Generic Names of certain Eagles. 287 



V. p. 493) as to Falco navius of Gmelin (Syst. Nat. i. p. 258) 

 not being the Spotted Eagle. The name was founded on 

 Brisson^s Aquila navia (Orn. i. p. 425), a species not seen 

 by Brisson, as he has not appended an asterisk to the name, but 

 of which, as Mr. Dresser has shown, the description was copied 

 from Schwenckfeld^s description of the Common Buzzard. 

 Brisson also, it is true, quoted in the synonymy of his A. 

 navia, the Morphno congener of Aldrovandi and Willughby, 

 but stated that the figure was not sufficiently accurate, 

 whilst he also cited " Buteo, Frisch, hujus icon accurata. 

 Tab. 7\." I have not access to Frisch's figure, but Mr, 

 Dresser has shown that it cannot be identified with the 

 Spotted Eagle. 



On the whole there can, I think, be very little doubt that 

 Aquila ncevia of Brisson and Falco ncevius of Gmelin must be 

 regarded as names probably applying to the Common 

 Buzzard. 



As regards Falco maculatus, Gmelin (Syst. Nat. i. p. 258), 

 the case is difi'erent. The name is founded on the Morphno 

 congener of Bay and Willughby and the " Spotted Eagle " 

 of Latham. The first name was taken by both Ray and 

 Willughby from Aldrovandi, from whom Ray's description 

 and Willughby^s description and figure were copied. Aldro- 

 vandi^s description (Orn. i. p. 214) runs : '' Color totius prope 

 ferrugineus est, nisi quod ad extremas alas versus ventrem 

 attinet, maculis multis ovalibus et hie inde sparsis insigna- 

 retur.^^ The length was said to be 3^ spans. There is nothing 

 in this inconsistent with the Spotted Eagle. The figure is 

 poor and does not help much. Latham^s account of the 

 Spotted Eagle is taken from a specimen in the British Mu- 

 seum,and,as Mr. Brooks showed ('Stray Feathers,' iv.pp.268- 

 271), agrees perfectly with the immature large Spotted 

 Eagle and with no other. The description (Syn. i. p. 38) 

 runs thus : — " The scapular feathers and wing-coverts are 

 each marked with an oval whitish spot at the end, which 

 spots become larger as they are lower on the wings, and in 

 the greater coverts they occupy almost the whole breadth of 

 the feather, giving the wings a most beautiful appearance ; 



