Mr. R. B. Sharpens Catalogue of Accipitres. 153 
thers of the mantle aye already somewhat abraded^ though 
very much less so than in other more advanced young spe¬ 
cimens with which I have compared it_, and in which these 
margins are absolutely worn off, the plumage of all the Cir- 
caeti being exceedingly subject to deterioration from use 
before it is renewed by a change of feathers. The coloration 
of the example now under consideration agrees with that de¬ 
scribed by Mr. Sharpe as young/'’ with the following modi¬ 
fications:—The fulvous edgings of the upper parts are relatively 
broadest on the interscapular feathers and narrowest on the 
wing-coverts; the under surface (except the throat) is deci¬ 
dedly rufous,, and of a darker and richer tinge than in any 
other fulvous or rufescent specimen that I have examined, 
and is whole-coloured, except on the tibise and abdomen, 
where the white bases of the feathers are apparent, and where 
most of the feathers are also narrowly tipped with white ; 
the feathers of the under tail-coverts are rufous, but are simi¬ 
larly tipped ; in the wing-linings the smallest under-coverts 
are rufous, the median the same, mingled with white, and 
the largest wholly white, except a subterminal transverse bar 
of pale brown ; the axillaries rufous, barred irregularly with 
white j the posterior primaries and secondaries are dark pur¬ 
plish brown, narrowly tipped with fulvous, and in both the 
primaries and the secondaries the upper part of the inner web 
is white, crossed with two more or less perfect bars of dark 
brown on the primaries, and four on the secondaries ; the tail 
is dark brown, paler on the inner webs of all the rectrices, 
except the central pair, and crossed with five somewhat indis¬ 
tinct and ill-defined bars of a still darker brown, the last bar 
being subterminal, and succeeded by a very narrow whitish 
tip*. 
* It may be desirable to compare the above particulars with Sir A. 
Smith’s remarks on the young bird, comprised in his original description 
of Circaetus pectoralis at p. 109 of the 1st volume of the ^ South-African 
Quarterly Journal;’ and as that volume is very scarce, I annex a copy of 
the passage in question :— 
“ Young. When it leaves the egg it is covered with a dense white down, 
which, after a few months, is concealed by an uniform light chestnut, or 
a dull earthy brown plumage. I have met with young specimens of this 
