AQUILINE. 63 



eats the cocoons of silk-worms. A specimen, shot by Mr. Frith in 

 Mymensing, first attracted that gentlemen's attention by the alarm 

 which was manifested upon its approach to a large banyan tree, 

 upon which were several of the deep and massive nests of the 

 Sturnus contra, one of which it immediately proceeded to pull to 

 pieces, to rob of its contents, in which operation it was shot. (J. A, 

 S., XII. 128.) 



Horsfield places this bird as a Spizaetus, along with S. crista- 

 tellus, but its whole structure and plumage are more truly aquiline, 

 although aberrantly so, and it perhaps might form the type of a 

 distinct sub-geniis. 



The next species of Eagle has been sepai'ated as a sub-genus, 

 HiERAETUS, Kaup. It is barely separable from Aquila, and I shall 

 merely give the characters of the group without adopting the name. 



Bill small, slightly curving from the base ; commissure perfectly 

 straight; wings not reaching to the end of tail ; tarsus short, stout; 

 toes short ; inner claw very large. These are birds of small size 

 with a tendency to an occipital crest. The inner edge of the 

 centre claw is somewhat dilated as in Pernis. 



31. Aquila pennata, Gmel. 



Falco, apud Gmklin— Blyth, Cat. 115— Horsf., Cat. 53— 

 Gould's Birds of Europe, pi. 9— A. minuta, Buehm— Spizaetus 

 milvoides, Jerdon, Cat. 20, and Suppl. 20— Butaquila strophiata, 

 HoDGS. — Bagati Jumiz, H. of some, i. e., Garden Eagle ; also 

 Gilheri mar, i. e., Squirrel-killer — Oodatal gedda, Tel., i. e., 

 Squirrel Kite — Punja prandu, Tam., i. e., Field Kite. 



The Dwarf Eagle. 



Descr. — Head and neck pale orange broAvn, the feathers lanceo- 

 late, and streaked in the centre with dark brown ; some of the 

 feathers lengthened, entirely brown, forming a rudimentary crest ; 

 a narrow superciliary stripe, and a band from tlie angle of the 

 mouth below the ears, and a central stripe on the chin, dark bi'own; 

 the rest of the upper plinuage sepia brown ; the middle wing 

 coverts, and some of the scapulars, broadly edged with whitish 

 brown, forming a conspicuous light band on the wings; tail dark 

 brown, with a pale tip, the inner webs of the feathers barred 



