AS TUR. MELANOLEUCU S . A. adult , B . .
... ■ (Aves_PlateTS) "
ASTUR MELANOLEUCUS.—S m ith .
A ves.—P late XVIII. r ( F emale and Y oung M ale.)
A. capite, collo, humeris, pectore, abdomineque nigro-brunneis; dorso brunneo; remigibus primariis,
secundariis que brunneis, pogoniis intemis albo-fasciatis; cauda suprd brunnea, grisea-tincta et fasciis
quinque nigro-brunneis notatd; rostro brunneo, flavo maculato; pedibus viridi-flavis; unguibus
brunneis.
Longitudo 21 unc.
Accipiter melanoleucus, Smith, South African Quarterly Journal, Vol. I., page 229, June, 1830.
C olour.—Head, neck, and shoulders blackish brown ; back and quill feathers
dull umber-brown, the inner vanes of the latter crossed with many broad
white bars ; breast, belly, and thighs liver brown ; upper surface of tail brown,
with a gray tinge ; lower surface white ; and both marked by five transverse
broad dark brown bands, the one near the points of the feathers widest;
eyes yellow ; bill rich brown ; festoon of upper and base of lower mandible*
yellow ; cere yellow, with a greenish tinge; legs and toes greenish yellow;
claws brown.
F orm, Scc.^Typical: figure robust; bill short and stout.; culmen curved
from the base; festoon well developed; legs very strong; outer and inner
toes of moderate length ; middle toe very long; tarsi shielded before and
behind, and on the sides coated with small oval scales ; claws very long, moderately
curved and pointed ; hinder and outer toes of the same length ; wings,
when folded, reach over the first two-thirds of the ta il; the fourth and fifth
quill feathers equal and longest; the first about two-thirds the length of the
fourth; the third slightly, shorter than the fourth; the second about an
inch shorter than the third ; tail long, its tip slightly rounded.
DIMENSIONS.
Inches. Lines.
Length from the tip of the bill to the
end of the tail.................... 21 0
of the bill from the angle of the
mouth.;.............................. 1 1^
of the wings when folded ...... '12 9
of the tail ............................. 9 6
Inches. Lines.
Length of the tarsus ......................... 3 0
of the middle toe* .................. 1 1
of the inner toe ..................... 1 11
of the hinder toe...................... 1 0
* When it is not added that the claw is included, it is always to be understood that the measurement
applies to the toe without the claw.