Illustrat'totis of Indian Ornitltohgy ; 



generally fatal. One of these birds shot in the act was presented to me by a gentleman, 

 ■H ho had been a great sufferer by them. I have not yet been fortunate enough to meet with 

 the nest of this Hawk-Eaglo, but it is said by native Sliikarcos to build on steep and 

 inaccessible cliffs, and to breed in January or February. 



The other known Indian species of this group are : — 1st, Niseetvs niveus. — ~d, 

 N. pzilcher, Hodgson. — 3rd, N. Kieieriin ; — and 4th, N. cristatellus. A fifth species 

 has been merely indicated by Hodgson as N. pallidus. I shall here give a brief descrip- 

 tion of these four species from copious information afforded me by Mr. Blyth. 



1st. NiS-ffiTUS NIVEUS SUBCRESTED HaWK-EaGLE. 



Syn. — Falco niccus, Tern. — F. caligattis, Raffles I — Nis. Nipalensis, Hodgson. 



Young. — Above brown, the feathers with broad pale edgings, usually has a slightly 

 developed occipital crest, sometimes found possessed of a long drooping occipital egret-Hke 

 crest of two long feathers — beneath white, nearly spotless — tibial plumes white, regularly cross- 

 ed with pale fulvous bands — under taU-coverts ^^-hite sj)otted ^-ith broMTi — tail brown with five 

 dark bands and a subterminal one broader and more distinct, — the tipwhitish — head and nape 

 usiially light fulvous with dark mesial stripes, extending by age — quills barred with blackish. 



Intermediate age — Above dark aquiline brown, with pale edgings, obsolete on the 

 interscapidars — beneath white with a dark mesial stripe do■^^^l the throat and 2 lateral ones 

 less defined — breast with bro^\nisli black drops on each pkime — rest of tlie plumage be- 

 neath nearly all dark brown — tibial feathers and under tail feathers barred with dark bro-wTi 

 and white — tad bro^^-n with an ashy tinge and banded as in the young bii'd. 



Adidt — Plumage entirely dusky black, dashed with ashy on the back — the under 

 surface of the primaries anterior to theu- emargination and the xmder surface of the tail 

 alone albescent — caudal bands only visible beneath — cere dark livid — irides light grey 

 brown in yoimg — bright yellow in adidt — feet pale wax yellow. Length of a male about 

 25 inches — expanse of wings 49 — wing 15 — tail 11 — bill at gajje 1| — tarsus 3 J. Female 

 from 26 to 29| inches — exi)anse54 — wing 15f— tail 11 — ^bill \l — tarsus 4. 



This species has a larger known geographical distribution than any other of th« 

 genus having been found in Bengal, the Himalayas, and Java. 



