340 BIRDS OCCURRING IN INDIA NOT DESCRIBED 



what darker, and all but these broadly margined with fulvous 

 white, and with the margins much abraded ; the middle of 

 the back buff, the bases of the feathers white, and showing 

 through ; the feathers of the rump light brown, broadly- 

 margined with buffy white and white ; the upper tail-coverts 

 pure white ; the tail brown, paler towards the tips, the mar- 

 gins of which are almost white ; the lesser and median coverts 

 light brown, each broadly margined with buff towards the base, 

 and white towards the tip. 



The greater coverts, except those of the first three or four 

 primaries, a rather darker brown than the median, margined 

 towards the tips with white, and those of the last three prima- 

 ries margined with white, the whole way up the outer webs. 

 The first seven primaries blackish brown, but the outer webs 

 above the marginations a redder brown ; the last three pri- 

 maries not only tipped with white, but with a broad white 

 margin all the way up the outer webs ; the winglet, the 

 greater coverts of the first three primaries, and the secondaries 

 a rich umber brown, showing, in some lights, a purple gloss ; 

 the secondaries narrowly tipped with white ; the axillaries, 

 and the whole of the lower lesser wing-coverts and median 

 coverts, except just at the carpal joint, a warmer buff than even 

 the breast, a sort of rufous salmon colour I might almost call 

 it ; feathers below the vent and lower tail-coverts a slightly buffy 

 white ; longest thigh-coverts and tarsus feathers dirty fulvous, 

 or buffy white. — Hume % u Rough Notes." 



39 Us.— Spilornis melanotis, Jerd. 



The Southern Indian Harrier Eagle differs perceptibly 

 from S. cheela of Upper India ; the wings of the latter vary in 

 the males from 18*5 to nearly 20 inches, and in the 

 females from 19*5 to nearly 21 ; while in this present species 

 they vary in the males from 17 to barely 18 inches, and in 

 the females from 18 to 18*5 inches ; the lower parts also are 

 somewhat less conspicuously ocellated, and the barring on the 

 breast, so conspicuous in adult cheela, is almost entirely 

 wanting. Mr. Blanford, to whom I owe one specimen, suggest- 

 ed that this might be S. spilogaster, of Blyth, and I myself 

 at one time adopted this view, but Blyth himself identifies 

 this with S. elgini, of Tytler, which however he then con- 

 sidered the same as bacha, and in none of which the wing 

 exceeds 15 inches. Moreover, Blyth remarks of his species 

 that it has a (l less developed crest, and much less of black 



