Russia north of the Caucasus. 301 



the forests between that river and the Ural Mountains, and 

 probably breeds in some parts of the steppes between the 

 Volga and Ural rivers. It does not breed in the steppes of 

 New Russia, nor in the steppes between the Don and the Volga, 

 but is found there during the winter, and is resident in the 

 Crimea. According to Mr. Taczanovsky, twenty years ago 

 this Eagle bred in Poland, but now is only a winter visitor 

 to that country. 



Aquila imperialis. 



The Imperial Eagle is essentially a lover of the plains near 

 the large forests, and breeds only on the steppes of Russia ; 

 but occasionally it strays as far north as the central govern- 

 ments. 



In the Ural Mountains this bird is found as far north as 

 lat. 56°, breeding (on the authority of Mr. Martin) in the 

 vicinity of Ekaterinburg. Mr. Pleske informs me that this 

 Eagle is common in the district of Orenburg, and that in 

 Avigust 1872 he met with many specimens of it in the dis- 

 trict of Sterlitamak (in the Government of Ufa) . According 

 to^versmann it is common in the branches of the Ural 

 and in the steppes near them, but according to INIr. Hcnke 

 it is somewhat rare near Astrakhan. West of the Volga the 

 Imperial Eagle is a common breeding bird in the Govern- 

 ments of Simbirsk, Saratov, Voronesh, Kharkov, Kiev, and 

 Podolsk, as well as in the steppes of New Russia and in the 

 Crimea. 



As an occasional visitor the bird is found in the Govern- 

 ments of Riazan, Tula, Moscow, Tver, and Pskov, in the 

 Baltic provinces, in Poland, and in Lithuania. 



On migration the Imperial Eagle follows the great route 

 from the Volga to the Lower Don, along the coasts of the 

 Azov Sea, and along the northern and western coasts of the 

 Black Sea. But we do not know any thing of its migration 

 throughout South-eastern Russia, from the Ural Mountains 

 to the mouth of the Ural river and along the coast of the 

 Caspian Sea. 



