﻿240 W. E. Brooks — Ornithological JSfotes and Corrections. [No. 4, 



of colour is decidedly on the side of the Indian birds. The European ones, 

 which are spring and summer birds, are more faded. The question of colour 

 may, therefore, be dismissed at once, for in this respect the two species cor- 

 respond as closely as could be desired, but that of comparative size must stand 

 over till a good series of the European bird is obtained, and for such a 

 series to possess any value the sexes of the birds should have been determined 

 by a naturalist, and not by a mere dealer. 



For the present, then, I adhere to my conclusion that the two species 

 are identical ; each one having the peculiar buff patch at the back of the 

 head, the strongly banded wings when immature, and a tail barred in pre- 

 cisely the same way — all very strong points in favour of absolute identity, 



Aqijila hastata, Lesson. 



This species is said by Mr. Dresser to differ from the species found in 

 North Europe, in the plumage of the young bird. The adults are said to 

 correspond. 



I have two specimens in their first plumage, taken from the nest at 

 Saharunpore, and the following is a description of them. 



Irides dark brown ; bill black, but lead-gray towards base ; cere and 

 gape bright yellow ; feet a dull yellow ; claws black. Above, dark hair- 

 brown ; this dark brown is shaded into quite a brownish-grey on the lower 

 half of the back and upper tail-coverts, the feathers of this lighter portion 

 being dark-shafted ; upper tail-coverts barred with white on their outer 

 webs ; from top of head and down to nape of neck the feathers are tipped 

 with small fulvous spots ; scapulars, ridge and bend of wing, and most of 

 the lesser wing- coverts tipped with fulvous spots of larger size ; median 

 wing-coverts similarly pale-tipped, with the lower row having the spots 

 considerably larger (about ^ in. in length) : this row of large spots pre- 

 sents the appearance, at a little distance, of a first and slight wing-bar ; 

 greater coverts all broadly tipped with dull fulvous white, presenting the 

 appearance of a second and strong bar on the wing ; secondaries and tertials 

 broadly edged with greyish -white shaded oJ0P into the darker portion of the 

 feather, and these light ends form the third bar on the wing ; the dark por- 

 tion of the wing-coverts and scapulars is of the same dark hair-brown as 

 the back ; primaries uniform black and unbarred ; secondaries brown, pro- 

 fusely barred with hoary-grey on both webs ; the greyish-white ends to the 

 tertials are very broad ; cheeks and side of head brown of a paler shade 

 than the top of the head and streaked very faintly with darker ; tail- 

 feathers dark brown, tipped broadly with greyish-white, and barred with 

 greyish on both webs ; these bars are nearly square to the shaft (Mr. An- 

 derson's young example has not, however, any indication of bars on the tail, 

 except on the two outer feathers, and these nearly obsolete bars are con- 



