OCR Text |
Show 1870.] DR. O. FINSCH ON THE BIRDS OF TRINIDAD. 555 interscapulium are rufous at the base; the upper and under tail-coverts are margined narrowly with white; the tail has a broad white cross band, above this is another much narrower and not quite complete, a third, still narrower and ill-defined, is placed at the base and hidden by the tail-coverts; the tail-feathers are tipped with white ; the under surface of the wings shows a white space, formed by the white basal third of the first four primaries, but this white is speckled very minutely with greyish black, as in H. anthracinus ; the secondaries bear on the middle portion of the inner web six or seven cross bands of pale rufous brown, somewhat ill-defined and mixed and washed with dark brown, giving a somewhat marmorated appearance. This species is closely allied to H. anthracinus, Licht., but may be easily distinguished by the two white bands on the base of the tail, besides the white middle cross band. 2. LEUCOPTERNIS ALBICOLLIS (Lath.); Pelz. Geierund Falken (1862). Asturina albicollis, Schleg. Asturinse, p. 9. Buteo pcecilonotus, Loot. p. 7. Buteo albicollis, Taylor, I. c. p. 79. One specimen in full dress, agreeing with the excellent description given by Dr. Leotaud. Long. al. caud. rostr. a rict. tars. dig. med. ung. 14" 8" 12'" 18'" 3" 3'" 2" 9'" AQUILINE. 3. SPIZAETUS ORNATUS (Daud.) ; Schleg. M. P.-B. Astures, p. 2 (syn. part.) ; Leot. p. 10. Two specimens of this fine species :-one in the well-known plumage of the old bird, as described by Prince Max, Dr. Leotaud, and others; the other in the very different plumage of the younger stage, of which I cannot find any description. I therefore add a detailed account of this specimen. Head, neck, upper portion of the interscapulium, and all the underparts white, tinged faintly with pale ochre on the sides of tbe head and neck ; the sides of the belly and the under wing-coverts with large cordiform black spots, as in the old bird, the feathers on the femur and tarsus likewise barred transversely with white and black ; shoulders, wings, and tail dark brown, and marked with darker bars as in the old bird, but not so distinct; the tail with six broad cross bands of brownish black; tbe upper quill-coverts margined with white at the point, as in the adult; on the occiput there is a considerably long crest, composed of some black, brownish, and whitish feathers, which are strongly worn off, showing that the bird is not a very young one ; on the hind neck some feathers of a rufous brown, as in the old bird, which indicate evidently that these parts are assuming the colouring of the adult. |