514 MR. H. E. DRESSER ON CERTAIN EAGLES. [May 20, 



captivity ; and I have great hopes that, under the care of the captain 

 and officers of the good ship which bears them, they will reach the 

 Society's Gardens all safe*. 



White Storks are not mentioned in the ' Fauna Japonica ;' but I am 

 told that they are frequently seen in large flocks in Japan. Of their 

 occurrence in this continent the evidence is very slight ; at all events 

 no specimen seems ever to have been procured. I have never myself 

 seen such a bird in China. Pere David states (but not very posi- 

 tively) that he saw one once at Takoo on the Peiho river. Neither 

 Middendorf nor Radde mentions the bird in their works ; and v. 

 Schrenck gives its occurrence in the Amoor country on the evidence 

 of a native, whose description tallies so completely with that of the 

 European species, that it was doubtless obtained by leading ques- 

 tions. This new Stork must therefore be regarded for the present 

 as a peculiar production of Japan, probably wandering at times across 

 to the Chinese continent. 

 Slianghai, March 14, 1873. 



5. On certain Species of Aquila. 

 By H. E. Dresser, F.Z.S. &c. 



[Eeceived May 7, 1873.] 



Some time ago my friend Mr. "W. E. Brooks wrote to Mr. Gurney 

 and myself to say that he had received from Captain Elwes an eagle 

 obtained on the Bospborus which certainly was Aq. bifasciata, Gr. 

 I freely confess that I could not at the time reconcile myself to ac- 

 quiesce in Mr. Brooks's identification, and wrote to him to say so. 

 However, soon afterwards Captain Elwes sent to me the companion 

 bird to that sent to Mr. Brooks, which rather astonished me, as it cer- 

 tainly approaches very closely to, if it be not identical with, Aq. bifas- 

 ciata from India. I have also lately received from Sarepta a young 

 Eagle labelled Aquila clanga, which still more closely resembles the 

 young of Aq. bifasciata; and I have had a drawing made of it which 

 I now have the pleasure of exhibiting, and purpose sending it out to 

 Mr. Brooks by next mail. I have also most carefully examined the 

 series of Spotted Eagles I possess, and more especially the immature 

 birds supposed to be the young of Aq. orientalis, Cab., and have 

 found that they differ in having the nostrils almost circular, whereas 

 Aq. orientalis has them elongated. This has led me to the belief 

 that we have in Eastern and South-eastern Europe the large Spotted 

 Eagle hitherto supposed to occur only in Asia, the Aq. vittata of 

 Indian ornithologists ; and in order to exhibit my reasons for assuming 

 this to be the case, I have brought with me several specimens of the 

 large SpottedEagle from Albania, and also an adult Spotted Eaglefrom 

 India. I am now endeavouring to collect a large series of specimens 

 in all stages of plumage, in order to follow up and work out this ques- 

 tion satisfactorily, and hope ere long to place before this Society the 



* This, I regret to say, was not the case. The birds both died on the way 

 home ; and not even their skins were preserved. — P. L. S. 



