342 SPOLIA ZEYLANIGA. 
Male: length 27; wing 19; tail 11; tarsus 3°6; middle 
toe 2°4: bill from gape 2°15. Females are larger ; length 29 ; 
wing 20. 
Distribution.—Only once recorded from Ceylon.* It oceurs 
throughout India, west of the Bay of Bengal, and ranges 
westward through Scuth-western Asia to Northern Africa and 
Southern Europe. 
Habits, &c.—A powerful species, which kills its own prey, 
and never touches carrion. It feeds largely on mammals and 
small birds, especially pigeons. It is a fine bird on the wing, 
and generally soars at some height. As it is resident through- 
out its range, it may possibly be found nesting in Ceylon. In 
the plains of India it breeds about Christmas time, making a 
large stick nest, lined with green leaves and placed on a rocky 
ledge or in a high tree. Two eggs are laid. The ground 
colour is dirty white faintly blotched at the large end with 
brown. Measurement about 2°75 by 2:2. 
HIERAETUS PENNATUS (Blanford, Vol. ITI., p. 344). 
NISAETUS PENNATUS (Legge, p. 36). 
The Booted Eagle. 
Description—Adult : Forehead and lores whitish; a 
narrow black streak above the eye ; feathers of sides of head, 
erown, and hind-neck fawn colour with black shaft-streaks, 
which are broadest on the crown; cheeks and ear coverts 
richer brown ; upper plumage brown, darkest on the upper 
back, rump, and large scapulars ; smaller scapulars, tertiaries, 
and wing coverts paler with dark shaft-stripes and broad 
whitish-brown edges ; wing quills almost black, the second- 
aries with pale ends; upper tail coverts fawn colour ; tail 
feathers dark grayish-brown above, grayish-white underneath, 
with paler tips and traces of darker bars. The lower parts, 
including the wing lining, are buff-white with blackish shaft- 
stripes, which are most numerous on the chin, less so on the 
breast, and fade away on the abdomen ; a few large black 
spots on the wing lining. 
* Vide Leggo’s Birds of Ceylon, p. 37 The locality and date are not 
known. 
