular, crooked, sharp talons: the tail broad, nigh the rise whereof the wings end: in the head, back, wings, and tail, it is of a dilute umber colour, and variegated in the head and neck with very small, and in the wings with greater white spots; the tail is waved with white: the breast and lower belly are white, and variegated with spots of a dilute umber colour. It is easily made tame. It can so turn about its neck that the tip of the beak shall exactly point at the middle of the back. It plays with men like an Ape, making many mowes and antic mimical faces, and snapping with its bill. Besides, it can set up the feathers of its head that represent horng orears. It lives upon raw flesh,” 233 SCOPS HORNED OWL. Strix Scops. S. auriculata griseo-fusca, subferrugineo nigroque varia, subtus cinerea nigro varia. Grey-brown Horned Owl, with subferruginous and black © variegations, beneath grey with black variegations. Strix Scops. §S. capite auriculato penna solitaria, Lin. Syst. Nat. ' Scops ou Petit Duc. Buff. ois. 1. p. 353. pl. 24. Le Petit Duc. PJ. Enl. 436. Scops Eared Owl. Lath, syn. Tuis is a species of uncommon elegance, and of very small size, measuring only about seven inches and a quarter inlength*. The general disposition of its colours is similar to that of the Eagle Owl, but with a greater mixture of grey, which predo- minates on the breast and belly of the bird: it varies however considerably in the cast of its co- lours according to various circumstances of age and sex, and when young is said to be wholly grey : the irides are also said to be pale yellow in the young, and deep yellow, or even hazel in the old birds: the legs are covered to the toes with speckled grey and brown plumes: the auricular plumes, which are erroneously stated by Linnzeus (who has. even founded his specific character of the bird on that very circumstance) as only one on each side, are in reality composed of six on each side, accord- * The measure assigned by Aldrovandus is nine inches, and he adds that the bird is smaller than a pigeon, but larger than a thrush, 3 934 SCOPS HORNED OWL. ing to the more accurate observations of Spallan- zani, who bred up some of these birds, and who professes to wonder that Aldrovandus, Linnzus, and Baffon should all agree in stating them as each consisting of a single plume. It is impossible, he adds, to suppose that either of those great naturalists had ever examined a single specimen of the bird. The mistake however, in all pro- bability, originated in Aldrovandus, and was from him copied by other writers. It is observed by Aldrovandus that in the dead bird the aboye- mentioned feathers are difficultly discernible. The Scops is a native of the warmer parts of Europe, and is of a migratory nature. In France it is said to arrive and depart at the sametime with the Swallow, At particular times great flights arrive, and wage a kind of war against the field- mice, in years when those animals are unusually numerous. In Italy its favourite residence, accord- ing to Spallanzani, is in gently rising, wooded regions, but not among lofty mountains; and it lives principally on insects and earth-worms. During the day it contmues in the shade of the woods, perched on a branch, and continuing mo- tionless, with its ears or tufts erected: in this state it will permit a very near approach, and then only retires to hide itself afresh among the branches. Towards the dusk of the evening it emerges from its retreat, perches on a tree in some open spot, and begins-its cry, which consists of a quick and often repeated whistle, somewhat like the word Chivi, for which reason it is called in some places SCOPS HORNED OWL. 935" by the name of Chivini. It constructs no nest, but deposits its eggs, to the number of five or six, in the hollows of trees. In Italy the young are full fledged by the beginning of July, when they follow their parents during the night for food, till they are able to feed themselves, and to pursue — grasshoppers, beetles, and other insects. When this period’ commences, they leave their parents, and each lives separately. They remain in Italy till October, at which time they become, especially _ the old ones, very fat, and if it were not for a pe- culiar and disagreeable smell, would be a delicate food. The first brood of these birds taken by Spallanzani were so young as to be scarcely covered with down, but in about a month were become so far trained as to follow very readily: they fed on any kind of flesh, chopped small, and when hungry, flew after their master, and alighted on his hand, in order to receive their food; and this not only during the twilight, but even at mid- day. Another brood, which was reared beneath a shrub in the garden, which sheltered the young birds from the sun during the day-time, soon be- came equally tame; flying to, and following their master when called; settling on his shoulders to receive their allowance. After their evening meal, they flew about the neighbourhood during the night, perching on the adjoining trees, and return- ing by morning to their habitation in the garden. They continued thus attached for about a month, regularly wandering by night, and returning in the morning. One day however, on missing two 936 SCOPS HORNED OWL. of the number, Spallanzani, on calling them, re- ceived their answer from a neighbouring elm, at about three hundred feet from the garden: they refused however to descend; departed in the even- ing, and returned to the elm the next morning. Two days having elapsed since they had been fed by the hand of Spallanzani, he resolved to sacrifice one of the birds to his curiosity, and bringing it down by a gun, found, on examining the stomach, the remains of grasshoppers. That it was one of the birds which had been tamed was beyond a doubt, since each had been marked by red silk tied round the leg, and which the bird examined had on. The flight of these two was soon suc- ceeded by that of the rest, and though the time of their emigration from the country was. still far distant, yet they never more returned to their former spot, having found the means of providing subsistence for themselves, Such, adds the phi- losopher, is the general conduct of almost all wild animals. When taken very young, they become, by constant attention, familiar, and, to a certain degree, affectionate; but this only continues so long as their dependance is necessary for their support. After that period is elapsed, their fa- miliarity gradually subsides; their confidence di- minishes, and at leneth they make their escape, and seem to fly mankind as the general tyrant of Nature. 237 BAKKAMOENA HORNED OWL. Strix Bakkamoena. S. cinerea dorso fusco, pectore gilvo maculis sagittatis nigris, remigibus albo nigroque fasciatis. Ash-coloured Horned Owl, with brown back, buff-coloured breast with arrow-shaped black spots, and wing-feathers barred with black and white. Otus Bakkamoena. Penn. Ind. Zool. Strix Indica. S. dorso obscuro, tectricibus alarum griseis nigre _lineatis, pectore bubaline maculis exiguis sagittatis nigris. Lin. Gmel. Tuus described in the Indian Zoology of Mr. Pennant. “The bill is dusky, surrounded with long bristles: the circle of feathers round the eyes is of a very pale ash-colour: the external circle of a yellowish brown: the irides scarlet: the horns take their origin from the base of the bill, and point to the sides of the head: on their inner side they are dusky, on their exterior white: the head is of a deepish ash-colour: the back dusky: coverts of the wings grey, marked with narrow lines of black pointing downwards: quill-feathers regularly barred with black and white: the breast buff coloured, marked with small sagittal black spots: | the legs feathered half way down: the naked part of areddish yellow. ‘This elegant species is found. in Ceylon; is there called Bakkamoena, and isa scarce species even in that island.” It is necessary to observe, that, by an oversight in the letter-press of the quarto edition of the Indian Zoology, this bird is said to be represented 938° YAIKAN HORNED OWL. in its natural size, without considering that the plate had been reduced from that in the folio edition. Its length, according to the folio plate, appears to be about seven inches, WHITE-FRONTED HORNED OWL. Strix albifrons. S. ferrugineo-fusca, subtus pallidior, fronte alba, remigibus albo nigroque fasciatis. Ferruginous-brown Horned Owl, paler pene with the forehead white, and remiges barred with black and white. Naturalist’s Miscellany, pl. 171. Leneru from six to eight inches: horns scarcely perceptible: lower part of the belly and thighs white: legs feathered to the toes. Supposed to be a native of Canada. YAIKAN HORNED OWL. . Strix deminuta. 8. rufo nigro albidoque varia colorihus nebu- losis. ‘Horned Owl, varied with black, whitish, and rufous, the colours clouded. i Strix deminuta. S. minor, corpore rufo. Pail. it. 2. p. 707. Yaikan Eared Owl. Lath. syn. Aw elegant and diminutive species of Horned Owl; described by Dr. Pallas, who informs us that its size is smaller than that of the Scops, and that it bears so near a resemblance to the Strix Bubo or Great Horned Owl in point of general ap- SIBERIAN HORNED OWL. 939 pearance that one description might serve for both, except that in this small species the colours are less decided or distinct. It inhabits the woody and mountainous parts of Siberia, about the river Yaik, and the Ural chain. ° f SIBERIAN HORNED OWL. Strix Pulchella. 8. grisea, fusco ferrugineo alboque varia. Lin. Gmel. \ Grey Horned Owl, with brown ferruginous and white va- riegations. Strix pulchella. S$. capite auriculatoy corpore cinereo, punctis maculis striisque mgris variato, remigibus albo maculatis. Vivar. Natur. 1. t. 22. Strix pulchella. S. minima; capite aurito, corpore pulveratim cinereo-undulato subtus albido, alis fasciato-pulveratis, litura ad nares alba. ath, ind. orn. ; Siberian Eared Owl. Lath. syn. Tue smallest of all the Owl tribe yet known: length six inches; in which respect however it seems to vary in different individuals; that men- tioned in the Petersburgh Transactions measuring nine inches. The best description that can be given of this bird is to compare the plumage to that of the Wryneck, which it extremely resembles both in colour and disposition of spots, except that the shoulders are more ferruginous, and the breast exhibits a greyer cast, with longitudinal and transverse black streaks and points: on the head are two ear-shaped crests, as in others of this FAO SNOWY OWL. section: the legs are feathered to the feet, whicli are bare; and of “a pale flesh-colour: the bill is browns and’ the irides yellow. ‘This most elegant specie is a native of Russia and Siberia. A specimen & the Leverian Moseum i is said to have . been taken at Gibraltar, iy ¢: , af Tae ne Py vey SMOOTH-HEADED OR HOR} LESS | OWLS. agg le teBlicbiday y, baie a: ws mpl? hie ? + tae Ly, iS Strix Nyctea ae vee. nigrd m senate > 4 he nig, iid. flavis. wf Samal af i Snow-v fl 5 aaa a with black bill anilyellow irides. val od 3 an. . Strix yeaa “s. i py Levi ty 4 chy. maculis a ~s ~ distantibies fuscis. Great White Owls. Edwards 9 ,? 6rd Le Harfang. » Buff scie. Ph Enl. 458: od, aA* * Tut hig ighly sesiatars cle OR | Do De eee owy from the shoul to fhe i: i the longa T which may give a judgment of its size. It is said wd rewound Seve, NaWA, seyret) Sa i wos Lage, tes 4 © pm \= Ss A \ Z | We \ i My | i (; i ii ' 1 \ \ hy at sit alt wy Mc witt Meaalla ah! te ih \ i \ my \ | (yi)! My {yl) Wifi A mY UN Heath ih May al be Muy el ‘ yyy! ‘ y eal (Mu ri "aa dll , \ | Duc Mn " i a ol } iM i! ‘ ft I i! a Snowy Owl. 608 Sip1London Lublijhna by Glicarstey Fleet Street. yw an ri : a i SNOWY OWL. QAY to be a diurnal bird; it preys on white partridges, and continues in Hudson’s Bay all the year. ‘The bill is hooked, like a Hawk’s, having no angles on the sides, is all black with wide nostrils; the bill almost covered with stiff feathers like hairs, planted round its basis, and reflected forward: the eyes are encompassed with bright yellow irides: the head, whole body, wings, and tail, are of a pure white colour: the top of the head is spotted with small dirty brown spots: the upper part of the - back is painted with transverse lines of dusky brown, as are the sides under the wings, but with smaller and fainter lines: the quills on their outer webs are spotted with dusky, and some few little dusky spots on the covert-feathers of the wings: the covert-feathers withinside of the wings are purely white: the lower part of the back is spotless; the middle feathers of the tail on the upper side have a few spots on each side the shafts of the feathers: the legs and feet are covered with white _ feathers: the claws are long, strong, and ofa black colour, very sharp pointed. Another bird of this kind came to my hands together with this, which ‘differed only in that it had more and darker spots.” A beautiful variety of this bird existed in the Leverian Museum: it was every where, except on the face, and legs, most elegantly spotted with numerous transverse Junated brown marks, run- ning into short interrupted bands over the neck and _.. on all the under parts of the bird. This variety is figured in the second volume of the Naturalist’s Wi). VEL. 16 QAI, SNOWY OWL. Miscellany, and seems to differ but litttle from the specimen represented in the Planches Enlumineés, and copied into the present work, except in beng more uniformly barred or striped. It is observed by Mr. Pennant, in his Arctic Zoology, that this species varies greatly in weight, from three pounds to one and a half. “ It inhabits the coldest parts of America, even as high as the remote mountains in the icy centre of Greenland, from which, in intense cold, it migrates to the shores. It adds horror even to that country, by its hideous cries, resembling those of a man in deep distress. It is rare in the temperate parts of America, and seldom strays as low as Pennsylvania and Louisiana: is very common in Hudson’s Bay, Norway, and Lapland. It fears not the rigour of the season, but bears the cold of the northern regions the whole year. It flies by day, and is scarcely to be distinguished from the snow: it flies pretty swiftly, and falls perpendicularly on its prey: feeds on the white grous, and probably on hares; for to the last circumstance it owes its Swedish name Harfang. It preys also on mice and carrion, and in Hudson’s Bay is almost do- mestic, harbouring in places near the tents of the Indians. In Russia it is scarce; but grows more common on the Uralian mountains, and all over the north and east of Siberia, and in its Asiatic Empire, even in the hot latitude of Astrakan: is very numerous in Kamtschatka.” ee 243 WAPACUTHU OWL. Strix Wapacuthu. 8. alba, rufo nigroque maculata, subtus albida lineis numerosis transversis rufis. White Owl, with rufous and black spots, beneath whitish with numerous transverse rufous lines. . Strix Wapacuthu. S. capite levi, corpore albo pallide rubro nigroque maculato, subtus albido lineis numerosis rujescentibus. Lath. ind. orn. ‘Wapacuthu Owl, Penn. Arct. Zool. Lath. syn. Tue Wapacuthu Owl is a native of North America, and is thus described by Mr. Pennant in the Arctic Zoology. ‘OQwl with glossy black bill, and claws much incurvated: base of the bill beset with strong bristles; irides bright yellow: space between the eyes, cheeks, and throat white: the ends of the feathers on the head black: sca- pulars, and all the coverts of the wings, white, elegantly barred with pale-red and black: back and coverts of the tail white, mixed with a few dusky spots: breast and belly dirty white, crossed with innumerable reddish lines: vent white: legs feathered to the toes, which are covered with hairs: weight five pounds: length two feet. Inhabits the woods about Hudson’s Bay: makes its nest on the moss, on the dry ground: the young are hatched in May, fly in June, and are white for a long time after: feeds on mice and small birds: called by the Indians /Vapacuthu, or spotted owl. The Europeans settled in the Bay reckon it a very delicate food.” FULIGINOUS OWL. Strix fuliginosa. ‘8. cinereo-fuliginosa, nigro irrorata, subtus nebulosa, pennis circum oculos concentrice lineatis. Museum Leverianum, No. 6. p. 23. Dusky-cinereous Owl, freckled with black; clouded beneath ; with the feathers round the eyes marked with numerous concentric circles. Museum Leverianum, No. 3.p. 24. Strix cinerea. SS. cinereo-fuliginosa, nigro transversim lineata, subtus albido cinereoque nebulosa, regione periopthalmica cir- culis concentricis nigris. Lath. ind. orn, Cinereous Ow]. Lath. syn. Sooty Owl. Penn. Arct. Zool. SizE equal or nearly equal to that of the Strix Nyctea or Snowy Owl: length two feet: extent of wings four feet: tail rather long: legs feathered to the claws: colour on all parts sooty grey, with a cast of ferruginous on the wings and tail: the face is barred with several concentric deep-brown circles: the wings are barred with ash-colour and brown, and the thighs elegantly crossed with linear streaks of the same colours: on the shoulders and wing-coverts are several blackish, brown, and whitish spots and freckles; the breast is varied with large spots or blotches of brown, and the tail is crossed by several irregular whitish and dusky bars: the irides are said to be orange-coloured: the billis pale horn-colour, and the claws black. This bird is a native of North America, and, according to Mr. Pennant, “inhabits Hudson’s Bay the whole year: flies in pairs: feeds on mice and hares: flies very low, yet seizes its prey with “sis ve BARRED OWL. 945: such force, that, in winter, it will sink into the snow a foot deep, and with great ease will fly away with the American* Hare alive in its talons. It makes its nest in a pine-tree, in the middle of May, with a few sticks, lined with feathers: and lays two eggs, spotted with a darkish colour: the young take wing in the end of July.” BARRED OWL. Strix nebulosa. S. fusco albidoque transversim fasciata, abdomine albo maculis oblongis ferrugineis, Vivarium Nature. vol. 1. t. 25. Owl transversly fasciated with brown and whitish, the belly white with oblong ferruginous spots. Naturalist’s Miscel- » lany. vol. 1. pl. 25. Strix nebulosa. S. capite levi, corpore fusco albido undulatim striato, remige sexto longiore apice nigricante. Lath. ind. orn. Barred Owl. Penn. Arct. Zool. Lath, syn. Tuis is also a native of North America, and is a large species, though somewhat inferior in size to the preceding: the length of a specimen described by Dr. R. Forster several years ago in the Phi- losophicai Transactions was sixteen inches; its breadth four feet, and its weight three pounds. A specimen however in the possession of Mr. Latham measured twenty-one inches in length; and of * Penn. Quadr. No. 38. 946 BARRED OWL. such extent, at least, was an elegant specimen preserved in the Leverian Museum, and figured in the first volume of the Naturalist’s Miscellany. The whole bird, on the upper parts, is beautifully barred with numerous brown bands on a yellowish- white ground-colour; or, in other words, it might be said to be barred with white on a brown ground- colour, the spaces between the two colours being nearly equal, except on the tail and larger quill- feathers, where the brown bars are rather broader than the white ones: the feathers surrounding the eyes are whitish, with numerous concentric circles, formed by interrupted linear brown streaks: the whole under parts of the bird are yellowish white, with longitudinal or descending brown spots: the thighs and legs are plain or unspotted, and fea- thered down to the claws: the bill is pale horn- colour, and the irides yellow. ‘This species in- habits Hudson’s Bay, and is said to prey, like the preceding, on Hares, Grous, Mice, &c. 247 AUSTRIAN OWL. Strix Austriaca. S. capite levi, corpore albido fuscoque va- riegato, regione periophthalmica albida. Lath. ind. orn. Owl with whitish and brown variegations, and the spaces round the eyes whitish. Austrian Owl. Lath, syn. Strix sylvestris. Scopoli. Ann, 1, No. 13. First described by Scopoli: size of a Cock: - bill yellowish: irides blueish. Native of Carniola: perhaps the same with a species mentioned by Kramer in his Elenchus Animalium Austriez. p. 325, AUSTRIAN WHITE OWL. Strix alba. 8. capite levi, corpore rufo griscoque variv subtus albo, regione periophthalmica margine rufo, rectricibus apice albis. Lath. ind, orn. Owl with rufous and grey variegations, beneath white; the spaces round the eyes edged by a rufous iuaqgin, and the tail white at the tip. Strix alba. Scopoli. Ann. 1. No. 14. Austrian White Owl. Lath, syn. Descrisep by Scopoli: nearly the size of a Hen: hill white: circle of the face encompassed with an elegant rufous margin: tail tipped with white. Native of Carniola. QA8 SPECTACLE OWL Strix perspicillata. S. fer colloque albis, oculis ferrugines cinctis, abdomi Ferruginous Owl, with white head and neck with ferruginous, and b uff-coloured abdom Strix perspicillata. S ite levi tomentos riophthalmica gulae abdomine rufo-albt Spectacle Owl. L yes surrounded 0, regione pe- is rubro-fuscis, y scies, seems sed by Mr, Latham from verian Museum. In size it ‘uliginous Owl, measuring ches in o but is of a Tur, whi to have been a specimen nearly app more tha more slen¢ | ) ferruginous H ba > crossed by numerous black var stre eath, from the breast y butt the brown colour of f the upper parts surrounds the breast, forming 2 very broad gone across that part: the head 1s milk-w hite, but the eyes are ea in a broad surrounding zone of Db above the Lane which is of a our : the legs are feathered to t fine plumes of similar colour to thé abdomen. The shape or habit of hat approaches to that of the Hawk-O wing. rather a small head in proportion, and a ementay lengthened tail. It is a native of South America. In the elegant work of Monsieur Levaillant a specimen WO BIOATIAAS SPECTACLE Owl 2508 Sep 1 London Publifid by Ghearsley Fleet S0cet. 2 % MASKED OWL. 249 of this bird is described and figured, differing in having the head brown, and the throat white, the latter colour ascending over the bill, and curving in the form of a pair of crescents or brows over each eye. MASKED OWL. Strix personata. S. alba, facie nigra, alis subferrugineis. White Owl, with black face, and subferruginous wings. Strix personata. La Chouette masqueé. Daudin ornith, 2. p. 192. La Chouette a masque noir. Levaill. ois. pl. 44. Tuts bird, which is described and figured by Monsieur Levaillant, is said to be about the size of the common brown or Wood Owl: the wings and tail are of an elegant pale subferruginous. brown, the shoulders spotted with white, and the whole edge of the wing of the same colour; the larger quills being barred or marked with rather large blackish spots: the head, neck, scapulars, and whole under parts are milk-white: the eyes are imbedded in a pair of very large, round, black patches or spaces: beneath the bill are a few small longitudinal black spots: the bill is blackish, and the irides are represented of a yellow colour: the legs are covered to the claws with fine milk- white plumes: the tail is short, but the wings do not reach to its tip. The specimen described by Monsieur Leyaillant belonged to the collection of 250 WHITE-BROWED OWL. the late Monsieur Dorci, and was said to have been brought from Cayenne. Levaillant supposes it to be a young bird, and that its plumage ina more advanced state might perhaps be somewhat different; but does not seem to think it a variety of the preceding species. The size of the specimen is not particularized by Levaillant, but if his plate be intended to shew the bird in its natural dimen- sions, it appears to be of the same size with the Strix passerina, Monsieur Daudin however, as above observed, compares it to a large species. After all, it is perhaps not very improbable that it may be a variety of the Strix perspicillata. WHITE-BROWED OWL. Strix superciliosa. S. ferruginea, fasciautrinque superciliart late descendente alba. Ferruginous Ow], with a broad descending superciliary white band on each side. La Chouette 4 collier. Levaill. ots, pl. 42. Strix torquata. Chouette d collier. _Daudin. ornith. 2. p. 193. - Size of the Strix Otus or Long-eared Owl: colour ferruginous brown, with a few white spots on the wing-coverts, edges of the shorter quills, and tips of the tail feathers: over each eye a stripe of lengthened white feathers, curving slightly down the sides of the neck: under parts whitish, tinc- tured with grey-brown on the belly, where the feathers are crossed with numerous fine dusky ERMINE OWL. 951 lines: thighs marked with small, oblong, blackish dashes: legs feathered to the toes, which are ra- ther slender: bill and irides yellow. Native of Cayenne. ERMINE OWL. Strix Erminea. 8S. alba, alis maculis parvis distantibus nigris, cauda brevt. White Owl, with the wings marked by small distant white spots, and short tail. Strix candida. S. capite levi, corpore albo maculis alarum distantibus nigris. Lath. ind. orn, suppl. La Chouette blanche. Levaill. ots. pl. 45. Ermine Owl. Lath. suppl. 2. Descrizep and figured by Levaillant, from a preserved specimen which he saw in a collection at Amsterdam. Its size is smaller than that of the Strix Nyctea, and its shape less elegant: the head large, the tail short, and the wings surpassing it in length: colour of the whole bird snow-white, with a very few small black spots near the shoulders, at the tips of the wing-coverts, and at those of the quills: bill black: irides hazel: legs thickly fea- thered to the claws. Native place unknown. This bird is by Monsieur Levaillant considered as dis- tinct from the Strix Nyctea; yet when we consider how very easily the proportions of a bird may be altered by the manner of preparing it, the com- paratively larger size of the head in this specimen, and the greater apparent length of the wings, will 952, AUSTRIAN FERRUGINOUS OWL. afford, perhaps, but slight ground for supposing it to constitute a new species. As this point however must remain undetermined till other specimens have been examined, I have placed it under a separate article, after the example of Mr. Latham. AUSTRIAN RUFOUS OWL. p- Strix Noctua. 8. subrufa, maculis longitudinalibus fuscis, iridi« bus flavis. Subrufous Owl, with longitudinal brown spots, and yellow irides. Strix Noctua. S. capite levi, wridibus flavis, corpore pallide rufo maculis longitudinalibus fuscis, Lath. ind, ern. Austrian rufous Owl. Lath. syn. Descrinep by Scopoli: size of a pigeon: native of Carniola, inhabiting the woods of Idria. AUSTRIAN FERRUGINOUS OWL. Strix rufa. S. éridibus cwrulescentibus, corpore ferrugineo fusco maculatu, Lin. Gmel. Owl with blueish irides, and ferruginous body spotted with brown. Strix rufa. Scopoli. ann. 1. p. 22. Ferruginous Austrian Owl. Lath. syn. Size of the immediately preceding, and inhabit- ing the same woods of the same region. iS Cr es) WOOD OWL. Strix sylvatica. S, ferrugineo seu griseo-fusca nigro varia, tec= tricibus albo maculatis, oculis glaucis. Ferruginous-brown or Grey-brown Owl, with the wing-coverts spotted with white, and glaucous eyes. Strix Stridula? 8. capite levi, corpore ferrugineo, remige tertia longiore. Lin. Syst. Nat. Le Chathuant. Buf’. ois. Strix Aldrovandi. Razz. syn. p. 25. ‘Common Brown or Ivy Owl. = JVill. orn. Braune, oder stock Eule. Frisch t. 96. Gelblicke oder brand Eule. Frisch t. 95. Tawny Owl. Penn. Brit. Zool, edit. fol. Brown Owl. Albin 1, pl. g. Tawny Owl. Lath. syn. Strix Ulula? 8. capite levi, corpore supra fusco albo maculato, rectricibus fasctis linearibus albis. Lin, Syst. Nat. Great Brown Owl. Albin 3. pl. 7. Grey Owl. Wil. orn. Brown Owl. Penn. Brit. Zool. edit. fol. Strix Aluco? Lin. Syst. Nat. La Hulote? Briss. av. 1. p. 507. Ir will be perceived that I have given to the present species, which is a very common inhabitant of our own country, a name different from those by which it has been distinguished by Mr. Pennant. A sufficient reason for this change is, that the Brown Owl and Tawny Owl of Mr. Pennant are now pretty well understood to be no other than the male and female of the same species, differing merely in the cast of their colours, the one having more of a grey and the other of a ferruginous tinge D5 WOOD OWL. intermixed with the brown ground-coleur of their plumage. The separation of the English Wood Owl into two supposed species has been the cause of much confusion in ornithological works; and as the bird seems to be the only British species which is more particularly found in woody than in other situations, the title of ood Owl seems best adapt- ed to its nature. In size this species equals, and perhaps sometimes surpasses the common White or Barn-Owl, and its colour is an elegant variega- tion of black streaks, spots, and freckles, disposed on a brown ground-colour, which, as before men- tioned, inclines in some individuals to a tawny or ferruginous, and in others to a grey cast: on the wing-coverts are several spots or patches of white, so disposed as generally to form three rows of spots down the coverts: the ruff or circle of rising plumes surrounding the face are also largely in- termixed with white, and the lower part of the belly, with the thighs, are of this colour: the tail is varied with black bars and markings on the brown or tawny ground-colour: the irides are of a deep glaucous blue colour: the larger wing- feathers are barred or crossed by several dusky- brown bands: the legs are covered to the claws with whitish downy feathers, and the bill is brown. This bird, as before observed, chiefly frequents woods, and deposits its eggs, generally four in number, of an elliptic form, and of a whitish colour, in the hollows of trees. Mr. Pennant informs us that the young birds will feed on any dead thing, whereas those of the white or Barn Owl must have ALUCO OWL. 955 a constant supply of fresh meat. With respect to the general manners of the Wood Owl, Mr. Pen- nant observes that by night these birds are very clamorous; and that when they hoot, their throats are greatly inflated: “in the dusk they approach our dwellings, and will frequently enter pigeon- houses, and make great havock in them. They destroy numbers of hitle leverets, as appears by the legs frequently found in their holes: they also kill abundance of moles, and skin them with as much dexterity as a cook does a rabbet,” — / ALUCO OWL. Strix Aluco. SS. cinereo-ferruginea nigro alboque maculata, subtus albida nigro vuria, oculis fuscis. Cinereo-ferruginous Ow], with black and white spots, beneath whitish with black variegations, and brown eyes. | Strix Aluco. SS. captte levi, corpore ferrugineo, iridibus atris, remigibus primoribus serratis, Lin, Syst. Nat. Strix cinerea? aii, syn. La Hulotte. Buff. ors, Pl. Enl, 441. Strix Aluco. Lath. ind. orn. Aluco Owl. . Lath. syn. BrownOwl? Penn. Brit. Zool. Tuts, says Buffon, may be termed the Black Owl, and is larger than the rest of the common European Owls, measuring near fifteen inches from the tip of the bill to the claws: the head is large and round; the face sunk as it were in the plumage; the eyes, which are of a blackish or deep brown colour, are buried in greyish ragged feathers, and 256 ALUCO OWL. the beak is of a yellowish or greenish white: the upper part of the body is of a deep iron-grey, mottled with black and whitish spots; the under parts white, with longitudinal and transverse black bars: the tail measures rather more than six inches in length, and is crossed with blackish bars: the wings extend a little beyond its tip, and when expanded measure three feet: the legs are covered to theclaws with White feathers speckled with black. The Aluco is an inhabitant of the middle parts of Europe, residing in woods, breeding in hollow trees, and laying four large, round, grey eggs. By ‘night it emerges from its retreats, in order to prey on small birds, field-mice, &c. and in the winter season sometimes approaches houses. The descriptions given by Monsieur Daudin in his ornithology, and by Monsieur Virey in Sonnini’s edition of Buffon, agree in giving a rufous or fer- ruginous cast to the whole bird, paler on the under parts. This is not observed by Buffon, nor does it appear in the figure engraved in the Planches Enlumineés, where the wing-coverts are evidently striped longitudinally with large white spots, nearly as in the Brown Ow! of Pennant. Monsieur Virey observes, that in the female and younger birds the abdomen is whitish; and such, perhaps, may be the specimen figured in the Planches Enlumineés, In attending to the synonyms prefixed to this and the preceding bird, the reader will readily perceive the difficulty of composing short specific characters, sufficiently precise to afford a real test of the species intended. Perhaps, after all, the UNDULATED OWL. 957 Strix Aluco may be the same with the immediately preceding. ORIENTAL OWL, Strix Orientalis. S. castanea ferrugineo varia, collo albo ni- groque maculato, subtus alba lineis transversis fuscis. Chesnut Owl varied with ferruginous, the neck spotted with black and white; the under parts white with dusky trans- verse lines. Strix Sinensis. S$. capite levi, corpore supra castaneo ferrugineo vario, gula alba, abdomine lineis transversis obscuris. Lath. ind, orn. suppl. 2. Native of China: length seventeen inches: legs feathered to the toes, and barred like the abdomen, UNDULATED OWL, Strix undulata. S. capite levt, corpore fusco-rufo, abdomine albo undulato, tectricibus alarum remigibusque albo marginatis. Lath. ind, orn. suppl. 2. Rufous-brown Owl, with the abdomen undulated with white, — and the coverts and wing-feathers edged with white. Undulated Owl. Lath, suppl. 2. addend. Descrizep by Mr. Latham in his second sup- plement. The general colour on the upper parts resembles that of the Grey or Brown Owl: length Vv. VII, I7 958 BARN OWL twelve inches; legs yellow; toes bare. Native of Norfolk Island in the Southern Ocean, rf he i ms ee ge Hi , Strix flammea, 8. subfuloa varia, scapis pennarum albo nigroque maculatis, subtus alba,” ~ Subfulvous Owl, with grey: : te down the shafts of the ; feat white breast and abdomen, and glaucous eyes. — Be ae i Strix flammea. 8S. capite ae mctis ulbis, subtus albido punctis nigricantibus. © d Common Barn or ‘White Owl. Will 0 on L’Effraie, ou Le Fresaie. ae ois. P White Owl. Penn. Brit. me head and upper parts of the re of a fine eprense: Bete slightly mar towards their Ds, finely pow dered wi sirtransverse specks; while down the shaft . ‘é series of alternate black and he face is white, but the ruff . 1 fifous or chesnut verge in- termixed withwaht@ane-eyes: are glaucous: the quill-feathers barred with pale brown, and the tail slightly crossed by brownish freckles: the whole under parts are whitesometimes marked by afew rw ¥i a A. ¢ ert, Wate > bd A Wau wth al, Ysty ; f ' 33 Gs , q ty ly Py Uff We ps Midd 4 gl} DA GLa if iY IY 9 My i BARN Owl, _ 08 Sp. ahondont ubliphd by Chearsley Fleet Street. BARN OWL. 959 small blackish or dusky spots. This species how- ever sometimes varies in having the under parts yellowish: the legs are feathered or plumed to the toes, which are covered by fine hair. It would be unnecessary to dwell long on the manners of so common an inhabitant of our own country, where every village is acquainted with its general history, which cannot be better stated than in the words of Mr. Pennant, who observes that “this species is almost domestic: inhabiting for the greatest part of the year, barns, hay-lofts, and other outhouses; and is as useful in clearing those places from mice as the congenial cat: towards twilight it quits its perch, and takes a regular circuit round the fields, skimming along the ground in quest of field mice, and then returns to its usual residence. In the breeding season it takes to the eaves of churches, holes im lofty buildings, or hollows of trees. During the time the young are in the nest, the male and female alternately sally out in quest of food, make their circuit, beat the fields with the regularity of a spaniel, and drop instantly on their prey in the grass.. They very seldom stay out above five minutes; return with the prey in their claws; but as it is necessary to shift it into their bill, they always alight for that purpose on the roof, before they attempt to enter their nest. This species, I believe, does not hoot; but snores and hisses in a violent manner; and while it flies along, will often scream most tre- mendously, Its only food is mice: as the young 260 GEORGIAN OWL. of these birds keep their nest for a great length of time, and are fed even long after they can fly, many hundreds of mice will scarcely suffice to supply them with food.” Mr. Pennant farther observes, that the usual weight of this species is eleven ounces, its length fourteen inches, its breadth three feet, and that the middle claw is serrated. Ve SS GEORGIAN OWL. Strix Georgica. SS. fusca subflavo fasciata, gula pectoreque albido-fasciatis, abdomine albido maculis ferrugineis. Brown Owl, with yellowish bars, throat and breast with whitish bands, and whitish abdomen with ferruginous spots. Strix Georgica. Georgian Owl. Lath. suppl. 2. Size of the Barn Owl: thighs and legs clothed with woolly down, with small blackish spots: quill and tail feathers crossed by four or five white bands. Native of Georgia in North America, oe i ee, “ WLINAt raat 34 i ve vata Vs he ) ANH + Thins Ha {H zi 5 SSRI eae 1808. Sep.’ 1 LovdowL£ubtdjd 6} e GMearsle, Leet Street. a 261 Bt ST. DOMINGO OWL. Strix Dominicensis. S. Sug - rufo, pectore maculis sparsis | Brown variegated Owl, breast with longitudi: —rostro magno, abdomine libus. , rufous abdomen, and t La Chouette ou Grand nt-Domingue. Buff. ols. ConsIDERABLY &@ cording to Buffon, to the ~ Chouette, (Wo larger, strongel other Owl, Le Chathu: ) le Cayenne. Strix Cayanensis. Lath, in Cayenne Owl. Lath. syn... Size of the Wood Owl: bill flesh-coloured : fea- thers surrounding the eyes cinereous: irides yellow: feet naked and rather slender.’ “ Native of Cayenne. we Wk weal ews SAM ode Sgt te 962, BOOBOOK OWL. . Strix Boobook. S. fusco-ferruginea maculis flavescentibus, sub= tus ferruginea maculis longitudinalibus. Ferruginous-brown Owl, with yellowish spots, beneath fer- ruginous with longitudinal spots. Strix Boobook, Boobook Owl. Lath. suppl. 2. SizE of the Wood Owl, to which it is allied: thighs and legs covered with yellow downy feathers © speckled with black: bill small. Native of New Holland, where it is known by the name of Boo- book. SOLOGNESE OWL. Strix Soloniensis. S. corpore supra ex atro fusco, fulvo admisto, subtus albo, cauda alba versus apicem lineis ngricantibus de-. cussantibus. Lin. Gmel. Owl with the body of a dark brown above, mixed with fulvous ; the under parts and tail white, the latter marked towards the tip by blackish decussating lines. Noctua minor dorso ferrugineo, ventre albiden Salerne orne p. 50. Lenetu fifteen inches: top of the head and outer circle of the face rufous and white mixed:. legs and thighs short, and feathered to the toes, Observed in the district of Sologne in France. 263 MOUNTAIN OWL. Strix montana. S. cinerea, gula orbitisque nigris, iridibus flavis, cauda subelongata, Cinereous Owl, with the throat and orbits black ; the irides yellow, and the tail subelongated. Mountain Owl. Lath. suppl. Strix barbata. Lath. ind. orn. Native of Siberia: allied to the Aluco Owl: bill yellow: inhabits mountainous regions. FERNANDEZIAN OWL. Strix Fernandica. S. corpore fulto, albo fusco & nigro vario, oculis ngris, palpebris ceruleis. Lin. Ginel. Owl with fulvous body, variegated with white, brown, and black ; with black eyes and blue eyelids. Strix Chichictli. Lath. ind. orn. Sarip to be of very full plumage, appearing as large asa Hen: legs feathered, Slightly described by Fernandez in his History of New Spain, of which region it is a native. 264 TRANSATLANTIC OWL, Strix Transatlantica. §. corpore nigro flavescente albo fulvoque vario, subtus albo. Owl with body variegated above by black, pale yellow, white, and fulvous; beneath white. Strix Tolchiquatli. Lin. Gmel. Tuis seems much allied to the preceding, and is said to be a bird of very full plumage: the under wing-coverts are black, mixed with fulvous: bill black: legs covered by fulvous feathers. Slightly described by Fernandez under the name of Tolchi- quath. Native of Mexico. PASSERINE OWL. Strix passerina. S. subolivaceo-fusca albido maculata, subtus albida fusco maculata, remigibus albo-fasciatis, iridibus flavis. Subolivyaceous brown Owl, with whitish spots, beneath whitish with brown spots, wing-feathers barred with white, and yellow irides. Strix passerina. S. capite levi, remigibus maculis albis quinque ordinum. Lin. Syst. Nat. Little Owl. Will. orn. Penn. Brit. Zool. Little Owl. Edw. pl. 228. Size that of a Missel Thrush: length about eight inches and a half: colour on the upper parts olive- brown, with lighter and deeper variegations: wings varied with pale brown; the coverts with numerous round whitish spots: the scapulars deep PASSERINE OWL. 2965 brown, with large curved or lunated white bars: larger quill-feathers barred with the same colour: face whitish, with small oblong dark streaks: head deep brown, with a white streak on the shaft of each feather: ridge of the wings white: under parts whitish, but marked on the breast and sides with numerous lunated or somewhat heart-shaped brown spots: tail short, barred with deep and pale brown: legs whitish, and covered to the claws with small hair-like plumes: bill horn-colour, with _ paler tip: irides yellow: orbits surrounded with long black hairs. This species is found in many parts of Piast but is very rare in England. It appears to vary, not only in the cast of its plumage, but in the colour of its irides, which in some specimens are said to be black or dark blue; and such birds are observed to be of a darker colour than those in which the irides are yellow. ‘The Passerine Owl frequents ruins, and is said to deposit its eggs in such situations more frequently than in trees. It isa bird of a very wild disposition, and the young, when taken even in the earliest state, soon exhibit a ferocious character, and differ totally in temper and manners from those of the Scops or Little Horned Owl, Of this we are assured by Spallan- zani, who reared these birds, in order to become acquainted with their instinct and habits. 266 NEW ZEALAND OWL. Strix fulva. S. fusca, marginibus pennarum genisque fulvis, cauda_ fascits pallentibus. Brown Owl, with the cheeks and margins of the feathers fulvous, and the tail crossed by pale bars. Strix fulva. New Zealand Owl. Lath. Leneru eleven inches: upper parts brown mar- gined with fulvous: breast and belly the same, but paler: cheeks fulvous: thighs brown spotted with white: tail crossed with pale-brown bands. Native of New Zealand. Itis said to vary in being spotted above with white. ACADIAN OWL. Strix Acadiensis. 8S. fusco-ferruginea albo maculata, subtus subalbida maculis ferrugineis, facie cinerea. Ferruginous-brown Owl, spotted with white, beneath subale bescent spotted with ferruginous, with grey face. ; Strix Acadiensis. Acadian Owl. Lath. _Lenetu seven inches: feathers surrounding the eyes and composing the face ash-colour, but the part immediately surrounding each eye black; and the outer part of the circle mixed with white: quills spotted with white on their outer edges: legs covered to the toes with buff-coloured feathers. Said to be a native of Nova Scotia. 207 TENGMALM’S OWL. Strix Tengmalmi. . corpore griseo, maculis pisiformibus albis, iridibus flavis. Lin. Gmel, Grey Owl, with pea-shaped white spots, and yellow irides. Strix Tengmalmi, Lath, ind. orn. Size of a Thrush: bill brown, with a white tip: between the bill and eyes on each side a black streak: face white, varied with brown: body ci- nereous, with pea-shaped white spots: breast and belly whitish, with dusky variegations: tail deep grey with white stripes: legs feathered to the claws: native of Upland in Sweden: observed by Doctor Tengmalm. Var. DWARF OWL. This, which is described and figured by Monsieur Levaillant under the name of Za Chevechette, is allied to the immediately preceding, but appears to be considerably smaller, since, according to Levaillant’s plate, it can hardly measure more than six inches. Like the preceding it is allied in point of plumage to the Passerine Owl, being of an olive-brown colour, variegated with white: the head speckled, and the neck and coverts dashed. with that colour; intermixed with blackish spots: ridge of the wing and tips of the alulet white: 968 PHALZNOID OWL. large wing-coverts slightly tipped, the quills barred or spotted, and the tail crossed by four or five narrow bars of white: under parts mixed with white and brown: legs feathered to the claws, and of a yellowish white colour, with oblong black spots: bill and irides yellow. This bird was ob- served by Levaillant in a collection of dried speci- mens, and its native country was unknown. PHALZANOID OWL. Strix phalenoides. S. fuloa, tectricibus alarum infcrioribus albo maculatis, subtus albo rufoque vario, pedibus hirsutis. Fulyous Owl, with the under wing-coverts spotted with white, beneath variegated with rufous and white, with hairy feet. Strix phalenoides. Daudin. orn. ‘Tus small species is described by Monsieur Daudin, and measures six inches in length: the bill is blackish; the plumage tawny or subfulvous on the upper parts, and the wing-coverts are mark- ed by six white spots: the cheeks and under parts of the body varied with rufous and white: the wings cover the tail, which is short: the legs are feathered to the claws with reddish plumes. This bird was killed in the island of Trinidad, and is preserved in the Paris Museum. 269 BARE-LEGGED OWL. Strix nudipes. S. corpore supra fusco albo maculato, subtus albo maculis lyriformibus fuscis. Ow! with brown body spotted with white, beneath white with lyre-shaped brown spots. Strix nudipes. Daudin. orn. Descrisrp by Monsieur Daudin: length seven inches: colour above fulyous brown, with a white spot on each side the neck, and other spots of white on the wing-coverts: the under parts are white, witha longitudinal, lyre-shaped, brown spot on each feather: legs long, naked, and brown. The young are rufous, and the belly whiter than in the full- srown bird. Native of Cayenne, ACCIPITRINE OWLS. GREY OWL. ‘*Strix Ulula. 8S. rufescens maculis longitudinalibus, subtus albida lineolis fuscis, cauda fusco fasciata, iridibus flavis. Rufescent Owl, marked above with longitudinal brown spots, beneath whitish with small brown streaks, and yellow irides. Strix Ulula? S. capite levi, corpore supra fusco-albo maculata, rectricibus fasciis linearibus albis. Lin. Syst. Nat. La Chouette ou Grande Cheveche. Buff. ois. Brown Owl? Lath. syn. Grey Owl? = IVill, orn. Tue species here intended is described by Buffon under the name of La Chouette ou Grande Cheveche. It is, he observes, pretty common in France, but does not frequent habitations so much as the Barn or White Owl. It haunts quarries, rocks, ruins, and deserted buildings. ‘The colour of its irides, which are of a bright yellow, distinguishes it from the Aluco and Stridula. The difference however between it and the Barn or White Ow! (Effraie) is more slight, since in that bird the irides are yellow also*, and surrounded by a circle of small white feathers: the under part of the belly 1s tinged with yellow, and the size of the two birds is nearly the same; but the present species is of a deeper colour, and is marked with spots resembling small flames, * In the English Barn Owl they are dusky blue. GREY OWL. 971 whereas those of the White Owl are like little points or drops, and hence the former has been called Noctua flammeata, and the latter Noctua guttata. ‘The feet of the present species are more closely covered with feathers; and the bill is brown, while in the Barn Owl it is whitish, and brown only towards the tip. In the present species also the female is marked with smaller spots than the male, and its colours are more dilute. The ex- treme length of this species is only eleven inches*, In Monsieur Sonnini’s edition of Buffon we have a description of this bird by Monsieur Virey, given in the form of anote. This bird, says he, may be distinguished by the colour of the head, neck, breast, under parts of the body, and flanks, which are whitish, with a faint tinge of red, and slightly clouded with brown: on all the feathers is a lon- gitudinal brown streak: the hind parts of the body, as the rump, and tail-coverts, are of a pale rufous, with earth-brown spots: the belly white: the wing- feathers varied (chamarries) with rufous and brown, with brown tips: the tail is marked by transverse brown bars, and a pale yellow down clothes the legs and feet: the iris is yellow: the bill and claws black. The colours of the female are paler, and the brown spots less apparent. The young are of a whitish grey mixed with brown, and atter- wards grow rufous. In the northern parts of Sweden occurs a sup- '* According to Mr. Latham, ‘fifteen and a half; and according to the Gmelian edition of the Systema Naturze, fourteen inches. 272 CASPIAN OWL. posed variety of this species, figured inthe Museum _ Carlsonianum of Sparrman, under the title of Strix Arctica, It differs in being much larger, measur- ing eighteen inches in length, and of a darker colour, being ferruginous above, with black spots; and beneath marked with black lines or streaks: tail barred with black and ferruginous, and a black- ish bar beneath the wings: the orbits of the eyes are also black: the irides, as in the smaller kind, yellow. CASPIAN OWL. Strix Caspia. §. corpore supra lutescente, subtus ex lutescente albo, lituris utrinque longitudinalibus nigricantibus subtus gut- tatis, iridibus citrinis. Subluteous Owl with dusky longitudinal streaks, beneath yel- lowish white with drop-shaped spots, and yellow irides, Strix accipitrina. Lin.Gmel. Pall. it. 1. p. 455. Caspian Owl. Lath, syn. Descrisep by Dr. Pallas, who discovered it in the desert regions bordering on the Caspian sea. It also inhabits many parts of Siberian Tartary, where it had been observed by Gmelin prior to Pallas. In size it approaches to the Brown Owl. (S. Ulula.) Colour above yellowish, with longitu- dinal dusky or blackish streaks; beneath paler, with drop-shaped spots: quill-feathers barred with blackish-brown: tail shorter than the wings, round- ed, dusky, marked with deeper bands, and edged with whitish: circle of the face white, with black and TAN Pi Poa) aye ay ny LA A AS aN fo Hamed) Ke ha, Bren LLL Oe ee 722 bey x Cat a aye Checers-Leey Hine (2 aoe PALES Lea - PF Sa Fae Be, Pree) a BLE oie aes AS A eemestn. ae a Foi ee AEC 39 peg te pape ees ) preceue (A leH, eae Langer Lhnw Fie Ole $6 Oma ller Fa, UA By ctian Aerts phrew Zs foo- of CGhecenen on os LESLIE aM Bie tA de CANADA OWL. QWs yellowish streaks: above the eyes a black spot: legs covered by yellow down: bill black: irides pale yellow. This species deposits its eggs in hollow spots on the bare ground of the Caspian deserts. Mr. Latham, in his Index Ornithologicus, considers it as a variety of the Strix Ulula. CANADA OWL. Strix Canadensis. S. fusco alboque maculato, subtus fasciolato, cauda albo fasciata. Owl on the upper parts spotted, on the under fasciolated with brown and white; the tail barred with white. Strix funerea? SS, capite levi, corpure fusco, iridibus flavis. Lin. Syst. Nat. Strix Canadensis. Briss.av. 1. t. 37. f. 2. Canada Owl. Lath. syn. Linn aus describes the present species, which appears to be common to the northern parts of Europe and America, in the followmg manner. Body brown above, with white spots: the head black above, with white specks: bill white above: breast and abdomen whitish, with linear transverse (dusky) streaks: the five first interior quill-feathers not spotted with white on their outer webs: the tail-feathers crossed with narrow whitish bars, the middle feathers scarcely white at the tips. Brisson describes the Bird in similar terms, adding that the length is thirteen inches, and that the greater quill-feathers are spotted on each side with white, five of the inner ones being plain. Vv. VII, 18 Dh HUDSONIAN OWL. Doctor Forster, who observed it at Hudson’s Bay, informs us that the male is larger than the female, with the colours darker and the spots more distinct: its weight twelve ounces, and its length seventeen inches, ——————— HUDSONIAN OWL. Strix Hudsonia. SS. fusca albo maculata, subtus alba fusco trans- versim striata, rostro tridibusque fulvis. Brown Owl spotted with white, beneath white with transverse linear streaks, and fulvous bill and irides. Little Hawk Owl. Edw. pl. 62. Strix freti Hudsonis. Brass. 1. p. 520, Caparacoch. Buff. ois. Hawk Owl. Lath. syn. Tue first deseriber of this species seems to have been Edwards, who has figured it on the sixty- second plate of his excellent ornithological work.. “It israther bigger, says Edwards, than a Sparrow- Hawk, having much the air of a Hawk, from the length of its wings and tail; but the form of the head and feet'declare it to be near of kin to the Owl kind. Iam told by my friend who brought two of their stuffed skins to me, that they fly and prey at high noon, which is contrary to the nature. of most of the Owl kind. The bill is like a Hawk’s, but without angles on the sides; of a bright red- dish yellow. I am told that the eyes are of the same colour. The spaces round the eyes are white, — a little shaded with brown, and dashed with small, HUDSONIAN OWL. 975 longish, dusky spots: the outsides of these spaces, towards the ears, are encompassed. with black: without that again is a little white: the bill is covered almost with light-coloured bristly feathers, as in most of the Owl kind: the top of the head is of a very dark brown, spotted finely with little regular round spots of white: round the neck, and down-to the middle of the back, is dark brown, the feathers seeming to be tipped with white: the wings are of a brown colour, the quills and covert- feathers being finely spotted on their outer webs with white: the three quills next the body are not spotted, but have whitish tips: the feathers between the back and wing are painted with broad trans- verse bars of brown and white: the inner coverts of the wing are white, with transverse lines of brown: the quills withinside are dark ash-colour, with white spots on both webs: the prime quill is spotless within, and without on its outer web, and hath hardly any of that reflecting back of the points of the outer web, as is observed in Owls: the rump and covert-feathers of the tail are dark brown, transversly barred and mixed with a lighter brown: the tail on the upper side is dark brown, and ash-coloured beneath, composed of twelve feathers, the middlemost longer by two inches than the very outermost: it is barred across by seven or eight transverse narrow bars of light brown: the breast, belly, thighs, and coverts under the tail are white, barred across with narrow brown lines, in a regular manner: the legs and feet are 276 | -HUDSONIAN OWL. wholly covered with fine soft feathers of the colour of the belly, but the variegating lines smaller; the claws are sharp, crooked, and pointed, of a dark brown colour. There was another of this species brought with this, which was alittle bigger, and differed something in colour: it had all the same marks, but not so strong and bright. [suppose it was the female of this. These were brought from Hudson’s Bay, where its native name is Caparacoch. It preys on white partridges, and other birds, and is so bold as to attend near the fowler with his gun, and will sometimes carry off a partridge after itis shot, before the sportsman can reach lus game.” In the Arctic Zoology we are informed that this species is common to North America, Den- mark, and Sweden: that it never hatches above two young at a time, which for some months after flight remain of a rusty brown colour. ae) | mee ‘ ) avout g Hie ihre ¢ intl “gg My, PORN fd abn sii” aie bette til areal \ £: sat 2 (cca )i Ay 5 oo) L608 Sep2 LondonLub hit by Ghearsley Plect Secet. 277 URAL OWL. Strix Uralensis. S. alba supra fusco transv-crsim fascibtler un dulata, subtus lineata, cauda fasciis lincaribus albis. White Owl, above transversly barred and oe lineated with brown; the tail crossed by loge ar white bands, é ee Strix Uralensis. Paull. it. 1. p. 455. Chouette a longue queue de Siberie. Ural Owl. = Lath. syn. Tuts beautiful bird, if we elegant figure in the Plai perneitess. must % Hawk-Owl above di SSIS ae ever, in aes to) Pesci ‘inclined y of that ing The with v very de ) marks, closest on the head parts barred with similar mar brown; the coverts bordere ff white ; and the quill-feathers: ones: the scapular-feathers whiti four d deep brown middle bars; a brown, with pretty numerous n the bill is yellow: the legs thickly feathered to the : (a claws, and barred | like the head and ‘under parts: down each cheek runs a blackish curved band, as in the Caparacoch, to which the present bird is certainly much allied in general appearance, but seems to have a much more elegant disposition judge SS ‘the 2798 AFRICAN OWL. of colours, and the tail longer in proportion. An observation made by Monsieur Virey, copied, probably, either from Doctor Pallas or Lepechin, seems to militate against the supposition of its being a variety of the Hawk Owl; viz. that the three first wing-feathers are serrated on the outer edge; whereas we shall find, on recurring to Edwards’s description of the Hawk Owl, that “ the prime quill hath hardly any of that reflecting back of the points of the outer web as is observed in Owls.” It is a native of many parts of Siberia, and along the chain of the Ural mountains. Its size is said by Monsieur Virey to be that of the Flulotte, (S. Aluco, Lin.) It is observed during severe frost to retire into the cavities of rocks, and does not again make its appearance till the return of fine weather, ec AFRICAN OWL. Strix Africana. S. subfusca subtus nivea, cauda fasciis numerosis linearibus albis, Brownish Owl, snow-white beneath, with the tail crossed by numerous linear white bars. Le Choucou. Levaill. ois. pl. 38, Falconine Owl. Lath, syn. suppl. 2. whe < In general proportions exactly similar to the immediately preceding species, but is of smaller size, measuring about ten inches im length. Its colour above is an elegant pale brown, the shorte quill-feathers tipped with dull white; the tail ‘VARIEGATED OWL. 279 crossed by numerous narrow or linear white bars; the face and whole under parts white, with the shafts of the thigh-feathers dusky, forming a tine streak down each: the bill is black; the irides yellowish-hazel, and the eyes beset on each side the back part with several long diverging vibrissze or hairs of a black colour. This elegant species is a native of the interior of Africa, appearing only during twilight, and moving with rapid flight. The female is said to be rather smaller than the male, and of a less pure white beneath. On opening the stomach Levaillant observed only the remains of insects, and of a small land frog. This bird, as before observed, emerges only in the evening, and — even later than other nocturnal birds of prey. During its flight it skims the surface of the ground, uttering at frequent intervals a sharp cry. a VARIEGATED OWL. Strix Nisuella. S. fusco albidoque subtransversim varia, subtus undulata, torque faciali nigro margtnata, cauda cuneata. Owl subtransversly variegated with brown and white, beneath undulated ; the ruff of the face edged with black, and the tail cuneated. Le Chou cou hou. Levaill. ois. pl. 39. Variegated Owl. Lath. suppl. 2. Size of S. Otus: habit somewhat approaching to that of the Hawk Owl:. colour a subtransverse mixture of dark-brown and white, with a cast of ferruginous: the under parts more closely or nar- rowly barred than the upper: face white, dashed * } 280 LINEATED OWL. with small blackish streaks, the tips of the sur- rounding feathers black: tail slightly cuneated, and crossed by brown and white bars: legs fea- thered to the claws: bill dusky: ir yellow. Native of the interior of Ate as ob- served by Levaillant. It flies only by night, unless when disturbed or drivei ns et ley woods. , cauda fasctis linearibus ntil a - Blackish s] i e; the tail crossed e degree to of less slender portion: colour which on the head may | the wings are brown, with narrower and more distant lines than on the body; and the tail, | of a darker colour than the body, is ones row subi nte Sah spivy 4 iy vl Cay are it “to use, in the en Sima END OF PART {f. ~ Londons eid inted by T. Davison, Lombard-street. _ * Nace a ery. ee, ia Ms SA NN AN LINEATED Owl 1800. Sop! 7. London Pubbijiid by Ghearstev £ Meck Street The Vignette represents the Golden Eagle in the act of \ tearing a Serpent. to face introduction page 3 Plate 19 to face page 89 118 149 157 V72 82 193 169 208 211 213 215 240 248 258 261 277 280 » Directions for placing the Plates in vol. VI. P part I. \ Just Published By Dr. SHAW, With ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY PLATES, printed uniform with his GENERAL ZOOLOGY, in 2 Vols. price 2/. 12s. Gd. or on large paper 3/7. 10s. Od. in boards, ZOOLOGICAL LECTURES, &c. DELIVERED AT THE ROYAL INSTITUTION IN THE YEAR 1806-7. THE present short course of Lectures is by no means intended as a deeply scientific and elaborate series of zoological disquisi- tions, but may rather be termed, in the words of Sir Kenelm Digby, ‘a familiar discourse with Lady-Auditors.”. 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