Letters, Announcements, tyc. 423 



fasciata shot at Futtehgurh, in Northern India, by Mr. A. 

 Anderson, which closely resemble the particoloured feathers 

 of Aquila ncevioides, and prove that this phase of plumage 

 also occurs in A. bifasciata, though, I apprehend, only occa- 

 sionally, and not as the invariable form of adult dress, which 

 it is in the case of South- African specimens of A. ncevioides. 

 Under these circumstances I have now no doubt that I was 

 wrong in considering the two Eagles brought from the Bos- 

 phorus to be dark specimens of Aquila ncevioides. 



Mr. H. E. Dresser, in a paper recently communicated to 

 the Zoological Society, stated that he has lately examined one 

 of the Bosphorus Eagles procured from that locality by Capt. 

 Elwes, and considered it to be " an adult or, rather, a very 

 old specimen of Aquila orientalis.'' 



Mr. Brooks, however, as already mentioned, positively 

 identifies the Bosphorus Eagle in his possession with Aquila 

 bifasciata. 



Are then A. orientalis and A. bifasciata one and the same 

 species ? I can hardly think so, as, though undoubtedly very 

 nearly related, the specimens of A. orientalis which I have 

 examined are on the average smaller and darker birds than the 

 examples of A. bifasciata which have come under my notice. 



This being the case, I concur with Mr. Dresser in the 

 opinion which he has expressed in the paper above referred 

 to, that the question of the identity or otherwise of A. orien- 

 talis and A. bifasciata must remain an open one till a larger 

 number of specimens (and especially immature specimens of 

 A. orientalis) have been obtained for comparison than we have 

 at present access to for that purpose. 



I am yours, &c. 



J. H. GURNEY. 



Chefo, 30th April, 1873. 

 Sir, — I have a few more words to say of my doings in or- 

 nithology at Shanghai. I did not leave Shanghai till the 

 23rd of April, and so had several more opportunities of visit- 

 ing the market since I last wrote*. On the 14th I procured 

 « * Vide supra, p. 364. 



