232 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXI . 



with one or two additions Avhich the writer has noted for himself, as 

 rare exceptions, biit the method of bringing out the characteris- 

 tics of a genns or species, is, I believe, original, and if not on scien- 

 tific lines, it at least lays claim to simplification of identification, 

 which is the chief object of this paper. 



The details of the keys in most cases have been taken from 

 Blanford's Fatina of British India, Vol. 111., which cannot be im- 

 proved upon and in the few instances in which the specimen to be 

 identified is not discoverable by these keys, a further reference to 

 the above mentioned Volume will dispel all doubt. 



I have already said that the Birds of Prey are but little known, 

 as a general rule, and to give but a couple of instances will suflfice 

 to show how easy it is to go wrong from descriptions, when colour 

 is depended on too much. Not many years ago, the writer saw a 

 very fine specimen of a Golden Eagle, in its first phniiage, in an 

 up-to-date museum marked " Aquila heliaca, the Imperial Eagle'" 

 and a legend beneath informed the visitor that " this bird some- 

 times catches chikor" ! 



On another occasion a Golden Eagle in its transition stage of 

 plumage was the innocent cause of a controvers}^ which lasted for 

 several months, and the specimen was finally sent home for identi- 

 fication. The reason for this is not far to seek. In its first plumage, 

 the Golden Eagle is marked very like an Imperial Eagle in its adult 

 plumage. Both are a ver}' deep brown, almost black generally, 

 both have light brown or buff lanceolate feathers on the head and 

 neck, both have a lot of white on the tail and a white patch in the 

 centre of each wing and a large female imperial would be very 

 nearly as big as a small male Golden. But here the similarity 

 ends. To any person acquainted with the habits of the two birds, 

 they are as the Poles apart. One is a mighty hunter with a very 

 large and powerful foot and claws, an easy graceful flight during 

 which he holds his wings well above his back and shows a large ex- 

 panse of chest, whereas the other is nothing more or less than as 

 Mr. Hume has very aptly called him, a " great hulking kite". 



He is no more capable of catching a chikor except a wounded 

 or a tame bird, than is the Lammergeyer capable of pulling down 

 an ibex or a " ghoorel", as he has been accredited with doing in 

 all seriousness. One look at the comparatively weak foot and small 

 talons precludes any such possibilit3\ In flight the true Eagles, 

 with the exception of the Golden Eagle, very much resemble the 

 Vultures, except that they appear very much lighter on the \Aing 

 and show a little more tail, protruding beyond the line of the wing. 



As a rule when the Vultures are soaring, their wings appear to be 

 broader tban the Eagles and the tail when spread, as it frequently 

 is, forms almost a continuous line with the edges of the wings. I 

 say almost a line, as it is not exactly a continuous one and it looks 



