86 
On some European and Asiatic Eagles . 
and barred grey tail. From No. 1 it is easily separated by 
its structural difference in form of nostril, and by its barred 
tail; and from No. 2 its rich colours and tbe strong tendency 
to particoloured feathers sufficiently distinguish it. This 
particoloured plumage partakes rather of the character of 
the spotting upon the mantle of juvenile Aquila ncevia in the 
example sent me. The two-coloured feathers, however, are, I 
understand, not constant. 
We have no record of the occurrence of the Indian A. ful- 
vescens in Europe; nor have I ever seen an Indian-killed A. 
ncevioides. I was much pleased to see the last species and 
to observe its affinity to A. vindhiana; and yet its complete 
distinctness is most striking. 
In our references to A. ncevioides, Mr. Gurney and I have 
been playing at cross purposes, he having in view the true 
A. ncevioides, while I was thinking of the Indian species so 
misnamed. 
I recently identified A. orientalis, Cab. (misnamed A. clanga 
by dealers) with A t bifasciata, Gray and Hardwick. To 
this Mr. Gurney objects, on account of the former’s smaller 
average size and darker colour. His series consisted of about 
half a dozen of each. 1 have examined again my series of 
each most carefully, and with the addition of the measure¬ 
ments of two A. orientalis in the Norwich museum. I was 
able to take three males and three females of each species; 
and I find the average of the wings to be-— A. orientalis 
21’5, and A. bifasciata 2T541, or practically no difference as 
regards size; and in respect to colour I find as dark a brown 
in some of my mature A. bifasciata as in the very fine old 
Bosphorus example of A . orientalis (vide Ibis, 1870, pp. 67, 
68). But neither size nor colour is a criterion when Eagles 
are in question, but characteristics only. They vary exces¬ 
sively in size; and the Indian climate affects their colour to 
such an extent that I have seen the same species, Aquila ncevia, 
nearly black when newly moulted, and a pale sandy bird after 
a few months'’ exposure. But it is not always time which 
produces paleness : the colour of some examples is fast, 
while that of others is the opposite. 
