AQUILA. 335 



1873, p. 99 ; Dresser, Birds Eur. pi. 344 ; Hume, N. 8f E. p. 27: 

 Brooks, S. F. i, p. 290; Anderson, P. Z. S. 1875, p. 20; Guriiey, 

 Ibis, 1877, p. 215 ; Davison Sf Wend. S. F. vii, p. 73 ; Ball, ibid. 

 p. 197 ; Cripps, ibid. p. 244 ; Hume, ibid. p. 335 ; id. Cat. no. 27 ; 

 Butler, S. F. ix, p. 372 ; Reid, S. F. x, p. G ; Barnes, Birds Bom. 

 p. 20 ; Littledale, Jour. Bom. N. H. Sac. i, p. 194 ; nee Falco 

 mogilnik, Gmel. 

 Aquila bifasciata, Oates in Hume's N. 4'- E. 2iid ed. iii, p. 131 ; nee 

 Gray. 



Jumiz, Jumbiz, Barra Jumiz, Satamjal, H. ; Frus, Beng. 



Coloration. Adult. Lanceolate feathers of head and neck above 

 and at the sides tawny buff ; forehead and sinciput blackish, or 

 streaked with blackish, neck-feathers sometimes black-shafted; 

 rest of plumage above and below glossy blackish brown ;^ the 

 smaller wing-coverts and upper and lower tail-coverts with buff 

 margins ; vent and lower tail-coverts whity brown ; tail-feathers 

 tipped buff, the last 24 to 3 inches almost black, and the basal 

 portion indistinctly marked with numerous irregular mottled 

 brownish-grey transverse bands ; in most adults also some 

 scapulars are pure white, but the white feathers vary in number 

 and position. 



Many birds are particoloured, some of the feathers above and 

 below having pale borders, or being wholly pale brown. These 

 are probably immature birds. 



Tlae young have the feathers of the head, neck, back, wing- 

 coverts, breast, and part of the abdomen dark brown with whitish 

 shaft-stripes, very broad on the lower surface ; upper and under 

 tail-coverts, lower abdomen and thigh-coverts, chin, throat, and 

 cheeks buff ; secondary quills and major coverts and tail broadly 

 tipped with fulvous white, remainder of tail uniform dull brown. 

 This is the hneated stage. There is much variation in this 

 plumage also. 



Bill bluish horny ; cere yellow with a greenish tinge ; irides in 

 adults brownish yellow, in the young dusky brown ; feet yellow. 



Length of male about 29; tail 11-5; wing 22; tarsus 3-6; bill 

 from gape to point 2-4 ; of females — length about 31 ; tail 13 ; 

 wing 24. 



Distribution. From Central and South-eastern Europe to China, 

 ranging north to Southern Siberia. The Imperial Eagle is chiefly 

 a winter visitor to India, but breeds in the extreme North-west 

 and perhaps occasionally in the North-west Provinces, or even, 

 according to Jerdon, in the Deccan. Except locally it is a rare 

 bird, being most common on the Indo-Gangetic plain. It has not 

 been recorded in Ceylon or Burma, nor farther east in India than 

 Furreedpore in Bengal. 



Habits, ^c. A sluggish heavy bird, often seen sitting on trees, 

 sometimes on the ground in open country. It feeds much on 

 carrion, though it also kills small mammals, birds, and lizards for 

 food. It lays, as a rule, two eggs in the usual large nest of sticks 

 lined with a few green leaves, and generally placed on a tree. 



