191 8.] Nidificaiion of some Indian Falconidce. 57 



The eggs are nearly always one only in number, but ou 

 three occasions Mr. Stewart has taken two eggs in the same 

 clutch. They vary most extraordinarily in size and shape, 

 and also in character and colour of their markings, but, 

 taken as a whole, are the most handsome eggs of any 

 of the bircls-of-prey I know, with the exception perhaps of 

 Pernis. 



Excluding Hume's eggs, the authenticity of which I 

 doubt, I have now seen 20 eggs of this Eagle, of which no 

 less than 12 were taken by Mr. J. Stewart. The most 

 usual type perhaps is as follows (Plate TI. fig. 4) : — Ground- 

 colour white to creamy white, primary markings, blotches, 

 spots and specks of rich vandyke-brown, the majority of 

 the blotches o£ great size, in some cases as much as 

 25 X 15 mm., but, of course, broken and irregidar in shape. 

 There are also a few smaller marks of a brown, so deep as 

 to appear blacki In this type of egg, the secondary mark- 

 ings are ^ew in number and very small, such as there are 

 being of a paler washed-out brown or sienna. There are 

 really no subordinate or sub-shell markings, of the usual 

 grey or purple-grey tint. 



A somewhat similar type to the above differs in being 

 altogether a paler, more poorly-marked e^^. The markings, 

 which are equally large and numerous, and, as in the former 

 type, irregularly distributed over the whole surface of the 

 egg, are more of a dull earth-brown than vandyke-brown, 

 with here and there a faint purplish or grey tint. 



In this egg, as in the last described, there are practically 

 no secondary markings. 



Two eggs taken by myself in Cachar and a third taken 

 in the Khasia Hills (Plate If. fig. 2) are extraordinarily 

 handsome eggs. The ground-colour is a pale cream with a 

 fair number of primary markings of rich Vandyke and 

 blackish brown, some fairly large, but mostly smallish 

 blotches and spots. The secondary markings are extremely 

 numerous over the ^hole of the egg, especially at the 

 larger end, where they coalesce to form a cap or cloud of 

 lilac and brownish grey upon aUucIi the deeper jjriuiary 



