1871.] RAPTORIAL BIRDS OF INDIA. 685 



supposed to have a white scapulary patch, and that the European 

 one, on the other hand, has no lineated stage. Now it will be seen 

 that the only black Imperial got by me had hardly any traces of 

 white feathers, and that they were entirely wanting on one side. 

 This would correspond with what Dr. Tristram has written ; but un- 

 fortunately I have at present two more black birds (given to me) 

 which have the white shoulders conspicuous enough, though by no 

 means so large as shown in Bree's plate. I have just examined these 

 three birds with the plate in question, with the following results : — 



1. The tail in the European bird has a broad terminal band, and 

 two distinct bars between that and the base of the tail. All three 

 Indian examples have the same terminal band ; but instead of the 

 two distinct bars there are several (five or six) wavy marks, some- 

 what indistinct and irregular. 



2. The Indian specimens want the light colour down the centre 

 of the back, though the head agrees well enough. They also want 

 the light ochreous shade between the shoulder and side of neck. 



3. The Indian birds are, on the whole, very much blacker, and 

 the white on the scapulary region is not so conspicuous ; in one spe- 

 cimen it is as good as wanting. 



With regard to the lineated stage, it is by far the most common 

 bird in this country. Next in order comes the double-banded one, 

 A. bifasciata, then the plain brown stage with light head, and lastly 

 the fully adult black bird. Of the latter I bagged the only one seen, 

 and of the three first I saw fully a hundred birds. It was my inten- 

 tion to send home a bird in each stage, as also the black one 

 without white shoulders, to the Secretary, for exhibition at this 

 Meeting ; but, unfortunately, the present postal arrangements pre- 

 vent my doing so. 



There is another point regarding which I would wish to say a few 

 words before concluding my remarks on this very interesting subject. 

 It would appear that the Imperial and Tawny Eagle {A. ncevi- 

 oides, Cuv.), as also the Spotted Eagle (A. ncevia), have been much 

 confused by European writers — to wit, the admission of A. ncevioides 

 into Bree's work, when it had no right to a place, at that time, in the 

 European list *. 



Again, Captain Elwes, in his interesting paper " on the Birds of 

 Turkey," states that a " series of Imperial, Tawny, and Spotted 

 Eagles could be produced running imperceptibly into each other in 

 size, and nearly similar in colour." I could make further quotations 

 to show that the structural difference between the two races of 

 Eagles, viz. the Imperial in all four stages (and with this I would unite 

 the Indian Tawny Eagle, A. fulvescens), on the one hand, and A. 

 ncevia and ncevioides, on the other band, have not been noticed, 

 certainly not pointed out. Leaving alone the question of plumage 

 for the present, I would observe that the shape of the nostril alone 

 is amply sufficient to separate the two races of Eagles. It will be 

 seen that in the former two birds the nostrils are elongated and ver- 

 tical, wider at the base than at the top, whereas in the two latter 

 * Lord Lilford on the Ornithology of Spain, 'Ibis,' 1865, p. 173. 





