654 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXJ I. 



the usual contortions of a bird of prey casting its 

 pellet. My rat -was stiU in comparative darkness and 

 I began to think the eagle would move off without 

 seeing it, when suddenly the sharp eyes caught the 

 movement, and the head nodded two or three times 

 in the direction of the net and the next instant, the 

 bird was safe in the net. Much given to soaring and, 

 in the breeding season, talks most whilst in the air. 



They usually soar in pairs, but a pair seldom hunts 

 together, and though both may be in the same ravine, 

 they select different trees, usually a good distance 

 apart, on which to wait for game. 



During the day, the very top of a tree or a large 

 branch of some dead tree may be selected for their 

 midday rest, but when on the look out for game, they 

 almost invariably take up their position somewhere 

 in the middle of a tree, which is well covered with 

 foliage, and are thus well concealed from view. 



Though this species is said to lay two eggs I have 

 never seen more than one young bird in a nest, or 

 accompanying the parents. 



The parents appear to drive the youngster away 

 from their special naUah, very soon after he has 

 learnt to fly, and about one month's tuition in the 

 art of catching game is all they seem to consider 

 necessary for him. 



Type E. 



Family FALCONID^. 



Sub-family rALCONINA\ 



Genus Archibuteo. 



No. 1242. Archibuteo Jiemiptilopus. The Himalayan Rough-legged Buzzard. 



CJiaracteristics. Head feathered ; tarsi feathered to the toes, in front 



only, naked behind. 



Colouration. "Upper parts brown, feathers of nape and upper 



back broadly edged with rufous, a few of the wing- 

 coverts the same in some specimens ; upper tail- 

 coverts with rufous or buff tips and bars, bases of 

 nuchal feathers white ; quills as in Buteo, ferox, 

 white ; tail brown above, sometimes pale rufous in 

 part, whitish below, barred darker ; lower parts brown, 

 with or without rufous, or white with brown spots 

 on the throat and breast ; flanks and thigh-coverts 

 always brown. When the lower parts are brown 

 the middle of the breast is often white or rufous." 

 (Blanford.) 



"One specimen is dark chocolate- brown through- 

 out, there is scarcely any white even on the bases 

 of the primaries, and pale bands only on the basal 

 portion of the tail." (Blanford.) 



BiU dusky horn-coloxured, yellowish laterally at 

 base of mandible ; toes and naked part of tarscu> 

 livid waxy, claws homy black. 



