spizAfirus. 353 



also black, especially the broad cheek-stripes ; ear-coverts streaked 

 with brown; feathers of hind-neck dark brown with very pale 

 edges ; median and larger wing-coverts lighter brown than small 

 coverts ; quills brown above, pale grey below, with distant dark 

 bars ; inner webs mottled with white near the base ; traces of 

 dark bars are found on the scapulars and of white on the larger 

 and median coverts ; rump and upper tail-coverts barred brown 

 and white. Tail-feathers alternately barred black and brownish 

 grey above, pale grey beneath, the black bands the broader and 

 usually 5 in number, one being concealed by the coverts, extreme 

 narrow tips whitish ; chin and throat white, with a broad black 

 band down the middle, and bordered by black on each side ; fore- 

 neck light brown with large black drops ; rest of lower plumage 

 brown, generally chocolate-brown not very dark, with white spots 

 or imperfect bars interrupted at the shaft on each feather. 



Young birds have the head and neck above and at the sides 

 buff or whitish, with larger or smaller brown centres to the 

 feathers, white tips on the mantle and quills ; tail with 6 or 7 dark 

 bars ; lower parts white or rufous-buff, sometimes with a few 

 blackish-brown spots, chiefly on the breast. The crest is often 

 small or wanting. In a further stage the buff and whitish edges 

 to the upper plumage diminish, and there are large black-brown 

 drops on the lower parts ; the thigh-coverts and vent sometimes 

 pale rufous, sometimes brown, and more or less barred with white. 

 Occasionally the tail is without bars. There is a gradual passage 

 to the adult plumage. 



The feathering of the tarsus extends to part of the basal 

 phalanx of the middle toe. Bill black ; cere hoary black ; irides 

 yellow ; feet dirty yellowish white (Hume}. 



Length of a male 27'5 ; tail 12-5 ; wing 17 ; tarsus 4'2 : of a 

 female length 29 ; tail 13-5; wing 18-5 ; bill from gape 1-9. 



Distribution. The Himalayas, from Kashmir to Bhutan. This 

 bird visits the plains of Northern India in the cold season, and has 

 been found as far south as Seoni and Pachmarhi, but reports of its 

 occurrence in Southern India and Ceylon probably all refer to the 

 next species. Blyth described a specimen (as S. pulcher) received 

 from the Khasi hills ; but this species has not since been observed 

 in the hills south of Assam, nor in Burma. It occurs, however, 

 in China and Japan. 



Habits, fyc. A forest Eagle, feeding on pheasants and other game- 

 birds, and on hares and other small mammals. It breeds in India 

 only, so far as is known, in the Himalayas, from January to early in 

 May. The nest, a coarse structure of sticks, is placed in a large 

 tree in dense forest or growing from a cliff ; and the eggs, two in 

 number, are greenish white, sparingly spotted and streaked with 

 reddish brown and pale purple, and measuring about 2*7 by 2-2. 



VOL. m. 2 A 



