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Show U3 Loral feathers very compact, imbricated, and without bristly tips. Tomia not toothed Pernis. Loral feathers moderately compact, or even scattered, not imbricated, and with bristly tips. Tomia toothed. § . Four outer primaries with inner webs sinuated Leptodon. § . Two outer primaries with inner webs sinuated Baza. b. Bill greatly hooked, and much compressed. Feathers of the pileum soft and blended, without tendency to greater elongation on the occiput. Lores naked, crossed by a narrow line of fine bristles from the anterior angle of the eye to the forehead Regerhinus. B. Cere not tumid, the'nostril broady oval, without overhanging membrane. Tail excessively forked, about equal to the wing. Inner webs of only two outer quills sinuated. Tomia without indentations. Lores densely feathered Elanoides. The transition from Leptodon to Baza, through Avicida, may be expressed by the followiug tabulation of the main characters of the three genera: A. Five outer primaries with inner webs sinuated. o. Tail much rounded. Primaries but little longer than secondaries. Lores scantily feathered. Indentations of the tomia a simple tooth and notch. Occipital crest rudimentary Leptodon. b. Tail nearly even. Primaries considerably longer than the secondaries. Lores scantily or compactly feathered. Indentations of the tomia simple or double. Occipital crest rudimentary or moderately developed Avicida.* B. Two outer primaries with their inner webs sinuated. Loral feathers very compact. Indentations of the tomia double. Occipital crest very long Baza. The apparently wide difference between Leptodon and Pernis in the feathering ot the lores is most perfectly made up by the varying character of the species in the genus ( or subgenus) Avicida, the three species we have been able to examine varying as follows:- A. subcristata.- Loral feathers compact. Indentations of the. tomia double. A. verreauxi.- Loral feathers scant. Indentations of the tomia double. A. cuculoides.- Loral feathers scant. Indentations of the tomia simple. Thus, in A. subcristata, the lorai feathers are only a little less compact than in Baza, in which they are rather less dense than in Pernis. In the other two species they are still less dense, though more so than in Leptodon ( as most restricted); while one of the species of Avicida agrees with Leptodon in the simple indentations of the tomia. Nearly all of tbese birds, including Pernis, have more or less of a tendency in a few of the occipital feathers to form a crest, which in Leptodon is constantly mdimentary, and in the species of Avicida and Pernis frequently so. LEPTODON CAYENNENSIS. Meo cayennensis GMELIN, Svst. Nat. i, 1788, 269 ( not of p. 263!), ( adult).- LATH. Index Orn. i, 1790, 28; Gen. Hist, i, 1824,269.- DAUD. Tr. Orn. ii, 1800, 74.- SHAW, Zool. vii, 161.- TEMM. PI. Col. i, 1& 24, pi. 270; Tab. Mc* th. 4. ' Jricufa SWAINSON, Birds W. Africa, i, 1837,104. Type, A. cuculaides SWAINS. This genns includes also A. subcriBtatus ( Gould) and A. verreauxi Lafr., and probably others, since Mr. Sharpe includes in the genus " Baza" ten species, of which we cannot state positively that more than oue, B. fophote*, is a true Baza, not having seen most ° f the species described. No. 2 5 |
