LOPHOTEIORCHIS. 345 



generally disappearing on the abdomen, and replaced by faint 

 rufous bars on the thigh-coverts and vent in very old birds ; a few 

 black spots beneath the wings. 



Some birds are darlv brown throughout, and although these may 

 be young in general, the dark plumage appears in some cases to be 

 retained for a long time, as individuals certainly breed in it. 



Toung birds usually have the head and neck rufous-brown or 

 dull nifous, sometimes dark broMn ; the upper plumage brown as 

 in adults, but with dark shaft-stripes ; tail-coverts whitish ; lower 

 parts either dark brown or pale rufous with blackish streaks, 

 except on the lower abdomen ; tail greyish brown above, paler 

 below, more or less distinctly banded and pale-tipped. 



Bill pale blue at base, blackish at tip ; irides pale brown ; cere, 

 gape, and feet yellow {Hume). Blyth says that Indian birds have 

 sometimes a rudimentary crest. 



Length of male about 29 ; tail 8*5 ; wing 15 ; tarsus 2-4 ; bill 

 from gape 1-4 : of a female — length 21*5 ; tail 9 ; wing 15-75, 



Distribution. Southern Europe, great part of Africa, Western 

 and Central Asia, and throughout India, Ceylon, and Burma, 

 though rare in the two latter. 



Habits, ^'c. This is a highly predatory species, living on squirrels, 

 rats, and other small mammals, doves, pigeons, &c. It frequently 

 carries away fowls, and Jerdon remarks that Kites are often un- 

 justly credited with the depredations of this little Eagle on 

 pigeons and poultry. It frequents both woods and cultivated 

 ground, and is often found about towns and villages. As a rule 

 the Booted Eagle is a winter visitor to India, and breeds farther 

 north ; but a nest was taken on a banyan tree by Mr. Theobald, 

 in 1869, near Salem. The nest in Europe is, as usual, of sticks, 

 with a lining of green leaves under the eggs, which are two in 

 number, greenish white, with in general but few coloured markings. 



Genus LOPHOTEIORCHIS, Sharpe, 1874. 



This genus, although resembling Spizaetus in the plumage of 

 the young and in the crest, is distinguished by its longer wings, 

 with the primaries projecting beyond the secondaries by more 

 than the length of the tarsus, by its shorter tail, and its much 

 longer toes and more powerful claws, the claw of the third toe 

 being longer than the culmen beyond the cere. The adult colo- 

 ration too is peculiar, black above, and the abdomen chestnut. 



The typical species is Indian ; another species referred to the 

 genus is American. No others are known. 



1209. Lophotriorchis kieneri. The Rufous-bellied HawTc-Eagle. 



Astur kienei'i, Sjxirre, Mag. Zool. 1835, Aves, pi. 35. 



Spizaetus albogularis, Tickell, Blyth, J. A. S. B. xi, p. 456 (1842). 



Spizaetus kieneri, Blyth, Cat. p. 26 ; Horsf. ^ M. Cat. i, p. 34 ; Hume, 

 Rough Notes, p. 216; id. S. F. i, p. 311 ; Hume 8f higlis, S. F. v, 

 p. 9 ; Blanf. ibid. p. 483; Hartert, J.f. Orn. 1889, p. 374. 



