Nis^ius. 77 



Adult Female. — General colour fulvous or tawny brown^ most of the 

 feathers with lighter margins, especially on the least wing-coverts ; 

 the median coverts darker brown, but not so glossy as the back, with 

 fulvous margins ; greater and primary coverts, as well as secondaries 

 tipped with fulvous ; primaries blackish, externally shaded with ashy 

 grey, forming distinct bands on both webs, these bands more vermicu- 

 lated on the lower surface, the inner webs of the quills beino- ashy 

 brown, shading into deep brown towards the tips of the primaries ■ 

 tail dark brown, tipped with fulvous, the feathers shaded with ashy 

 grey, forming 8 — 9 distinct bars on centre feathers ; head and neck 

 rather paler than the back, the feathers of the latter part margined 

 with fulvous, giving a very mealy appearance ; sides of face also light 

 fulvous ; under surface of body pale fulvous brown, lighter on the 

 throat, thighs, and under tail-coverts ; under wing-coverts with many 

 of the feathers whity brown on their margins, and near the base 

 the lower series ashy brown like the inner lining of the wing. Cere and 

 gape deep yellow; feet yellow. Iris hazel brown. — [Sliarpe, Cat. Ace.) 



Length. — 27 — 28 inches, expanse 67 — 69 inches, wing 19-75 — 21*75 

 4th and 5th primaries longest, tail 11 '25 — 11*5, tarsus 3"3. 



Adult Male. — 28 inches, wing 20-5, tail 11, tarsus 0*4. — {81iarpe, Cat, 

 Ace.) 



Hah. — Sind, Punjab, N. W. Provinces, Bengal, Eajputana, 

 Kattiawar, the Deccan, Concan, Behar, the Carnatic, Central and 

 Southern India, Nepaul and Darjeeling. 



A permanent resident in Sind and most parts of India. In Sind 

 it breeds in January, making a large nest of sticks lined with straw, 

 leaves, &c., on high trees, laying normally 2 broad oval or spherical 

 eggs; the ground colour is greyish white, either unspotted or with 

 blotches and patches of yellowish brown. 



In size the eggs vary from 2"35 to 3'25 X P8 to 2'25. 



Gen. Nissetus. — Hodgs. 



Bill much hooked at tip; cere large ; nostrils large, elliptic ; upper 

 mandible festooned ; tarsus feathered to the toes. No elongated occipital 

 crest. 



Nissetus fasciatus, Vieill [Aquila ajiud Vieill) Mem. Lin. Soc. 

 Pari.^, p. lo2; Sharpe, Gat. Ace. p. 250; Sirlcld. Orn. Syn.p.61. Falco 

 Bonelli, Tern. pi. col. i. pi. 288. Aquilla Bonelli, Less. Man. Orn. i. p. 

 83 ; Gould. B. Eur. i.p. 7 ; Shelley, Birds of iJgypt, p. 206. Eutolma^tus 

 Bonelli, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xix. p. 174; Hume,' Rough Notes, i. p. 189 ; 

 Pseuda3tus Bonelli, Bp. Gat. Qis. Eur. Parzud. p. 1 ; Hume, iStray 

 Feathers, i. p. 158. Nisastus BouelH, Jerd. B. of hid. i. p. 67, No. S3; 

 Murray, Hdhk., Zool., S,-c., Sind., p. 110. — The Crestless Hawk Eagle! 



Adult Female. — Above deep brown, the feathers white at base, some 

 of them paler margined ; eyebrow and sides of neck streaked with white. 

 Sides of the face white ; cheeks streaked with brown, ear-coverts 

 inclining to rufous. Under surface white with dark shaft-stripes; 

 flanks irregularly barred and marked with dark brown arrow head 



