130 Mr. J. H. Gurney on additional species of Birds 



The latter specimen was presented to the Zoological Society 

 by an officer who had been quartered at Sierra Leone, and by 

 whom this Eagle had been captured in a singular manner, 

 which it may be worth while here to mention : — 



This gentleman, whilst in a canoe upon one of the rivers (by 

 which the colony is intersected), observed this bird struggling 

 on the surface of the water, and succeeded in approaching it 

 sufficiently close to throw a blanket over it, and thus to secure 

 it. The breast and bill of the Eagle bore traces of the blood and 

 hair of some animal which it appeared to have recently captured, 

 and to have endeavoured unsuccessfully to carry across the river, 

 falling itself into the water in its attempt to retain its booty. 

 The circumstance of the specimen procured by Mr. Ayres having 

 killed a monkey " larger than itself " tends to give increased 

 probability to the idea of such having been the cause which led 

 to the capture of the living example in the manner just related. 

 —J. H. G.] 



130. CiRCAiiiTUs FASCIOLATUS, G. R. Gray, in Mus. Brit. 

 Banded Harrier-Eagle. 



[Sent to Mr. Stevens by Mr. Gueinzius : ticket attached as 

 follows : — " 2 • Iris pale yellow. Stuffed full with flying ants 

 (Termites).— Octoher, 1858.^' 



The typical specimen of this bird in the British Museum 

 (which was also sent from Natal) and the present example are 

 the only two individuals of this species which have come under 

 my notice. Both these specimens agree closely with each other, 

 and the species appears to me to be a well-defined and good one, 

 although (as stated in ' The Ibis,^ vol. ii. p. 414, foot-note) it is 

 very nearly allied to the Circaetus zonurus, which Dr. Heuglin 

 has so well described and figured (see ' Ibis,^ 1860, pi. 15). 



The Circaetus fasciolatus is, however, readily distinguished 

 from Circaetus zonurus by the greater length of its tail, and by 

 the five dark bands with which the tail is transversely marked, 

 as well as by the anterior part of the inside of the wing adjacent 

 to the carpal joint being transversely marked with brownish- 

 grey bars, instead of being white as in Circaetus zonurus. 



I may take this opportunity of mentioning that, of the two 



