39. AQTTILA. 239 



to be effected mostly by a gradual change in the coloration of the 

 feather, by means of the spreading of the brown colour. At present 

 I have seen no specimen in actual moult ; yet it is very probable that 

 a partial moult occurs, and that the new feathers, which are parti- 

 coloured, gradually get entirely black. The Museum contains an 

 example, in full progress towards the black dress, kiUed in the 

 month of April, probably in the second year of the bird's age. 



Adult male. Blackish brown above, much lighter brown on the 

 upper part of the back and on the upper tail-coverts, which are 

 mottled with white near the base, and broadly tipped with the same ; 

 many of the scapulars pure white, forming a conspicuous patch, 

 which, however, is confined to the scapulars themselves ; the least 

 wing-coverts slightly mottled with brown, but not with white, near 

 the carpal bend ; rest of wing-coverts blackish brown, uniform with 

 interscapulary region ; quills blackish, the primaries externally 

 shaded with ashy grey, the secondaries browner, the innermost 

 slightly tipped with buffy white ; the lower surface of wing ashy 

 brown, the primaries mottled with whitish at base of inner web ; taU 

 ashy grey for a little more than the basal two thirds, shaded with 

 silvery grey, and mottled with blackish brown, forming indistinct and 

 broken bars on some of the feathers, the terminal third blackish 

 brown, with a narrow tip of fulvous ; head and neck light fulvous, 

 with fawn-coloured bases to some of the nape-feathers ; feathers of 

 hind neck dark fawn-brown, with light buff tips and dark brown 

 centres ; forehead and anterior part of crown blackish, as well as 

 the feathers over the eye ; sides of face and of neck light fulvous like 

 the crown, the feathers under the eyes inclining to brown ; cheeks 

 and entire underparts blackish, the under tail-coverts tawny buff, 

 with dark-brown shaft-lines and whitish tips to the feathers ; under 

 wing-coverts and axillaries blackish, like the breast ; cere pale 

 yellow ; bill bluish, darker at tip ; feet pale yellow ; iris brownish 

 yellow. Total length 31 inches, culmen 2-6, wing 22-6, taU 11-3, 

 tarsus 3-9. 



Adult female. A little larger than the male. Total length 

 32 inches, wing 23-75, tail 11-5, tarsus 3-85. 



Hah. South-eastern Europe, eastwards throughout Northern India 

 to China. Yery rarely ranging into Central Europe. 



4. Aquila adalberti. 



Aquila adalberti major, Brehm, Ber. J'ers, deutsch. Orn. Ges. 1860, 

 p. 5o. 



