1872.] UAPTOKIAL BIROS OF INDIA. 69 



judging from the frequency of their visits and the pugnacious way 

 in which they attacked every bird that unconsciously approached 

 within sight, no matter how far off. During one of my visits to the 

 tree, I saw both the birds in hot pursuit of a Jugger Falcon that 

 was flying away with a Pigeon. Another day I wounded a Poliornis 

 teesa, which flew away dangling both legs. Simultaneously with my 

 shot out flew one of these Wokabs, and pursued the wounded Buz- 

 zard, in the vain hope of becoming possessed of its prey ! The 

 Eagle very soon overtook the unfortunate bird, flying round it several 

 times by way of inspection, and when satisfied that no booty was 

 forthcoming, it returned to the nest after two or three rapid gyra- 

 tions. 



As mentioned by Jerdon, the Wokab subsists to a great extent by 

 robbing other birds of prey of their earnings. The stomach of one I 

 examined contained a large Field-Rat (Gerbillus indicus) ; the head 

 and shoulders had been swallowed whole ; and the tail alone mea- 

 sured eight inches long. Not long ago I shot one in the act of eating 

 a Wild Pigeon {Columba intermedia), which must have been caught 

 out of a flock of several thousands which were settling on a few 

 solitary trees for the purpose of roosting. 



I have said that probably no two birds approach each other more 

 in some phases of plumage than do the Indiau Tawny (A. fulvescens) 

 and the European Tawny {A. ncevioides) Eagles. But a remarkable 

 characteristic in these two birds is, that their adult livery is assumed 

 in reverse ratio to each other. Aquila fulvescens gets paler as it 

 advances in age ; and I have specimens of a uniform cream-colour, 

 showing every signs of age, very like the second figure of Aquila 

 ncevioides in 'The Ibis' for 1865, page 166. The latter, per contra, 

 is pale buff when immature, and gradually assumes a rich chocolate- 

 brown when fully adult. There is no doubt, however, that A. ful- 

 vescens might be mistaken at a distance, either in its dark brown or 

 pale buff stage for A. ncevioides ; and many a one I have shot in the 

 hope of finding a specimen of the latter bird. 



That the Wokab can be mistaken for something even better than 

 the A. ncevioides is proved by the sequel; for, since the first portion 

 of these " Notes " was written, I shot a dark-looking bird off a 

 telegraph-post, on the 28tb of September last, and found myself iii 

 possession of a beautifully spotted (immature) female specimen of 

 that somewhat mystical bird Aquila hastata, the first example I had 

 ever seen in the flesh. 



30. Aquila hastata, Less. (The Long-legged Eagle.) 

 I did not anticipate the gratification of being able to include this 

 rare and interesting bird in the present paper when I first undertook 

 it, a gratification which has been very considerably increased by my 

 being already in a position to furnish Messrs. Gurney and Tristram 

 with specimens of my own shooting. As I believe this Eagle is not 

 at present represented in any of our British museums, and as the 

 author of • Rough Notes' alludes to it as a "doubtful species" *, I 

 * Rough !N T otes. pt. i. p. 181. 



