1872.] Broohs on Im-perial Eagles of India. G5 



The former has three well marked stages. 



Isf. — Light brown plumage, hneatecl both above and below. Each 

 feather possesses a light fulvous central stripe. The tail is, as a rule, plain 

 dark brown, with a light tip, and it is not barred. 



2nd. — A very dark black brown plumage, both above and below, save 

 the upper part of the head and nape, which are buff or fulvous. The tail 

 changes to blackish brown, or nearly black, the upper part being barred with 

 grey, and the end having a broad foui'-inch band of black. The top of the 

 head has also generally a patch of brown. 



^rd. — The same as the 2nd stage, with the addition of snow white 

 scapulars, to a greater or lesser extent. 



I am correct in stating that the striped bird passes directly to the old 

 black brown bird with light head and am not advancing a theory of my own, 

 for Mr. Anderson of Futtehgurh has shot two changing birds (which he 

 has kmdly lent to me). These have numbers of the lineated feathers still 

 remaining, intermixed with greater numbers which are black brown. I 

 believe a change of colour in these feathers takes place, without a moult. 

 The tail of one bird is partly changed (by a moult) to the adult tail with 

 grey bars, and dark terminal band. 



Aq^idla hifasciata, G-ray and Hardwicke, our second species, appears 

 only to have two well marked stages. 



1^^^. — The whole bird is a very pale dull grey brown, sometimes speckled 

 slightly with Tulvous on the abdomen. There are two broad fulvous wing 

 bars, formed by the broad light tips of the greater coverts, and those of the 

 secondar}^ quills. The tail has also a light tip, and is generally slightly 

 barred with hoary grey. 



2nd. — The very pale brown changes to a rather darker brown, which is 

 still but a dull light toned brown'; the wing bars disappear, and the tail is 

 strongly marked with wavey grey bars on a dark brown ground. There is 

 no dark terminal band, but the barring is continued to the end of the tail. 



The only further change towards maturity in this Eagle which I have 

 seen, is, that the back of the head, and nape of the neck, become buff coloured, 

 or fulvous. The head then resembles that of mature crassipes, but the 

 brown of the body is not half so dark, being a sort of earthy brown ; " soil 

 brown," as Mr. Hodgson expresses it. 



Mr. Hodgson has two drawings of the Eagle one in the first stage, or 

 typical hifasciata ; and the other in what I take to be the matm-e bird, with 

 buff nape. He has another drawing termed A. Nipalensis, which is clearly 

 a very pale example of a hifasciata in its first stage. I possess a bird almost 

 as pale. 



In coming to the above conclusion that our Imperial Eagles formed two 

 distinct species, I had the use of a very fine series, composed of Mr. Ander- 

 son's birds as well as my own. 



