HALIASTUE, 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 nai-row, 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. G-umey of sufficient value to justify the separation into species of the two 
Malayan races, SI. intermeclius and H. girrenera), comes between the Bengal and the Malaccan bird. The latter 
(SI. intermedium), besides having the shaft-stripes reduced to very narrow lines, is of a redder or paler hue than 
II. 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, u'ashed 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 w'hich 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 Brahminy 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 which 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, 
