1354 FALCONIDjE. 



1214. Spizaetus kelaarti. Legye's HawTc-Eagle. 



Spizaetus nipalensis, apud Layard, A. M. N. H. (2) xii, p. 98 ; Blyth, 



Ibis, 1866, p. 242, pt. ; Hume, S. F. vii, p. 33. 

 Spizaetus kelaarti, Legge, Ibis, 1878, p. 202 ; id. Birds Ceyl. p. 51, 



pi. 1. 

 Limnaetus kelaarti, Hume, S. F. vii, p. 511 ; id. Cat. no. 36 bis. 



This species is very closely allied to S. nepalensis, but adults are 

 distinguished by being less dark, the feathers of the head having 

 pale edges, by the malar and gular black stripes being much less 

 developed, by the lower parts from the breast being paler brown, 

 and especially by the white cross-bars on the feathers of the 

 breast and abdomen extending right across the feathers and 

 including the shafts. The feathering of the tarsus extends to the 

 base of the middle toe. The feet are said by Legge to be more 

 robust and the claws larger, the hind claw measuring in a straight 

 line from base to point 2*1, whilst in S. nepalensis it never exceeds 

 1-9. 



Young plumage imperfectly known : an immature male is brown 

 above, the feathers with white edges, crown-feathers with broad 

 buff margins; chin white unstriped, throat and fore-neck white 

 with a few brown drops ; breast and abdomen light brown with 

 white cross-bars. 



Length of female 31 ; tail 12'5 ; wing 19 ; tarsus 4*5 ; bill 

 from gape 2. 



Distribution. Mountains of Ceylon and Southern India. I find 

 in the British Museum two skins, collected by Mr. Bourdillon at 

 Mynall in Travancore, that agree perfectly with Legge's descrip- 

 tion, except that the claws are not larger than in Himalayan birds, 

 and Hume has already suggested (S. F. x, p. 336) that a skin from 

 the Nilgiris may also have belonged to S. Kelaarti. 



Habits, $c. Similar to those of S. nepalensis. Nidification 

 unknown. 



1215. Spizaetus albiniger. Blyttis Hawk-Eagle. 



Nisaetus alboniger, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xiv, p. 178 (1845). 

 Spizaetus alboniger, Blyth, Cat. p. 26; id. J. A. S. B. xix, p. 335; 



Sharpe, Cat. B. M. i, p. 271 ; Blyth, Birds Burm. p. 63 ; Hume 



$ Dav. S. F. vi, p. 12 ; Gates, B. B. ii, p. 191. 

 Limnaetus alboniger, Hume, Cat. no. 34 ter. 



Coloration. Adult. Above black, growing browner on the lower 

 back and wings, black crest 2 to 2-75 inches long ; quills brown 

 above, whitish below, with a few distant blackish bars and broad 

 black tips, inner webs paler towards the base ; tail blackish brown 

 above, with one very broad pale band about 2 inches from the end, 

 and the tip pale ; chin and throat white, with black stripes forming 

 a median gular band ; breast white, with very large black spots ; 

 abdomen, flanks, and rest of lower parts banded black and white, 

 the bands narrower on the legs. 



At an earlier age, the sides of the head and the neck all round 



