THE BIRDS OF PREY OF THE PUNJAB. 637 



a very deep brown and the secondaries and tertiaris 

 are paler, more or less tipped with whitish and some- 

 what mottled. 



The whole lower parts of the bird are a pale brown, 

 each feather with a darker border, this border being 

 thin on the throat and upper breast and very pro- 

 nounced lower down. The thigh plumes, vent and 

 lower tail coverts are a dirty browny white. Bill 

 bluish horny ; cere yellow, with a greenish tinge ; 

 irides light to dark brown ; feet whitish yellow. 



Measurements. Length 28 to 32", wing 22", tail llj", tarsus 3-7; 



expanse about 6 ft. 



Distribution. Throughout the Province in the winter. 



Habits, etc. The Imperial Eagle is said to build freely in the 



plains of India and in the Himalayas, though it is 

 generally said to be only a winter visitor to this 

 country. Mr. Hume found them breeding in the upper 

 Punjab and Mr. Blewitt took a nest in Hansi, which 

 luidoubtedly Avas that of the Imperial Eagle as the 

 female, an adult in the dark plumage, was shot on the 

 nest. 



For a long time the next species A. bijasciata, was 

 considered a phase of this eagle, until Messrs. Brooks 

 and Anderson separated them as different species. 

 Mr. Hume divided the plumage of the Imperial Eagle 

 into four phases, viz. the first or lineated stage ; the 

 second with the pale bars on the wing (the typical 

 Steppe Eagle) the third or dark brown phase without 

 the wing bars probably the second stage of the Im- 

 perial, and the fourth or last stage where the eagle 

 assumes its adult dark plumage, with a light head and 

 neck. 



In considering the third stage, i. e., with the conspi- 

 cuous wing bars, as a phase of the Imperial Eagle, pos- 

 sibly in its second year, it is strange that Sir. Hume did 

 not take into consideration the numbers of birds in 

 this plumage in proportion to the numbers he saw in 

 each of the other stages. Had he done so, he must 

 have realised that it could not be the same species as 

 the Imperial Eagle, unless he was prepared to admit 

 that this phase of plumage, once assumed, remained for 

 some years. If, as he considered, the adult plumage 

 of the Imperial Eagle was assumed in its third or 

 fourth 3'ear, it Avould stand to reason that there would 

 be many more birds in the adult plumage than in any 

 immatvu'e one, which was merely a jAase of a single 

 season. Yet the Steppe Eagle, i. e., Hume's second 

 phase of the Imperial, is infinitely commoner than the 

 dark Imperial, and for every one that is met with of 

 the .latter, 10 might be counted of the former. 



However, they have since been separated and the 

 point is at rest but the fact that they were once con- 

 sidered the same bird nullifies the value of much of 

 Sir. Hume's information with regard to this species. 

 For instance he recounts Sir. Hutton's account of the 

 arrival of these birds near Mussoorie. " In October 



