ORB. KAPTORES. 



TRIBE— FALCON IBM. 



FAM. AQUILINE. 

 GENUS N I S ^ T U S— Hodgson. 



PLATE I. 



NIS^TUS GRANDIS'-Hodgson. 

 YOUNG FEMALE. 



LARGE HAWK-EAGLE. 



Synon. — Niscetus niveus, Jerdon — Madras Journal of Literatui-e and Science, No. 24. 



Mhoriinghee, in Hindustani — Sahua, in Teloogoo — Rajalee, in Tamool. 



The group of rapacious birds to wMcli tUs fine Eagle belongs, was first separated 

 by Mr. Hodgson, iu a paper published in the 6th volume of the Journal of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal, and the genus is there characterized as follows : — " BiU short, at base 

 as high as broad, distinguished by compression without feebleness, strongly festooned, nares 

 large, vertical, elliptic, angulated and wholly lateral in esposiire— wings short, finn, fifth 

 quiU longest — tail long, firm and square — tarsi elevate, but not feeble, wholly feathered — 

 digits elongated, nervous, the inner fore and the hind highly developed — acropodia reticu- 

 late with three or four scales next each talon — talons immense, very unequal, strong and 

 acute — head usually crested." — Mr. Blyth, the zealous and able Curator of the Museum of 

 the Asiatic Society at Calcutta seems to thiak that this genus is not separable fi-om Spizmtus 

 of authors. Not having had an opportunity of examining any of the African and South 

 American Eagles classed in that genus, I cannot attempt to decide the point, but I think 

 it likely there wQl be found some shades of difference, warranting at all events a sub-ge- 

 peric distinction. This I consider to be the more likely as the genus is not one of universal 



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