824 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol. XVII. 



point of distinction between these two hitherto recognised species lay in the 

 differences in the supralabial shields. 



The specimen in question had 8 supralabials on tbe left side with the 4th and 

 5th only touching the eye, thus agreeing with Sagittarius, whilst on the right 

 side these shields numbered 9, with the 4th, 5th and 6th touching the eye, a 

 condition characteristic of subpunctatus . 



I have just had a letter from Mr. Boulenger, who thinks that the two forms 

 can no longer be considered distinct, and should therefore be united. 



Sagittarius being the older name has the prior right to be retained to desig- 

 nate the species, and subpunctatus as a species is therefore abolished. 



F. WALL, Capt., i.m.s., c.m.z.s. 

 Fyzabad, 12th August 1906. 



No. XIV.— HODGSON'S HAWK-EAGLE (SPIZAETUS 

 NEPALENSIS). 



The description given by Blanford, on page 352, Vol. Ill, in the Fauna of 

 British India, of the crest of the Hodgson's Hawk-Eagle, S. nepalensis is apt to 

 be misleading and confounded with the Crested Hawk-Eagle (<S. cirrhatus). 



He mentions that the crest of S. cirrhatus is black, tipped with white 

 except in very old birds, but makes no such exception with regard to S. nepal- 

 ensis, whereas the characteristic is common to both species, each losing the 

 white tip with age. 



It is in reality a very minor detail, as a glance at the feathering of the tarsi 

 is in itself sufficient to separate them, but as the crest is such a prominent 

 feature of all, except one, of the Spizaeti, it is apt to arrest attention, and a 

 man who is a stranger to either species, obtains an old specimen of S. nepal- 

 ensis and seeing no white tip to the crest, would probably take it for granted,, 

 it was S. cirrhatus without looking further, unless he knew that both species 

 lost the white tip. 



Blanford also states that the crest in the young of S. nepalensis is "often 

 small or wanting," but this is not the case, as a rule, and he must have procured 

 all his specimens during the moulting season, to arrive at such a conclusion. 

 Some years ago I sent three young birds, two alive and one stuffed, to Bombay, 

 and the Secretary of the Bombay Natural History Society will be able to 

 testify to each of them possessing ample crests. One of the two live specimens 

 was an eyess taken from the nest, little more than a ball of fluff, and the 

 second was a young tiercel, caught after it had left its nest and parents, and the 

 third bird I shot after it had left the nest, but remained with its parents. 



This year I have been able to examine some eight or nine first year birds, and 

 each and all had the usual crest, of from 3 to 4 inches in length. 



Blanford also entertains a doubt as to the nidification of this eagle, for he 

 says : " It breeds in India only, so far as is known, in the Himalayas from 

 January to early in May." 



