393^ I^'uies upon Indian and European Eagles, Sfc. 



Guriie}^ overlooked this point, upon wliieh he now holds the 

 saijae views that I do ; and he could not now recognize the 

 Bosphorus bird as A. naevioide.s. There is also the additional 

 difficulty of the totally different tail to contend with. As a rule 

 the tail of aqidla naevioides is not barred, but plain black, like 

 that of aqidla naevia. I have only seen one with the tail faintly 

 barred and the bars were confined to the central portion of 

 each feather. The tail of aqiula hifasciata is always strong-ly 

 barred in the adult bird to the very end, in a beautiful wavy 

 manner characteristic of the species. 



Tiiat the sudden apparition of this eag-le in Europe rather 

 puzzled so good an authority on raptors as Mr. Gurney, is not 

 to be wondered at. The fact of its occurrence in Europe is 

 however very interesting, and I have sent Mr. Gurney a very 

 iine series from youth to age for the Norwich Museum, Erom 

 all I can learn this eagle is common in Eastern Europe; 

 where, as in India, it appears to be a migratory bird. The 

 ■example sent me by Capt. Elwes is quite mature, and I don't 

 think Mr. Alleon will ever meet with one more mature. I have 

 the specimen safe, and any one who doubts the occurrence of 

 this species in Europe, can examine it for himself and be con- 

 vinced, I do not think much of the two parti-colored feathers. 

 This want of color may be merely accidental, for young examples 

 have no fulvous feathei's except the wing bars and the tip of the 

 ■tail. The two feathers are in the scapular region, and whether 

 this species ever obtains buiF scapulars, corresponding with the snow 

 white ones of Aquila niogilnlk, is a theory not worth entertaining, 

 I should rather think not. Young examples of Aquila hifasciata, 

 have the breast and abdomen, as well as the tibise, sometimes 

 mottled with dull white. If this be a regular stage of the bird's 

 plumage, I cannot tell. It may be only occasional and acciden- 

 tal. Mr. Gurney seems inclined to consider it a stage of the 

 plumage. These white mottled examples are scarce. Aquila 

 hifasciata is an a,bundant eagle in India, though perhaps less 

 abundant than Aqidla mogilnik. The latter bi-eeds sparingly 

 in the Punjab, but I have not heard of the other species breeding 

 in India. 



Aquila Naevia, (J. E. Graelin), the spotted eagle. Captain 

 Elwes has also obligingly sent me a fine pair of this species, 

 killed by himself in Turkey. They are in the well known 

 spotted plumage shewn in the wood-cut of Yarrell's British 

 birds. One has the wing 19-^ inches long, while the wing of the 

 other is I9i inches long, 1 need scarcely observe that they 

 are identical with Indian examples, and I can match the pair to 

 a.feathej:j iind also in dimensions with Indian killed specimens. 



