200 BIRDS OF BRITISH BURMAH. 



574. HALIAETUS LEUCORYPHUS. 

 MACE'S SEA-EAGLE. 



Aquila leucorypha, Pall. JReis. Russ. Eeichs, i. p. 454. Falco fulviventer, 

 Vieill. Nouv. Diet. d'Hist. Nat. xxviii. p. 283. Falco macei, Temm. PI. Col. 8 

 & 223. Haliaetus fulviventer, Jerd. B. Ind. i. p. 82 ; David et Oust. Ois. 

 Chine, p. 14. Haliaetus leucoryphus, Hume, Rough Notes, ii. p. 242 ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. Birds B. Mus. i. p. 308 : Dresser, Birds Eur. v. p. 545, pi. ; Gurney, Ibis, 

 1878, p. 454 ; Anders. Yunnan Exped. p. 573 ; Oates, 8. F. v. p. 142 ; Hume 8f 

 Dav. S. F. vi. p. 17 j Hume, S. F. viii. p. 82 ; Scully, S. F. viii. p. 225 ; Oates, 

 S. F. x. p. 179. Haliaetus macei, Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 45. 



Description. Male and female. Forehead whitish; crown, neck and 

 upper back sandy brown, darker on the crown and inclining to tawny on 

 the neck, where the feathers are long and pointed ; remainder of the 

 upper plumage and wings dark brown ; a few of the wing-coverts edged 

 with fulvous-browri ; tail black at the base, then white for about 4J inches 

 and tipped black ; cheeks, ear-coverts, chin, throat and fore neck buffy 

 white, varying in tint from almost pure white to fulvous according to age. 

 The whole under plumage dark fulvous-brown, most of the feathers edged 

 paler, and those on the sides of the body almost black; under wing- 

 coverts blackish brown. 



A young male had the cheeks and ear-coverts mottled and streaked with 

 brown ; and that part of the tail which is white in the adult was marked 

 with dusky. 



Iris greyish yellow ; cere and gape light plumbeous ; bill dark plum- 

 beous ; lower eyelid pale greenish, upper one bluish ; legs and toes dull 

 white ; claws black. 



Length 32 inches, tail 12'2, wing 23, tarsus 4, bill from gape 2'65. The 

 female is larger, having the wing about 24. 



Mace's Sea-Eagle is very abundant in the plains of Southern Pegu, 

 between the Pegu and Sittang rivers, where the country is cut up by tidal 

 creeks and there are clumps of trees to afford it a nesting-place. I have 

 never met with it in any other part of Burmah. Mr. Davison procured it 

 at Thatone on the east of the Sittang river, where the country is very 

 similar to that on the west of the river. 



It extends through the Indo-Burmese countries into India, where it is 

 found in the northern portion of the peninsula, and thence onwards to 

 South-eastern Europe. It occurs also in China and Cochin China. 



This fine Eagle frequents the swampy grassy plains lying to the east of 

 the Pegu river, where it is very- common and where its loud shrieking call 

 may be heard every morning. It feeds principally on fish. I found many 

 nests in November, December and January. The structure is very large 



