NOTES OX THE SPOTTED EAGLE, AQUILA NJ3YIA. 307 



Now this sentence, and especially the remark that the hack is 

 spotted with pale buff colour, most conclusively proves that 

 Latham's Spotted Eag-le was the larger species; for, in imma- 

 ture plumage, it has oval fulvous spots on the back, but the 

 smaller species, as far as my opportunities of acquiring infor- 

 mation go, has invariably a spotless back. These back spots, of 

 the immature ncevia, are very perfect ovals, occupying the 

 greater portion of the feather towards the apex. 



Again, Latham says : " Upper tail-coverts white." This is 

 specially the case with the larger species ; the upper tail-coverts, 

 or at all events the lower row, are snowy white. 



All the rest of his description is perfectly applicable to the 

 larger Spotted Eagle. It is thus clear that Latham's term can- 

 not be applied to the smaller bird ; because it wants the oval 

 spots on the bach, to say nothing else. 



Regarding its geographical distribution, Latham observes : 

 " This is found everywhere in Russia and Siberia, and even 

 in Kamtschatcha, and is the most unwarlike of any of the kind ; 

 has a plaintive cry, hence called planga t*nd clang a * * * 

 This is supposed by some to differ in sex from the Rough-footed 

 Eagle. Temminck observes that it is common in Africa, and 

 particularly in Egypt." 



The smaller species appears only to be known in Pomerania, 

 so it cannot be the well-known and widely-distributed bird 

 described by Latham. Of course the smaller bird occurs in 

 many parts of Europe, besides North Germany, and ought to 

 be commoner in Southern and Eastern Europe than it is in 

 Germany. It is, like A. neevia, a migratory Eagle that goes 

 southward in winter. 



Let us now consider Gmelin's two species, Falco N^vius 

 and Falco maculatus, vide his Systema Naturae. 



Falco n^evius, 49, F. cera pedibusque lanatis luteis, corpore 

 ferrugineo, infra alas albo-maculato. 



Aquila ncBvia, Briss. Orn., p. 122, n. 4. 



Petit aigle, Buff. Hist. Nat. des Ois. L, p. 91. 



Bough-footed Eagle, Chad, onom., p. 63, n. 6. Lath. Syn. 

 I., 1, p. 37, n. 14. AX/ 



Stein (idler, Frisch, Vog. t. 71. " -^"t^ 



Habitat in Europa, gliribus praefertim vieiltans. K' 



M.2Lgnitudo galli grandis ; longitudo 2 pedum cum 1 h pollicibus ; 

 irides jiava; tectrices caudae secundaria albce ; ungues nigri. 



Falco maculatus, 50, F. cera pedibusque lanatis luteis, 

 corpore supra ferrugineo ; subtus fusco. 



Morph.no congener, Raj. A v. 7, n. 7, Will. Orn., p. 63. 



Spotted Eagle, Latham Syn. I., 1., p. 38, n. 15. 



Longitudo bipedalis Rostrum magnum et ungues nigri ; irides 

 cinerece ; pennse scapularum et tectrices alarum apice macula ovali 



