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



as existing in the British Museum, which I recently had an 

 opportunity of examining, and respecting which I came to 

 the conclusion that they were both referable to L. caligatus. 



L, cirrhatus appears chiefly to differ from from L. caligatus 

 in possessing an elongated occipital crest, which varies much 

 in length, but, I believe, is never entirely absent, except, 

 perhaps, very rarely in moulting specimens. 



So far as I know, L. cirrhatus is not subject to melanism. 



In ' Stray Feathers,' vol. iv. p. 356, Mr. Hume gives an 

 account of the changes of plumage and colouring incident to 

 this Hawk-Eagle in its progress to maturity. These changes 

 appear to occur almost entirely in the reverse order to those 

 observed by Dr. Bernstein in the case of Javan specimens of 

 L. caligatus — a difference which, should it prove constant, will 

 strongly confirm the entire distinctness of the two species ; 

 I suspect, however, that the changes through which L. cali- 

 gatus passes will prove somewhat variable, and that the dif- 

 ferences between it and L. cirrhatus in this respect will not 

 prove altogether constant. The plumage of a Sumatran nest- 

 ling of L. caligatus, which is preserved in the British Museum 

 and described in Mr. Sharpens volume, appears to indicate 

 that such is the fact. 



I have not had an opportunity of examining many examples 

 of the Indian L. cirrhatus ; but of four, respecting which I 

 have preserved memoranda, the largest measured 17*4 inches 

 in the wing and 4-5 in the tarsus, the smallest 16'3 in the 

 wing and 3*5 in the tarsus. 



Limnaetus ceylonensis {Falco ceylonensis of Gmelin), the 

 ordinary Hawk-Eagle of Ceylon, which Mr. Sharpe identifies 

 with L. cirrhatus, is a decidedly smaller bird ; I have mea- 

 sured ten Ceylonese specimens, of which the largest had the 

 wing 15'2 inches in length from the carpal joint, and the 

 tarsus 3*6, and the smallest had the wing 14 inches and the 

 tarsus 3*4. 



Judging from the specimens which I have seen, I should 

 say that the ordinary plumage of L. ceylonensis varies but 

 little, and much resembles the first dress of L. cirrhatus as 

 described by Mr. Hume in ' Stray Feathers,' vol. iv. p. 356. 



