1012 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HIST. SOCIETY, Vol. XXVI. 



Personally I cannot say I have ever known these 

 birds to make even an attempt to chase a bird of 

 any sort, except when the latter was in difficulties. 



I have succeeded in catching a good many at 

 various times and have had a few come down to small 

 birds but invariably after a long wait, as if making 

 sure that the bait was really in difficulties and could 

 not get away, but more often I have had to change 

 the bait (a bird) and piit down a rat or a small 

 snake. 



The claws of this species are nearly always covered 

 with mud showing that he grabs the most of his food 

 from wet paddy fields and jheels. 



This bird breeds on trees at elevations varying 

 from about 2 to 4,000 ft., as a rule, during the 

 spring, making a nest of sticks lined with green 

 leaves, and lays usually only one egg, streaked and 

 spotted with brownish red and purple and measuring 

 about 2-78 by 2-2. (Blanford.) 



The flight is very Hawk-Eagle like. Wings held 

 very far back, more so, I think, than any other bird 

 of prey. The wings appear very broad and rounded 

 and the tail is seldom spread out when soaring, and 

 usually appears very narrow. 



The dark ground colour and the light broad bars 

 on wing and tail are unmistakable at almost any 

 height. During the breeding season and when the 

 young birds leave the nest, this species is much given 

 to soaring and at these times is particularly noisy. 



The call is a peculiar four-note whistle, the first 

 three notes being short and last long, something like 

 *' ti ti ti tiiiu, " and oft repeated at short intervals. 



The Crested Serpent-Eagle is generally to be 

 found soaring high over trees and very often dense 

 forests and seldom over barren hill-sides, unlike 

 his cousin the Short-toed Eagle which is seldom 

 found near thick jungle and almost invariably over 

 sandy plains or barren hill-sides. 



Genus Butastuk. 



No. 1220. Butashir teesa. The White-eyed Buzzard Eagle. 



Characteristics. Size small, about that of a crow, wing about 11". 



Tarsi naked except at the extreme top, and covered 

 with imbricate scales which are rather larger in 

 front. The larger scales, in front, do not diminish 

 in size to any appreciable degree from the top until 

 the base of the middle toe is reached. Irides white 

 in adults, brown in young birds. 



Colouration. There is not much variation, in this species in 



colour generally, although the head and neck in 

 individuals may vary from brown to almost white 

 with dark shaft stripes. 



General colour, throughout, brown frequently 

 with a rufescent tinge on the upper parts the 

 feathers more or less dark shafted. There is always 

 a very light buff or white nuchal patch, made by the 



