THE BIRDS OF PREY OF THE PUNJAB. 



1011 



» 



The wiugs, in flight, appear long and rounded and 

 the tail ample, and extended well beyond the line of 

 the wings. 



It is said to breed usually in trees and build a 

 "loosely constructed nest of sticks, sometimes lined 

 with grass or green leaves '', laying a single egg, 

 a broad oval, bluish white without spots and measur- 

 ing 2-9 by 2'3. 



The food of this species consists, for the most 

 part, of lizards, snakes, frogs, rats and insects. 

 [ have tried to catch it with a bird (a quail) for a 

 bait, but in vain. 



Genus Spilornis. 



No. 1217. Spilornis cheela 

 Characteristics. 



Colouration. 



Measurements. 

 Habits, etc. 



The Crested Serpent-Eagle. 



Size medium ; wing about 20". Tarsus naked, 

 except at the upper extremity, clad with small 

 rounded or subhexagonal imbricate scales all round ; 

 toes and claws short. Prominent broad nuc/ial crest. 



Deep chocolate brown both above and below, parts 

 of the head, crest, wing-coverts and primaries black 

 or blackish. The upper parts have a deep purplish 

 gloss. The under surface, together with the smaller 

 wing-coverts with small white ocelli and frequently 

 many of the back feathers, tail-coverts, scapulars and 

 secondary quills are tipped with white. The crest, 

 when erected, shows a considerable amount of white, 

 or when seen from behind, the feathers having white 

 bases. 



The upper parts are darker than the under parts, 

 and in the open wings, and tail, two or more broad 

 white or whitish bars are visible from below. 



" Bill plumbeous, bluish black at tip and on cul- 

 nien : cere, skin of lores, and gape bright, or in some 

 dingy lemon-yellow ; irides intense yellow ; legs and 

 feet pale dingy yellow. " (Blanford.) 



Length about 29" ; wing 20 ; tail 13 ; tarsus 4. 

 Blanford states that " this Eagle is usually found 

 on trees near water, especially the fine trees along 

 the irrigation-channels and canals in Upper India, 

 and along stream beds in the Lower Himalayas." 



I cannot ever remember having seen this species 

 actually on the plains of India though it is fairly 

 common all along the lower hills and up to an eleva- 

 tion of about 6,000 ft., and may even be found soar- 

 ing at still higher elevations. Since writing the 

 above I have come across one on the canal bank near 

 Gurdaspur. Usually to be met with on the banks of 

 streams and the edges of rice fields ; as often sitting 

 on a boulder as in a tree. It lives chiefly on frogs, 

 snakes, lizards, Crustacea and insects. Mr. Hume 

 quotes Mr. Thompson as saying that " the parent 

 birds often succeed in destroying pheasants and 

 bringing them to the nest, " and Capt. Hutton goes 

 still further and says " where a pair take up their 

 quarters, no fowl or pigeon can escape ; I have had 

 dove cot cleaned out over and over again by them. " 



