152 Mr. J. H. Guruey's Notes on 



nor do we see any intermediate stage between C cinereus and 

 C. thoracicus. The markings of the tail, however, do vary 

 somewhat : the bars are sometimes narrower, sometimes 

 broader, here and there more sharply defined, elsewhere more 

 obsolete, in some parts lighter, almost pure white, in others 

 shaded with smoky grey. The whole-coloured Serpent-Eagle 

 occurs but rarely in North-eastern Africa ; we found it in 

 winter in the Quola of Western Abyssinia and, at about the 

 same time of year, on the Upper White and Blue Nile ; and 

 we also saw a bird, certainly of this species, in the low lands 

 between Semien and Wogara in Abyssinia. Antinori found 

 it in December near Dokah, in East Sennaar ; according to 

 Eiippell it occurs occasionally in Abyssinia ^'■^. 



I propose now to refer to some South-African specimens 

 which I have recently examined, and which appear to me to 

 illustrate the changes of plumage ordinarily incident to the 

 white- bellied bird, to which, for the sake of distinction, I will 

 provisionally apply Sir A. Smith's specific name oi pectoralis ; 

 and I will number these specimens as I proceed, for the con- 

 venience of reference, tracing the changes from the nestling- 

 plumage to that of the fully adult bird. 



(No. 1.) The youngest specimen that I have seenf is a 

 male from Kuruman, in the collection of Captain Shelley, 

 which exhibits on many of the rectrices the elongation of the 

 shaft beyond the web which is so frequent in very young 

 birds, one of which even now retains a slight downy tip, 

 whilst several of the primaries are still enclosed at the base 

 in the sheath indicative of a growing feather. Notwith- 

 standing these appearances I think it probable that this bird 

 had left the nest for some weeks, as the margins of tiie fea- 



* Riippell speaks of " Circaetus thoracicus, Civw., =pectoralis, Smith," as 

 " frequent in Abyssinia,", and of " C. cinereus, Vieill., =funereus^^ as '^ occa- 

 sional in Abyssinia;" vide ' Systematiscbe Uebersicht,' p. 10. 



t -A. still younger specimen unfortunately escaped my recollection till 

 after the above was in the printer's hands ; it is preserved in the Museum 

 at Cambridge, where I examined it and made the following memorandum 

 respecting it: — "Nestling, with much down remaining; under surface 

 wholly cinnamon-brown ; upper surface similar, but with blackish brown 

 centres fo the feathers." 



