270 ORNITHOLOGICAL NOTES AND CORRECTIONS. 
is conclusive as to specific distinctness. I have seen several in 
other stages of plumage, up to the entirely spotless one, but 
it would take up too much time now to copy the detailed de- 
scriptions out of my note-book. 
It will be well tonote here the points of difference between 
this Eagle and Aquila hastata, with which it may be very 
easily confounded :— 
1. The nuchal patch in first plumage; and it is strange 
that this Eagle has a nuchal patch in jfirst plumage, while the 
much larger Aquila nipalensis gets the nuchal patch in the Anal 
stage. 
2. More rufous in general tone of plumage. 
3. Inclined to have a paler and more sandy-colored 
head. 
4. Frequently the upper part of the wing or carpal region, 
and immediately below the scapulars when the wing is closed, 
is of a very light brown, contrasting strongly with the darker 
brown of the back. I have seen many examples of Aguila 
hastata, but in only one in the museum of Mr Hume, is this 
peculiarity marked. It is conspicuous in most examples of the 
common Indian Kite, Milvus affinis. 
5. The nostril asa rule is larger, but of the same shape 
6. The outline of the top of skull, seen in elevation, 
has the occipital portion raised higher above the line of top 
of bill than in hastata. This is generally the case, but a 
few have the skull-shaped as in hastata. 
7. The darker lower tail coverts of the immature bird and 
which are sometimes tipped, and sometimes striped with dull 
yellowish white. 
8. The spots in the lower back, and which I have only 
seen in one example of hastata from Darjeeling collected by 
Major Sharp, and now in the collection of skins in the British 
museum. 
9. The.fine narrow stripes of fulvous on the feathers of 
the back of head, which feathers in hastata are merely tipped 
with this color. 
10. The yellow eye. This I only have evidence for, and 
cannot confirm from my own observation. py 
Of the above points the nuchal patch, the spots im. lower 
back, and the more rufous tone of the bird, especially about 
the head, are the most important. 
IT once united this Eagle with Aquila hastata from a comparison 
of mature birds only; but I was mistaken, for in immature 
plumage, there is considerable difference. 
Mr. Dresser (in Annals and Magazine of Nat. Hist., 
May 1874) has applied Gmelin’s term of Aquila maculata to 
