188 
There has been a rather amusing difference of opinion about a 
supposed young bird of this species. Dr. Stoliezka shot a young 
Eagle, at Rogi near Chini. Capt. Beavan and Col. Tytler who 
saw it, pronounced it to be a young Neopus, and Capt. Beavan 
thus announced the fact in the Ibis :— 
“Perhaps the best thing he has, or at least the greatest 
novelty to me, is a young Meopus Malaieisis, Reimwardt, in a 
phase of plumage, never before I-believe recorded. Beneath, 
entirely dark brown, like the under parts of Wilvus Govinda, 
each feather black shafted; the top of the head rufous, (the 
feathers also black shafted) a conspicuous shoulder spot of a 
pure white; primaries of wings, black ; secondaries and tertiaries, 
dark brown, their coverts being broadly margined with ashy 
grey; tail, the same. ‘The upper back is dark brown, with 
here and there a purplish gloss; legs, dark yellow, with black 
claws; bill, horny; cere, yellow. ‘This specimen cannot have 
long left the nest, judging from the but partial development 
of the tail.” 
Dr. Stoliczka, per contra, affirms, that this bird is a young 
Pennatus; he says, “ The only species which I have obtained 
in the beginning of August, 1866, in a forest near Chini, was a 
young specimen of what I believe to be Aguila Pennata, Gmel. 
(Jerd. Vol. I. p. 63.) The specimen is only about three-fourths 
grown; in colouring it exactly agrees with the old bird, except 
that the inner webs of the tail feathers are not barred ; a white 
shoulder tuft is distinctly traceable. Dr. Jerdon says, that the 
young bird of A. Pennata is white beneath. This makes the 
question of the identity of our bird doubtful, although, as I ~ 
have said, there is no difference in its colouring from that of an 
old A. Pennata. The specimen is not a young Weopus, which 
always has the beak in proportion somewhat more slender.” 
Von Pelzeln, (Ibis, 1868) confirms Dr. Stoliczka’s view, 
remarking that the plumage is very like that of a young 4A. 
Pennata shot in Lower Austria. Whichever is right, what 
strikes one is, that both parties dwell on the plumage, whereas 
the structure of V. Malaiensis is so peculiar, that a single glance 
at the feet would have settled the matter conclusively. The 
inner toe in this species is nearly as long and much thicker 
than the mid toe, while its claw is considerably larger than that 
of even the hind toe; moreover, the claws are not merely, as 
Dr. Jerdon describes them, ‘ moderately curved.” They are 
so little curved that, for the claws of an Eagle, one might desig- 
nate them as almost straight. I cannot conceive how Hieratus 
Pennatus and Neopus Malaiensis could possibly be confounded 
at any stage of their existence; I shrewdly suspect that even 
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