THE BIRDS OF PREY OF THE PUNJAB. 



1009 



Polioaetus ichthyacstus. 



Polioaetus humilis. 

 Circus macrurus. 



Circus cyaneus. 



Circus ceruginosus. 

 Astur pahwibarius. 

 Astur badius. 

 Accipiter nisus. 



Accipiter virgatus. 



Basal three-fourths of all tail feathers white in 

 adults, mottled in young. 



Middle tail feathers brown throughut. 



Wing about 14^", outer web of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, not 

 5th, quill notched ; Tarsi over 2^" but under 3" in 

 length. 



Wing about 15", outer web of 5th, quill also not- 

 ched ; Tarsi about 3". 



Larger, wing about 16" ; tarsus Sf*. 



Larger, wing 12" to 15" ; tarsus over 3''. 



Small, wing 7 to 9" ; tarsus 2" or under. 



No gular stripe ; 5 or 6 dark bars, one terminal 

 on 4th quill, in adults (Blanford). 



Generally a dark gular stripe ,; 7 or 8 bars on 4th 

 quill in adults (Blantord). 



Family FALCONID^. 

 Sub-family FALOONiNiE. 



Genus Circaetus. 



No 1216. Circaetus g alliens. The short-toed Eagle. 



Characteristices . 



Colouration. 



Dimensions. 



Habits, etc. 



Size medium ; wing about 21". Tarsus naked except 



the upper extremity, clad with " small rounded or 

 hexagonal imbricate scales all round." Toes and 

 claws short ; inner and outer toes, without claws, 

 sub-equal, as also are the claws, which are not very 

 curved. 

 " Upper parts generally brown. Shafts on head, 

 back and wing-coverts blackish ; longer scapulars, 

 primary and some secondary quills blackish brown 

 outside, the quills white inside except at the tip 

 and the primaries for some distance up each border ; 

 all quills except first primaries with dark cross- 

 bands ; tail brown above white-tipped, whitish below, 

 with dark cross-bands, generally four in number, the 

 first concealed by the coverts ; the inner webs were 

 all rectrices except the middle pair partly white. 

 (Blanford.) 



The upper portion of the breast is pale brown with 

 dark shaft stripes and gets lighter lower down, the 

 abdomen and tail coverts being white, with dark 

 brown spots. The young plumage is somewhat lighter 

 on the upper parts and white below with "brown 

 shaft-stripes on chin, throat and upper breast and a 

 few scattered spots of light brown or rufous on the 

 lower breast and abdomen." 



" Bill pale greyish blue, tip blackish ; cere whitish ; 

 irides bright orange yellow ; legs and feet pale 

 earthy greyish brown. " 



" Length 26" to 28" ; tail 11-5 to 13 

 22 tarsus 3-75" (Blanford.) 



This Eagle, by no means 

 certain localities, is almost unmistakable either a 

 1,000 ft. up in the air, or seated on a tree. In the 



wing 21 



to 



common, except in 



