303 



M. Menzbier on the Birds of Europecm 



AqUILA ORIENTALIS, A. GLITSCHII, aild A. BIFASCIATA. 



Accordiug to Mr. Severtzov, throughout the steppes of 

 Southern Russia and Western Asia two forms of the 

 Steppe-Eagles breed, a third being found more to the east. 

 These forms are A. orientalis, A. glitschii, and A. bifasciata. 



A. orieyitalis. 

 Adult bird uniform 

 dark brown, -with the 

 addition of a fulvous- 

 coloured nuchal patch. 



The first plumage of 

 this Eagle is earth- 

 brown, mottled with 

 pale fulvous on the 

 lower back, middle sea- 

 pulary region, little and 

 middle wing-coverts, 

 breast, and abdomen ; 

 the great wing-coverts 

 and secondaries with 

 large terminal patches 

 of fulvous ; the upper 

 and lower tail-coverts 

 fulvous. After the first 

 moult the fulvous 

 patches of all the fea- 

 thers more or less disap- 

 pear, with the exception 

 of those on the greater 

 wing-coverts and secon- 

 daries. After the second 

 moult the plumage is 

 nearly uniform, but 

 double bars across the 

 wing and traces of ful- 

 vous on the tail-coverts 

 exist until the fourth 

 moult, at which the 

 bird receives its adult 

 plumage. 



A. glitschii. 



Adult bird earth- 

 brown, with the addi- 

 tion of a fulvous-co- 

 loured nuchal band and 

 a pale fulvous baud 

 across the lower back ; 

 primaries, secondaries, 

 and tail-feathers barred. 



The first plumage of 

 this Eagle is nearly 

 uniform earth-brown, 

 with terminal fulvous 

 patches on some of the 

 greater wiug-coverts ; 

 secondaries and tail- 

 feathers terminated 

 with the same colour ; 

 tail-coverts fidvous, the 

 lower irregularl}' barred 

 withbrowu. After the 

 first and second moults 

 the bird becomes more 

 and more uniform earth- 

 brown ; but a fulvous- 

 coloured nuchal band 

 and a pale fulvous band 

 across the lower back 

 are developed w^th the 

 third and fourth moults. 



A. bifasciata. 



Adult bird earth- 

 brown, with double 

 bars on the wings and 

 fulvous-coloured upper 

 and lower tail-coverts ; 

 primaries, secondaries, 

 and tail-feathers not 

 barred. 



The first plumage of 

 this Eagle is earth- 

 brown, with double 

 bars on the wings, but 

 without the patches on 

 the other regions of the 

 body; the second plu- 

 mage is mottled with 

 fulvous. After the tl^ird 

 and fourth moults the 

 bird becomes uniformly 

 coloured, and receives 

 its adult plumage, only 

 with double bars on the 

 wing. 



