occurrence. Moreover, Swainson has separated the Falco cristatellus, an undoubted member of this group, from the African crested Eagles, retaining however Spizætus for the Indian Bird, and classing the others under the genus Harpyia. Sir W. Jardine too in a letter to me waiting of the present subject says 'modified characters will receive both this, and cristatellus.' I therefore prefer for the present retaining Hodgson's excellent name as being more appropriate to the habits as well as structure of the birds of this group than the name Spizætus.—Mr. G. R. Gray, in his Genera of Birds has put Nisætus as a synonym of Limnætus. This is of course a grievous error, this latter genus being described as having all the claws nearly equal and small.
The present species or large Hawk-Eagle was first described and named by Mr. Hodgson in the 5th volume of the Journal of the Asiatic Society. When I drew up the Catalogue of Peninsular Birds in the Madras Journal, I was unaware of Hodgson's paper, and referred this bird to the Falco niveus of authors, with the meagre descriptions of which in the books of reference I had access to, it indeed sufficiently agrees. I have however since ascertained it to be distinct.[1] I shall now give a description of the species represented here taken partly from my own observations, and partly from the obliging communications of Mr. Blyth.
Young bird.—Plumage above pale brown with the shaft and tip of each feather somewhat darker. Beneath, imder wing-coverts and tibial plumes of a rusty white (in some deeply stained with ferruginous) with a very narrow mesial pale brown stripe on the feathers, almost obsolete in some.—Tail above closely and numerously barred with brown, on a pale brown ground.
Adult.—Above deep aquiline or wood brown. Beneath, pure white with a dark brown mesial line to each feather; broader in general in the female, and most developed on the belly, on which in old birds the brown hue predominates, and takes the form of bars. Under wing-coverts dark brown—under tail-coverts white banded brown—tibial plumes deep brown, freckled whitish—tail hoary grey with seven bars and a broad subterminal one.
An intermediate state of plumage is marked by the pale edging to the feathers
- ↑ The name Strenuus, was printed on the Plate before I was aware that the specimen from which the drawing was taken was identical ia species with grandis.
