gates upn mn d t|e IttMan mxb €nxo^m\x €agks. 



By W. Edwin Brooks^ C. R 



In a former short paper on tlie Imperial Eagles of India (Pro. 

 As. Soc. l^TZ, p. 64^) I noticed three species. 



I. — Aquila AdalbertI;, Brehm., the Western European spe- 



cieS; which I erroneously termed Aquila imperialis, Bechst. 



II. — Aquila Mogilnik^ Gm., to which I applied Hodgson^s 



more recent name of Aquila crassipes ; and 

 III. — Aquila bifasciata, Gray and Hardwick. 

 The above three very distinct species are all European^ and 

 two of the three are found in India. 



1. Aquila Adalberti, Brehm., appears to be restricted 

 to Western Europe^, and probably North- West Africa. I under- 

 stand from Messrs. Gurney and Howard Saunders^ that the terms, 

 mogilniJc, Gm., and imperialis, Bechst, do not apply to this 

 species, which not only has white scapulars, but also white along 

 the ridge of the wing from carpus to the body. The immature 

 bird of this species is also not lineated, but is said to be a plain 

 tawny-brown bird. In this plumage it has sometimes been con- 

 founded with Aquila naevioides. 



2. Aquila mogilnik, Gm., Aquila imperialis, Bechst., Aquila 

 Jieliaca, Savigni, is the true Imperial eagle common to both Con- 

 tinents, and extends as far east as China. 



The old bird is of a very dark black brown, has a cream colored 

 or buff head and upper neck ; black brown throat, and lower 

 neck, as well as the rest of the body, save the grey barred tail 

 with broad black terminal band. Like the western species, it 

 also has white scapulars, when fully mature, to a greater or lesser 

 extent, dependent probably upon age. The immature plumage 

 of this species is lineated, there being a central fulvous stripe on 

 most of the body feathers. That this striated stage passes into 

 the old black brown bird, is clearly proved by the two changing 

 specimens presented by Mr. A. Anderson, of Euttehgurh, to the 

 Norwich Museum. To these I added young and adult examples 

 so as to form a very complete and beautiful series. To look 

 at this series, the impossibility of introducing an example of 

 Aquila bifasciata, a species long confounded with. Aquila mogilnik, 

 is apparent. 



3. Aquila bifasciata, Gray and Hardwick. The plain brown 

 Imperial eagle, which, when immature, has two fulvous wing 

 bars. 



I ought to have termed the final addition of a buff or fulvous 

 occiput, the third stage. 



