18/6.] BIRDS OF NORTH WESTERN INDIA." 777 



*4l bis. Polioaetus plumbeus. (Plate LXXXII.) 



Hulia'etus plambeus, Hodgson, J. A. S. B. vi. p. 367. 



Poliaetus plumbeus, Jerdon, Ibis, 1871, p. 336. 



The accompanying Plate of this little-known Fish-Eagle will enable 

 ornithologists to readily distinguish its characters from the allied 

 though very distinct P. ichthyu'etus, from which species I have 

 reason to believe it has not always been discriminated. As the 

 present example, a mature 3 , makiug the third recorded occurrence 

 of this Eagle in the plains*, is identical in every respect with the 

 pair referred to in ' Stray Feathers 't, any further description of its 

 plumage and habits would be superfluous. 



It was killed at Ghirar, in the Mainpuri district, on February 9th 

 of the present year ; and had my gun been up at the time, the prize 

 would have been easily secured, as it remained seated on a tree on 

 the opposite side of the canal for fully half an hour. Once disturbed, 

 the bird became very impatient ; and though only taking small flights 

 and never leaving the canal, it changed its position a dozen times and 

 entailed a deal of manoeuvring before allowing itself to be bagged. 

 The canal was at low-water mark ; and the fish which had congre- 

 gated in the deep clear pools must have been the attraction to this 

 place. 



Carefully measured in the flesh, the following are the results : — 

 Length 23*5 inches ; wing from carpal joint 16'5 ; tail from vent 9 - 6 ; 

 tarsus 3.5 ; bill, straight, including cere, 1*7; greatest expanse of foot 

 — length 5 - 0, breadth 46, centre toe and claw straight 3'1. 



The legs and feet were white, washed with light livid blue ; the 

 upper mandible was blue-black, the blue being distinctly visible ; the 

 cere, gape, and lower mandible were leaden-blue, the blue being very 

 distinct and a good deal lighter than the tipper mandible ; the irides 

 were amber-colour, and the claws were black. The pads or soles of 

 the feet were as rough as a nutmeg-grater, thus admirably adapting 

 them for the capture of its slippery prey. 



In concluding my remarks, I wish to draw attention to the won- 

 derful development of the ear-orifice, as well as to the slight differ- 

 ence there is between the sexes of this Eagle. The females, I should 

 say, averaged from 24*5 to 25*5 inches in length, with awing from 

 18 to 18*5 ; the males from 23'5 to 24"5, with a proportionately 

 smaller wing. For convenience of reference, I append dimensions of 

 the three adult specimens I have had an opportunity of examining 

 in the flesh, and regarding the sexing of which there is no doubt : — 



Wing from Tail from 



Sex. Locality. Length. carpal joint. vent. Tarsus, 



in. in. in. in. 



6. Kumaon 23-0 17'5 10-0 3"3 



6. Mainpuri 23-5 16-5 9'6 3-5 



$. Kumaon 24-5 180 10'5 34 



* One, Etawah (Brooks) ; one, Lucknow Museum (Anderson) ; one, Mainpuri 

 (Anderson). 



t Cf. ' Stray Feathers," toI. iii. p. 385. 



