276 FALCONID^. 



Gemis SPILORNIS, Grcuj. 



The eggs of the tSerpent-Eagles are of a broad oval shape, rather 

 rough in texture, and without gloss. 



Spilornis cheela {Lath.). 



(Plate XIII. fig. 4.) 



Spilornis cheela, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. i. p. 287 (1874) ; Oates ed. 

 Hume. Nests f Eyijs hid. B. iii. p. 153 (1890) ; Blanf. Fauna Brit. 

 Ind., Birds, iii. p. 3o7 (1895) ; Sharpe, Hand-l. i. p. 265 (1899). 



The eggs of the Crested Serpent-Eagle are variable. One example 

 in the series has a reddish-white ground-colour, marked with rich 

 reddish brown. At the larger end there is a broad cap of this 

 colour, and the remainder of the egg is streaked and smeared 

 longitudinall}' with a somewhat paler tint of the same. A second 

 example is creamy white, boldly blotched all over with rich reddish 

 brown, more densely at the small end than elsewhere. Two other 

 specimens are sparingly smeared with very faint yellowish brown 

 only. These four examples measure respectively: 2*73 bv 2-14 ; 

 2-8 by 2-14 ; 2-8 by 2 ; 2-9 by 2-1. 



1. Dhurmsala, Himalayas, 20th March Hume Coll. 

 (C. R. Cock). 



1. Dhurmsala, llth April (C. B. C). Hume Coll. 



2. [India.] {Ge7ieral Faff an). Crowley Bequest. 



Spilornis albidus (Temm.). 



Spilornis melanotis, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. i. p. 289, part. (1874) ; 



Barms, Journ. Bomb. Nat. Hist. Soc. iii. p. 215, pi. — . tig. 4 (1888) ; 



Oates ed. Hume, Nests ■Sf- Eyys Ind. Birds, iii. p. 15() (1890). 

 Spilornis albidus, Blanf, Fauna Brit. Ind., Birds, iii. p. 358 (1895) ; 



Sharpe, Hand-l. i. p. 265 (1899). 



The eggs of Jerdon's Serpent-Eagle are creamy white. One 

 specimen is thinly speckled and spotted with brownish red ; another 

 is sprinkled with a few spots of dull rufous and some blotches or 

 clouds of pale grey, chiefly at the larger end. The two examples 

 measure respectively : 2*65 by 1*95 ; 2*65 by 2. 



2. Raipur, C. Prov., India, May Hume Coll. 

 {F. R. Bleicitt). 



Spilornis rutherfordi, Swinh. 



Spilornis melanotis, Sharpe, Cat. Birds B. M. i. p. 289, part. (1874). 

 Spilornis rutherfordi, Cripps, Stray Feath. vii. p. 247 (1878) ; Bingham, 



Stray Feath. i.x. p. 144 (I8b0) ; Gates ed. Hume, Nests if- Egys Ind. 



B. iii. p. 156 (1890) ; Sharpe, Hand-l. i. p. 265 (1899). 



The egg of liulherford's Serpent-Eagle taken by Colonel Bingham 

 in Tenasserim is white, spotted, blotched, and smeared with rufous 

 and purplish brown, the markings forming an immense cap at the 



