HALIAETUS. 367 



Birds Bom. p. 40 ; Hume, S. F. xi, p. 12 ; Sharpe, Yarkand Miss., 

 Aves, p. 8. 



The Ring-tailed Sea-Eagle, Jerdon ; Machurang, Machmanga, Dhenk, 

 Patras, H. ; Koral, Machkoral, Bala, Beng. ; Kankam, Nepal ; Kokna, 

 Ugus, Kol. 



Fig. 92. Head of H. leucoryphu*, . 



Coloration. Forehead whitish ; crown, nape, and hind-neck fulvous, 

 passing on the upper back into the dark brown of the back, wings 

 above and below, rump, base and end of tail ; the brown with a 

 slight purplish gloss in fresh plumage ; sides of head and neck with 

 the chin and throat whitish, rest of lower parts brown, darker on 

 the lower abdomen and flanks ; a white band about 4 inches wide 

 across the tail, about 3 inches from the end. 



Young almost uniformly brown above, quills and tail-feathers 

 very dark brown ; ear-coverts dark ; lower parts paler and greyer 

 than upper. 



Bill dark plumbeous, cere and gape light plumbeous ; irides 

 greyish yellow; legs and feet dull white ; claws black (Oates). 



There is a distinct ruff of long lanceolate feathers around the 

 neck, the outer tail-feathers are not much shorter than the middle 

 pair, and the wings nearly or quite reach the end of the tail. 

 Lower fourth of the tarsus not scutate in front. 



Length of a female about 33 ; tail 12 ; wing 23 ; tarsus 4-2 ; 

 bill from gape 2-9. In males the wing is 1 to 2 inches 

 shorter. 



This bird is the type of Cuncuma of Hodgson, a name wrongly 

 applied by some writers to H. leucogaster. It is a question whether 

 the present form is not entitled to generic distinction. 



Distribution. Probably throughout Southern and Central Asia 

 as far west as the Persian Gulf, the Caspian and the Black Sea. 

 Common in Northern India and in Burma, but wanting in Southern 

 India and Ceylon. 



Habits, $c. This is a river and marsh haunter in India, and does 

 not appear to have been observed on the coast in Northern India 

 and Burma ; it is common about large rivers, tidal creeks, lakes, and 

 the large marshes or jheels of the alluvial plains through which the 

 Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Irrawaddy, and other rivers flow. 

 It kas a loud shrieking call-note, and it feeds principally on fish, 

 but also on water-birds, snakes, frogs, &c. The breeding-season 

 extends from November to February; the nest, a huge platform of 



