650 JO URNAL, B 0MB A 1 ' NA T URAL MI>S T. S CIETY, Vol . A'A' VI. 



Since writing the above I have been fortunate enough to catch a very fine 

 specimen of this species, on the bank of the Upper Bari Doab Canal, in the 

 Gurdaspur District, and some 13 miles from that place. While motoring 

 past I heard a call which was obviously that of a " Spizaeti" hut still 

 somewhat different to 8. 7iepalensis with which I am familiar. On a tree 

 overlooking an " escape," I found the bird and a few yards further on a 

 second one. My net and a couple of quails, always carried for bait, were 

 soon got out of the motor and a nice place selected for the erection of 

 the little vertical net (the "doguzza" of the Lidian falconer). The spot 

 selected was some 100 yards from the nearer bird, and equally visible to 

 both. I got behind a convenient bush, not five yards from the net, and 

 had not been there more than 2 minutes when the eagle dashed into the net. 



Unfortunately its impetus carried the net into a bush a few paces further 

 on, which I had carefully selected as a good back ground for it, and 

 between the struggles of the eagle and the thorny bush, the net was torn 

 to ribbons and the eagle would have escaped had I not been in hiding so 

 near. The other one continued calling and from its darker breast plumage, 

 I put it down as a youngster. While I was securing the eagle, having got 

 it out of the net or what remained of my net, a third one appeared on the 

 scene and flew into the branches of an adjoining " seeshum" tree. The one 

 I took to be the yomigster at once left its perch and sat down alongside the 

 new arrival, still continuing its plaintive wail. 



I have been over this bit of country times out of number, and at all 

 seasons of the year, for the last 3 years and have never seen these birds 

 before, but the fact of a young one being with them would point to the 

 fact that they had nested somewhere close at hand. This was on the 29th of 

 March, so the nesting operations of this species must take place in the 

 winter. 



The colouring of the breast of my specimen is almost pure white, with 

 a tinge of light bufl'. Each feather having a dark brown centre the extent 

 of which varies considerably. Tliese dark brown centres form a row of 

 irregular lines, extending from just below the throat to about the level of the 

 flanks. Those on either side terminate in a deep brown patch, while those 

 in the centre continue down between its legs but are lighter in colour than 

 on the breast and throat. 



Under portion of wings and tail light gray profusely barred and blot- 

 ched with black. 



Back deep brown ; scapulars and secondaries somewhat lighter brown 

 than the back, each feather with buff margins. 



Lesser coverts lighter brown than the back, with somewhat lighter 

 margins and the median and greater coverts, dark brown with very pale 

 margins, some almost pure white, and the bases of some of the feathers 

 frequently showing, pure white. 



Head and neck pale buff throughout, almost white in parts, each feather 

 with a small dark centre, making a more or less regular line of oblong dots 

 which touch each other. 



Irides lemon yellow. Crest plainly visible, black tipped. 



The colouration generally is extremely like some specimens of *S'. nepalensis 

 and a Kieraetus fasciatus which T catight the other day, was also very like, 

 except that the margins to the back feathers were not so pronounced, but 

 taken all round, it would be absolutely impossible to differentiate between 

 these birds by colour alone. The following, however, places them apart 

 at once. 



1. H. fasciatus, longer wings, no crest, irides almost invariably some 

 shade of brown, practically never yellow. 



