1 . 
SPIZAETUS , KELAARTI 
(THE CEYLON MOUNTAIN HAWK EAGLE) 
ADULT FEMALE 
Length to front of cere 29.5 to 31 Inches; culmen from oere 2; wing 18 to 
20; tall 12 to 13; tarsus 4.4 to 4.6; middle toe 2.7 to 2.8; its olaw 1.3 
(straight); Inner olaw 1.7 (straight); hind toe 2; Its olaw 2.05 to 2.1 
(straight); circumference 1.4 to 1.5; height of bill at oere 0.81; weight 
6 pounds. 
DISTRIBUTION * 
This magnificent eagle, the noblest representative of its tribe which 
Ceylon possesses, is peculiar to the island, and was first recorded by Dr 
Kelaart from a bird procured by him near Badulla, mention of which is made Id 
in his "Prodomus" as follows:- "This elegant crested eagle is occasionally 
seen in the highest mountains. The only specimen we succeeded in procuring 
was shot on a mountain 4$00 feet high, near Badulla.* From that time until 
comparatively recently it does not appear to have been noticed by natural¬ 
ists in the island; and so late as the year 1872, Mr Holdsworth was unable 
to record any further instances of its capture, though doubtless, in the 
course of opening up the forests of the Central Province for the planting of 
coffee, the species may have been killed, and not recognized by its captors 
as anything valuable. 
It is entirely a mountain species, having its head quarters in the wild 
and little trodden forest of the main range, and other isolated lofty jun¬ 
gle, such as Haputale and the Knuckles, whence it descends to the neighbour¬ 
ing coffee estates in pursuit or search of its quarry. In so doing it has 
lately been shot so frequently that it can no longer be considered one of 
our very rare eagles. 
Not many years after the establishment of Messrs White and Go’s business 
as naturalists and collectors, specimens began to find their way to them, 
and in 1875 I had the opportunity of examining two examples preserved in 
their collection. 
In March 1876 a magnificent bird was shot by Mr Bllgh on the Catton est¬ 
ate, Lemastota, and in the same year five examples were procured by Messrs 
White and Co, belonging to gentlemen in the surrounding planting districts. 
Three of the finest of these were obtained as follows,, one by Mr Thom, on 
Oudasgeria estate, Matale; one by Mr E. Nlehol, Kitlamoola estate, Deltotte; 
