Russia north of the Caucasus. 303 



I am indebted to the kindness of Mr. Severtzov for the 

 following notes on the geographical distribution of the three 

 above-mentioned Steppe-Eagles : — 



" The geographical distribution of the three species of 

 Steppe-Eagles^ Aquila orientalis, Aq. glitschii, Aq. bifasciata, 

 generally is such that each of those birds replaces in its 

 habitat the others^ their breeding-ranges being narrow regions 

 going from W.S.W. to E.N.E. Also, if we travel from W. 

 to E. (for example, from Ruschuk to Perovsk, across the 

 Lower Danube, Dnieper, Don, Volga, and Syr), and from N. 

 to S. (for example, from Troizk to Tashkent), we shall find 

 the same succession of the regions of the three above-men- 

 tioned species of Eagles : at first we shall find the breeding- 

 range of Aq. orientalis, after it that of Aq. glitschii, and at 

 last that of Aq. bifasciata. 



"Aquila orientalis breeds as far west as the country near 

 the mouth of the Danube (Dobrudscha), from which I saw 

 a nestling in the Museum of Vienna. Naumann received this 

 species from the district of Dnieper, in the Government of 

 Taurida. The original specimen of Cabanis, and many 

 others, were obtained in spring and summer in the hills 

 near the river Sarpa, beyond Sarepta. A specimen in my 

 collection ((^ ad.) was obtained at the end of August near 

 the Lower Ural river, at the fore-post Krasnojarsk ; another, 

 a young one, was found in the beginning of September more 

 to the north, near Stanitga Sakharnaja, I also obtained a 

 young specimen, and several times have observed the adult 

 birds of this species in the steppes of the Government of 

 Voronesh, in the district of Burreluk (in the Government of 

 Samara), near the mouth of the Uy (lat. 55°), and near the 

 river Irtysh, 150 versts from Semipalatinsk. 



" I think there is no doubt that the Eagles supposed by 

 Nordmann to be A. ncevia, which breed on the ground 

 throughout all the steppes of Southern Eussia Avest of the 

 Don, are not A. ncevia : jjrobabhj iYxej are^. or'ientalis. But 

 it is possible that Nordmann observed not only A. orientalis, 

 but also A. glitschii, if this latter breeds west of the Don, 

 regarding which we do not yet know any thing. 



