406 Lieut. "W. V. Leg-ge on the Birds of the 



gry. It had a great antipathy to dogs and chihlren, and 

 would utter its harsh cries when approached by them. "When 

 taken from the nest, the bill was greenish black, with a light 

 tip ; it underwent a very rapid change with the growth of the 

 bird, becoming yellowish at the tip, the terminal half being 

 dusky greenish, leaving the base blackish green. When it 

 died, somewhat less than six months old, the yellow of the tip 

 was encroaching on the green rapidly ; the iris was hazel, and 

 the feet and tarsi fleshy reddish at this time. The red of the 

 tertials was present from the earliest growth of the feather, and 

 increased with age. Tlie head was not bald, as in the adult, 

 but feathered in a point down to the centre of the forehead ; 

 it was, together with the upper part of the hind neck, neutral 

 brown, the feathers tipped light, gradually paling into grey on 

 the lower neck, interscapular region, scapulars, and back; 

 scapulars and wing-coverts dark on their inner webs and 

 towards the base of the feathers ; lesser wing-coverts and 

 under wing-coverts dark iron-grey, margined lightish (these 

 had been entirely grey a short time previous, the centres first 

 of all becoming dark, the colour spreading over the feathers 

 to the edges); tertials silver-grey, with black shafts and dark 

 bases, the outer webs overcast with rose-colour ; quills and 

 rectrices black, with a strong greenish lustre ; beneath the 

 breast greyish, paling into Avhite on the lower parts ; under 

 and upper tail-coverts white ; under wing-coverts at tlie 

 humerus and ulna-joint tipped with reddish Avhite. In his 

 description of the adult ('Birds of India'), Jerdon omits the 

 broad, black, satin- white margined pectoral band, which is 

 continuous with the same colouring of the under wing- coverts 

 when the wings are extended; this is the most conspicuous 

 part in the bird as it flies overhead. Jerdon also supposes it 

 to be mute — a great mistake, as it is, when angered, a most 

 noisy bird. With regard to its voracity, I may mention that 

 one day my tame bii'd (which was at the time confined in an 

 aviary with a Sea-Eagle, Cwicuma leucogaster) seized an enor- 

 mous rat which I had in my hand as I was getting through 

 the small doorway of the building, and " bolted " it instantly, 

 before I could get through the door to take it from it. 



