218 Mr. J. H. Gurney's Notes on 



For the last five years a very interesting Chinese specimen 

 of the Imperial Eagle has been living in the Gardens of the 

 Zoological Society of London,, to which Dr. Bree refers at 

 pp. 73 and 99 of his work, and respecting which I at different 

 times made the following memoranda : — 



" 15th July, 1871. A young Imperial Eagle from Foochoo, 

 China, has lately been purchased by the Zoological Society, 

 for whom a drawing has been made of it ; it is in striated 

 plumage, just similar to a striated specimen lately sent over 

 by Dr. Cullen from Kustendji, and has the irides very pale 

 yellowish grey.^^ 



" 22nd June, 1872. It appears darker in plumage than at 

 first, but is not otherwise changed.^^ 



" 22nd November, 1872. It is now in good plumage ; stri- 

 ations very marked ; irides now pale clear yellow.^' 



I did not preserve any memoranda respecting my own ob- 

 servations of this Eagle during the two following years ; but 

 on the 26th June, 1874, I received the following account 

 of it from Mr. Howard Saunders : — " It is only now show- 

 ing black feathers and getting the barred tail, with one 

 white feather on the left scapular." On the 23rd February, 

 1875, I made the following memorandum after again visiting 

 it : — " Still chiefly in striated plumage ; but the white scapu- 

 lars are becoming conspicuous ; it now resembles the figure 

 of a striated young bird beginning to change and showing 

 white scapulars, given in drawing No. 8 of Col. TickelFs 

 MS. Indian Ornithology, in the library of the Zoological So- 

 ciety.'^ And on the 14th August, 1876, 1 made the following 

 note: — "The Foochoo Eagle may be said to have attained 

 adult plumage on the scapulars, which largely show the white, 

 and also on the tail; but it retains immature dress on the 

 head, neck, rump, and wing-coverts ; the iris is light, clear 

 pale yellow." 



Passing on to the consideration of Aquila adalberti, the 

 white-shouldered Eagle of Spain, I may mention that I en- 

 similar one, recorded l)y the same gentlemen, the phenomenon was due 

 to the effect of confinement; but these instances are nevertheless ex- 

 tremely curious. 



