640 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL mST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



in India, and is generally placed on the ground. I 

 am inclined to think that stragglers do occasionally 

 breed in this country, and I should not be surprised 

 to find that the extraordinary variety of plumage, is 

 due to its occasionally interbreeding with the Tawny 

 Eagle. In the early spring of 1916 I fomid a Steppe 

 Eagle carrying sticks to the nest of a Tawny Eagle from 

 which I had only a few minutes previously caught a 

 Tawny. Then again, a few years previously I shot a 

 bird which, as far as colouring went, was a typical 

 Tawny Eagle, on a high pass in Bushahr State, in 

 October, when the usual migrants were coming in daily. 

 This bird had not the smallest trace of the wing bars 

 and was a uniform rich brown throughout. Its size 

 corresponded with an average Tawny, as also other 

 measurements with the exception of the tarsus which 

 was 4" like that of a Steppe Eagle. Then the fact of 

 its ajapearance on a high pass just at a time when Steppe 

 Eagles might be expected but a Tawny most unex- 

 pected. Was it merely an abnormal specimen of 

 either the one or the other or was it a hybrid ? If so, 

 do Steppe Eagles occasionally remain behind and mate 

 with Tawny Eagles or do some adventuresome spirits 

 among the Tawny accompany the Steppe Eagles to 

 their summer haunts ? 



In habits the Steppe resembles the Imperial but is 

 m.ore given to soaring and hunting for its food, instead 

 of waiting for it to come to it, than is the latter. The 

 flight is the usual slow heavy flight of the eagle with 

 wings held in the same plane as the body. The tail of 

 this species (and the next) protrudes only a very little 

 more than does that of a vulture and when ringing, is 

 frequently opened out like a fan, which makes it look 

 shorter still. 



The white bars are visible a long way off when the 

 wings are fuUy stretched, and in some specimens, are 

 quite distinguishable even when the bird is sitting. 

 Occasionally almost a black specimen will be found 

 sailing about in the company of other eagles or vultures, 

 but some traces of the usual bars will separate it from 

 the others, if it is a Steppe. 



Type D. 



Family FALCONIDiE. 



Sub-family FALCONIN/E. 



Genus Aquila. 



No. 1203. Aquila vindhina. The Indian Tawny Eagle, 



Characteristics. Nostril eliptical, higher than broad ; tarsus 3" or 



under. 



Colouration. Very variable. Varying from a deep rich umber- 



brown to an almost dirty buff. Sometimes the plumage 

 is party-coloured, being deep brown and light grey 

 brow'n, at others it is more or less uniform throughout. 



