PAN DION. 



81 



blackish with a distinct greyish band, tho latter showing- slitrht tips of 

 fulvous to the feathers; rest of under surface pale ochraceous brown, 

 with distinct but irregular trtinsverse lines of dark brown ; the rest of 

 the under surface with large white spots rather oblong in shape, mostly 

 margined above and below with black, changing to bars on the thighs 

 and under tail-coverts. Under wing-coverts and axillaries light rufou-s 

 with very distinct oval spots of white. 



Length. — 30 inches, culmen 2-25, wing 20-5, tail 13, tarsus 4-5. 



Adult Mah.SmaXier ; length 28 inches, wing 18-5, tail 12, tarsus 

 4-15. Chest perfectly uniform brown with no traces of cross barrings 

 on the under surface; breast and lower parts very largely and distinctly 

 spotted with white ; cere, loral skin and gape bright yellow ; bill slaty, 

 plumbeous at base, bluish black at tip and on culmen ; feet pale dingy 

 yellow; iris intense yellow. (Sharpe). 



Hah. — Sind, in the Narra Districts, and in well-wooded situations ; 

 also the Concan, Himalayas, Nepaul, Assam and Burniah ; not uncommon 

 in the Punjab (Shaharunpur District). Breeds in Northern India. 

 Eggs usually one in number, mottled and streaked with dingy brick-red 

 and blood-red; ground colour white. Size 2-8x2''25 inches. Mr. 

 Hume, in his Rough Notes, gives a good compiled account of the 

 aidification of this species. 



Pandion halisetus, Lin. Sijst. Nat. i. p. 129 ; Shaq^e, Cat. Ace. 

 B. M. i. p. 450; Less. Man. d' Ornithology , i. p. 86; 8w. and Rich. 

 Faun. Bor. Am. Birds, p. 20 ; Gould. Birds of ^itr.pl. 12; Bp. Consp. 

 i. 16 J Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 80, No. 40 ; Hume, Rough Notes, i. p. 234; 

 id. Strai/ Feathers, i. p. 159; Blanford, Basin. Persia, p. 114; Murray, 

 Hdhh.,'Zool., 8)C., Sind, p. 110; Shelley, B. Egypt, -p. 203. Pandion 

 indicus, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81. Muchee-Mar, Sind; 

 Much Ml, rung. Hind. — The Osprey. 



Head and nape white ; the feathers of the forehead and crown with 

 dark brown stripes; a dark brown streak from the eyes over the ears ; 

 upper plumage rich hair brown ; quills blackish; tail pale brown with 

 dark bars, whitish on the inner web, beneath pure white with some 

 brown spots on the breast, longitudinal in youth, broader in advancing 

 age, and tending to coalesce iu the fully adult; irides bright yellow ; 

 legs and feet plumbeous yellow. 



Length. — Of a female 26 inches, wing 20, tail 9, tarsus 2'4 ; bill black. 



Hab. — Sind, Beloochistan, and Persia; also the Punjab, N. VV. 

 Provinces, Bengal, Kutch, Kattiawar, Concan and Dcccan, and nearly 

 throughout the Indian Peninsula in suitable localities- Occurs also all 

 over Europe and Africa, N. and S. America, China and Japan. Very 

 widely distributed. Most abundant along the coasts, large rivers and 

 lakes. In Sind it is a winter visitant. 



Mr. Sharpe {Gat. Ace. p, 450) remarks that "Ospreys seem to get 

 whiter on the head with age. The mottling on the breast is strongly 

 marked iu all old birds, and that the tail becomes moi'e uniform brown 

 with age, so that a strongly barred tail is a sure sign of immaturity.'^ 

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