1873.] W. E. Brooks — On Aquila ncevioides. 173 



in abundance on the shores of the British Isles, and of the United States 

 "whence it extended to the Arctic Sea, and on all the Mediterranean coasts : 

 it had also been recorded by Heller from Rio Janeiro, and specimens would 

 doubtless ultimately be met with in the lied Sea. 



The President announced that the Council had appointed Mr. A. Ped- 

 ler a member of the Physical Science and Library Committees. 



The following papers were read — 



1. Notes on Aquila ncevioides, A. fulvescens and A. vindhiana. 

 By W. E. Brooks, C. E. 



Having received from my friend, the Rev. Dr. Tristram, an African 

 example of the true Aquila ncevioules, Cuv., I am in a position to state that 

 the Indian bird hitherto known under that name is quite a different species, 

 viz. — Aquila fulvesce ns, Gray, as is clearly shewn in Gray and Hardwicke's 

 " Illustrations of Indian Zoology." 



Our Indian species can easily be distinguished from the African bird : 

 1, by its small round nostril, and 2, by its plain blade unbarred tail. The 

 nostril of the African bird is long and vertical, like those of A. vindhiana, 

 A. mof/ilnilc, and A. bifasciata. Its tail also, is a well-barred one, in 

 character like that of A. vindhiana. 



Some years ago, I sent two of the rare A. fulvescens to England for 

 identification ; the one a buff or tawny immature bird, and the other a 

 dark rufous brown adult. By the English ornithologists they were pro- 

 nounced to be identical with the African A. ncevioides ; and as such were 

 accordingly entered in our Indian lists. Dr. Jerdon also accepted the 

 identification. 



I am glad to have been able at last to find out the mistake, and so to 

 re-establish the fine species so long suppressed on account of its supposed 

 identity with another species. It will be remembered that another species 

 of the same author, A. bifasciata, has also been restored to its rightful 

 place, after having been for years confounded with A. mogilnik (A. im- 

 perialis). 



The term A. fulvescens has been erroneously applied, as Mr. Gurney 

 first pointed out to me, to our common Wokhab, whose correct name is 

 A. vindhiana, Franklin : a glance at the plate of A. fulvescens in Grav 

 and Hardwicke's work sufficing to shew not this only, but also that the 

 species intended is the rare one hitherto confounded with A. ncevioides. 

 A. fulvescens, by its roundest of round nostrils and plain black tail, is at 

 once distinguished from the other two in any stage of plumage : it has tawny 

 immature plumage and a dark red-brown adult one. 



A. ncevioides has also a tawny plumage and a darker brown one. Its 



