Mr. R. B. Sharpe’s Catalogue of Accipitres. 227 
In South-we stern Europe A. rapax appears to be ex¬ 
tremely rare. Some years since I had the opportunity of 
examining the skin of an immature specimen, obtained in 
Spain by Lord Lilford, which was referred, and, I believe, cor¬ 
rectly so, to this species; but most of the specimens from South¬ 
western Europe which were at one time supposed to belong 
to A rapax have been subsequently ascertained to be imma¬ 
ture examples of A, adalberti ; Lord Lilford, however, men¬ 
tions having on one occasion seen an Eagle in Andalucia, 
which, unfortunately, was not obtained, but which, from the 
description given, would seem to have been an adult A. rapax*. 
In South-eastern Europe I am able to cite one unquestion¬ 
able instance of the occurrence and nidification of A. rap ax, 
which is referred to in a letter from Dr. W. H. Cullen in 
< The Ibis 9 for 1867, p. 247, and in a subsequent letter from 
the same gentleman published in the second edition of Dr. 
Breeds { Birds of Europe/ vol. i. p. 90; from these it appears 
that two nestling specimens were obtained by Dr. Cullen at 
Kustendji, in Turkey, in the spring of 1865, one of which 
remained in his possession till January 1868, when he pre¬ 
sented it to the Zoological Society of Antwerp, in whose col¬ 
lection I saw it alive and in excellent feather on the 4th of 
September, 1876, when, through the courtesy of the autho¬ 
rities at the Gardens of the Society, I had the opportunity of 
carefully and fully examining it. The early history of this 
interesting specimen is thus given in Dr. Cullen's letter to 
Dr. Bree, above referred to :—“ I had two birds half-fledged 
brought me; and as I was attracted by their colour (a light 
cream ..».), I bought them : one died; the survivor is at 
Antwerp. The whole plumage was this delicate “ fauve isa- 
belle" silk down; and then it grew, gradually developing itself 
into an almost perfect copy of your A. ncevioides” The draw¬ 
ings and description of this Eagle, which in 1874 were sent 
from Antwerp to Dr. Bree, did not appear to me to agree 
with the typical A. rap ax ; and, partly in consequence of my 
expressing this opinion as regards the details given in the de¬ 
scription, Dr. Bree provisionally proposed for this Eagle, 
* Vide Ibis, 1865, p. 172. 
