THE BIRDS OF PREY OF THE PUNJAB. 



643 



Measurements. 

 Habits, etc. 



whitish ; base of all feathers, including wing and tail 

 feathers, white." 



"Young birds are also dark brown and differ 

 chiefly from the adults in having the upper back 

 and smaller wing-coverts marked with elongate paler 

 greyish-brown spots, these spots are largest and 

 whitish on the smaller scapulars and median coverts ; 

 longer scapulars, larger coverts, and secondaries with 

 large buff tips ; lower back and rump pale brown, 

 with dark edges to the feathers ; upper tail coverts 

 whitish; tail black, grey, or mottled towards the end 

 and pale-tipped ; lower plumage with light brown 

 shaft-stripes varying in breadth and tint; vent and 

 lower tail-coverts buff. Some birds are pale brown 

 beneath." (Blanford.) 



Bill greyish white with a tinge of blue, the tip 

 dusky brown ; claws blackish brown ; feet dirty yellow 

 with a slight tint of orange ; irides light yellowish 

 brown ; cere and gape yeUow. 



26i" to 28" in length ; wing 19" to 21"; tail lOf" 

 to 12"; tarsus 3' 9 to 4- 25"; expanse 5' to 6'. 



The Large Spotted Eagle is usually to be fomid in 

 the vicinity of water. Dr. Blanford does not record 

 it from the Punjab at all and Mr. Hume mentions 

 having got specimens from Saharanpur but no place 

 fiu'ther North than that. 



He also mentions how this eagle changed its locality 

 with the change in the conditions of the country, 

 making its appearance in the Etawah district where 

 it used to be unknown, shortly after canal irrigation 

 made the dry sandy tracts into moist cultivated 

 areas, and swampy jheels, more suitable to the habits 

 of this bird. 



Thence it has worked its way gradually up into 

 the Punjab and is now, by no means rare in the 

 Gurdaspur District and I have met with it as far 

 north as Wazirabad, in the Gujranwala district. 



Whether it has always been in the Punjab and 

 passed unnoticed I am unable to say, but it is quite 

 possible it is more or less a recent arrival in the 

 Province, i.e., since canal irrigation became a general 

 feature in what was once dry soil. 



It is a sluggish bird, and not much given to 

 soaring, though it may be seen at great heights 

 occasionally. For the most part it lives on frogs, rats 

 and such like and does not disdain even smaller fry 

 stiU, as I shot one with a mole cricket between its 

 mandibles. 



A very dark bird, in the vicinity of a jheel, which 

 has not got a white head, is pretty certain to be an 

 adult Spotted Eagle. 



The flight resembles the Tawny or any of the 

 other eagles, i.e., slow and heavy with the wings in 

 line with the body. 



41 



