EGGS OF BKITISH BIRDS. 15 



with lilac-grey underlying shell-markings, and rich reddish-brown 

 surface-blotches and spots. One of a pair of British specimens 

 resembles the egg of an Iceland Falcon, while the other is boldly 

 blotched and clashed over the entire surface. In size they vary 

 largely, Irish eggs being apparently the smallest. In shape they 

 also vary considerably, and even in the same nest one egg is often 

 much rounder than the other. They range from 31 to 2'7 inches 

 in length, and from 2' 5 to 22 inches in breadth. 



THE SPOTTED EAGLE. 

 (Aquila ncevia.) 



Plate 2, Figs. 2, 3. 



Two forms of spotted Eagle occur in Europe, a large one and 

 a small one. Both forms are believed to have been obtained in 

 Great Britain, where about a dozen instances of the occurrence 

 of the species have taken place. 



The nest is built in trees, and is very flat, made of sticks, lined 

 with finer twigs, and fresh green leaves. The eggs are laid in the 

 first half of May, and the number in each nest is almost invariably 

 two, though one only and as many as three have been known. 

 They vary considerably in size and colour, and are best described 

 as miniatures of the Golden Eagle. The surface is dull and 

 somewhat rough, and both ends are nearly alike in shape. They 

 vary in size from 2'65 by 2"15 inches to 23 by 2'0 inches. 



THE KOUGH-LEGGED BUZZABD. 



(A rcliibuteo lagopus.) * 



Plate 5, Fig. 7. 



This species is believed to have bred on two occasions in Great 

 Britain, but further evidence of the fact is necessary. It is an 

 inhabitant of Northern Europe and Asia, and visits us on migra- 

 tion nearly every year. The eggs are laid at the end of May and 

 in June, and the nest is built in a tree or on a fell-ridge. The nest 

 is a large structure of branches of cherry, birch or juniper, lined 

 with wiry grass ; but occasionally it is a mere hollow, lined with 

 grass and without any sticks. 



* Aquila lagopus (Gm.) — Seebohm, Hist. Brit. B., p. 111. Buteo lagopus— Saunders, 



Manual, p. 313. 



