HALIASTITR INDUS. 77 



Plumage above, from the forehead to the lower part of the hind neck, and beneath down to the abdomen, including 

 the flanks, white, each feather with a narrow, blackish, mesial stripe, which includes a fine portion of the web as 

 well as the shaft; in mature birds these are as broad on the head as on the hind neck, but in very old examples 

 are confined to the shaft only ; rest of the plumage, with the exception of the longer primaries, greater series 

 of under wing-coverts, and lower surface of tail maroon-red, darkest on the back, lesser and under wing-coverts, 

 and palest on the abdomen, thighs, and under tail-coverts ; the shafts, except of the tail, black, these latter fulvous- 

 white ; tip of tail the same ; longer primaries black, their inner webs rufous from the base to the notch, the under 

 surface rufescent, paling to whitish at the base ; primary wing-coverts dark at their outer edges, the inner webs, 

 as well as those of the secondary feathers, crossed with narrow, widely-separated bars of blackish. 



Obs. In some examples the black stripes are conspicuously developed on the red feathers of the abdomen, while in 

 others the shafts alone are dark. I have noticed this characteristic chiefly in Bengal examples, which, as a rule, I 

 think, have the stripes on the white plumage bolder than in Ceylonese birds, although they coincide exactly 

 in the hue of the maroon parts. The Ceylonese bird, as regards the white striping (the variation in which 

 has been considered by Mr. Grurney of sufficient value to justify the separation into species of the two 

 Malayan races, H. intermedins and H. girrenera), comes between the Bengal and the Malaccan bird. The latter 

 (IT. intermedins), besides having the shaft-stripes reduced to very narrow lines, is of a redder or paler hue than 

 H. Indus, and appears to be a well-marked race or subspecies. 



Young. The nestling has the iris dark brown, the bill and cere brownish, the latter and the loral skin tinged with 

 green ; legs and feet greenish. 



Body at first covered with white down ; when fully plumaged, the forehead, chin, and lower part of cheeks are dull 

 whitish, the ear-coverts brownish, and the head and hind neck fulvous tawny overcome with brown on the lower 

 part of the latter, the centres of the feathers light, and the edges tawny, imparting a streaked appearance ; the 

 brown feathers of the hind neck with rufescent central streaks, diminishing to terminal spots on the interscapular 

 region, which, with the back, scapulars, wing-coverts, and secondaries, is dark brown, paling much on the upper 

 tail-coverts ; the scapulars margined terminally with rufous ; quills and tail blackish brown ; inner edges of 

 primaries white ; greater wing-coverts with pale inner margins and conspicuously black shafts ; throat and 

 breast isabelline brown, with tawny shaft-stripes, lower parts with the thigh-coverts tawny, with dark shaft- 

 stripes on the thighs. This plumage at the end of the first year, as ascertained by observation of a caged bird, 

 becomes paler throughout. 



After the first moult the head and hind neck are rufous, paling at the tips, and with blackish shaft-stripes, the back, 

 scapulars, and wing-coverts a sober brown, with pale terminal margins, the greater wing-coverts with much white 

 on the concealed portions of the inner webs, the upper tail-coverts with broad pale margins, shorter primaries with 

 rufous-brown, outer webs and the inner webs rufescent white at the base ; ear-coverts paler than in the first 

 plumage ; under surface pale brownish, with light terminal streaks, and the shafts dark in the brown portion of 

 the feather ; the abdomen paler than the breast ; under tail-coverts and lesser under wing-coverts rufous, median 

 under wing-coverts brown edged pale, greater series pale as in the adult. 



After the second moult, the back, -wings, and tail assume their rufous or maroon colouring, the head and hind neck are 

 whitish, washed here and there with rufous, and with black shaft-stripes ; the face and throat are white, gradually 

 darkening into rufescent fulvous on the chest and upper breast, on which there is again a gradual change to the 

 maroon of the lower parts, the shafts of all the feathers being black. After this stage, the head, hind neck, and 

 breast get whiter by degrees, throwing off all trace of the rufous hue, and the shaft-stripes assume their normal 

 character, covering a portion of the web at the sides of the shaft, which alone is dark in the intermediate stages. 



Distribution. — The Brahniiny Kite is a well-known and very common bird in Ceylon, being more or less 

 abundant round the whole coast of the island, and occurring' about the large tanks and inland waters of the 

 interior. On the seaboard, however, it is local in its choice of habitat, as an instance of wbich feature I may 

 cite its abundance in Galle harbour, and almost total absence from the equally inviting roadstead at Colombo. 

 It is sometimes seen about the mouth of the Kelani, and in the marshes at the back of Borella, and it occurs 

 sparingly at Negombo and more commonly at Bolgodde ; but I never once saw it about the shipping in the 

 Colombo Roads. At Chilaw it commences to be commoner, and continues to increase in numbers at Puttalam 

 and northwards to the Manaar district, where, as well as throughout the whole of the northern maritime region, 

 it is very numerous. At Trincomalie it is abundant, and is a common bird, down the coast to the Batticaloa 

 Lake. South of this and in the Hambantota district it is scarcer. I have met with it at Kanthelai, Minery, 



