AQIILA. 333 



cere, the margin of the upper mandible straight or with a very shght 

 festoon ; wings long, the 4th or 5th quill longest ; tail moderate, 

 slightly rounded or nearly even ; tarsus feathered to the toes ; 

 claws curved, strong and sharp, the hind toe and claw powerful. 



The coloration is dark, and in adults as a rule nearly uniform 

 throughout. Eagles prey on mammals, birds, and sometimes 

 on reptiles, frogs, &c., and all or nearly all feed on carrion as 

 well. The genus is found throughout Europe and Asia and North 

 America, and seven species occur in India. 



Key to the Sj^ecies. 



a. Nostril elUptical or ear-shaped, higher thau 



broad. 

 a' , Claws very large, hind claw 2*5-4 in . round 



curve A. chrysa'etus, p. 333. 



b'. Claws moderate, hind claw very rarely 

 exceeding 2 in. round curve. 

 a!'. Wing in S 21-23, in $ 23-24-5. 

 a^. Plumage deep blackish brown, crown 



and nape tawny A. heliaca ad., p. 334. 



h^. Plumage deep umber-brown through- 

 out, or a pale patch on the nape [p. 336, 



only A. bifasciata ad., 



c^. Lower plumage striated A. heliaca juv., p. 334. 



cP. Lower plumage not striated, pale 



tips to larger wing-coverts and to [p. 336, 



secondaries A. bifasciata juv., 



h". Wing in S under 21, in $ under 22 . . A. vindhiana, p. 337. 



b. Nostril round, as broad as high. 



c'. Whole head and lower parts uniformly 



pale tawny or rufous A.fulvescens, p. 339. 



d\ Head and lower parts dark brown, or not 

 unifoi'mly coloured. 



c". Wing S 19-20, $ 20-5-21-5 A. maculata, p. 340. 



d". Wing S about 18, 5 19 A. hastata, p. .341. 



1200. Aquila chrysaetus. The Golden Eagle. 



Falco chrysaetus, Linn. Syst. Nat. i, p. 125 (1766). 



Aquila chrysaetus, Blyth, Cat. p. 26 ; Hovsf. S^ M. Cat. i, p. 47 ; 

 Jerdon, B. I. i, p. 55 ; id. Ibis, 1871, p. 244 ; Hume, Rough Notes, 

 p. 139 ; id. S. F. i, p. 157 ; id. Cat. no. 26 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, 

 p. 235 ; Umvin, P. Z. S. 1874, p. 208 ; Scully, S. F. iv, p. 123 ; 

 Gurney,Ibis, 1877, p. 210; Biddulph, Ibis, 1881, p. 41; Scully, 

 ibid. p. 419 ; C. H. T. Marshall, Ibis, 1884, p. 406 ; Barnes, Birds 

 Bom. p. 25 ; Oates in Humes N. ^- E. 2ud ed. iii, p. 130 ; Sharpe, 

 Yarkand Miss., Aves, p. 7. 



Muriari, H., Chamba. 



Coloration. Adult. Feathers of lores whitish, with black hair- 

 like tips ; crown and sides of head dark brown ; feathers of nape, 

 hind-neck, and sides of neck lanceolate, rufous tawny, dark brown 

 at the base and black-shafted ; rest of plumage blackish brown ; 

 the feathers of the upper parts white or mottled with white towards 



