IV FALCONIDAE 161 
Here the crest is extremely long, but in the nearly black Neopus 
malayensis, ranging from India to the Moluccas, it is much shorter. 
Spiziastur melanoleucus, extending from Guatemala to Brazil, is 
brownish-black, with white head, neck, and lower surface, the tail 
has four darker bands, and black marks shew towards the crest. 
In this species the inner claw and hallux are greatly developed. 
Nisaétus pennatus, the “ Booted Eagle” of South Europe, Africa, 
and thence to India and Ceylon, so called from the feathered 
legs, is brown above, with a white shoulder-patch, white tip to the 
barred tail, and various buffish markings; the head, neck, and 
under parts are fawn-coloured, with brown streaks except on the 
abdomen.  V. fasciatus, Bonelli’s Eagle, has a similar range, but 
reaches China, and not South Africa; it lacks the shoulder-patch, 
but is streaked on the abdomen. V. morphnoides inhabits Australia 
and New Guinea, J. spilogaster and JN. bellicosus Southern Africa, 
the last being slaty-black above, and having a plain brown chest. 
The typical Eagle, the bird of Jove, the emblem of Rome and 
of St. John, was some species of Aquila. A. chrysaétus, the Golden 
or Black Eagle, is exceptionally shot in England in winter— 
especially in the north; but it is the Sea Eagle that occurs most 
frequently. In North Britain the former has bred in increasing 
numbers since protection has been given in deer-forests, where 
it kills the grouse which startle the stalker’s game; a few pairs 
remain in North and West Ireland; while in times past it ranged 
to the Peak of Derbyshire or even Snowdon. Abroad it occupies 
most of Europe, North Asia to India and China, North Africa, 
and North America to Mexico. Powerful and fierce by nature, and 
ready to attack animals of considerable size, it never molests man 
under ordinary circumstances ; both parents, it is true, circle anxi- 
ously round when the young are in danger, but should the nest 
contain eggs, the hen, which sits closely, vanishes at once on leaving 
them. She does not reappear until all risk seems past, while the cock 
is seldom sighted at the eyry, though usually seen in the vicinity. 
The prey consists of antelopes, wolves, foxes, fawns, lambs, hares, 
rabbits, marmots, geese, ducks, grouse, and so forth, with carrion, if 
sufficiently fresh ; the ground is often quartered at a low elevation, 
and wonderfully rapid in the chase is the flight of this apparently 
slow and ponderous bird, aided by its extraordinarily keen powers 
of vision. Solitary individuals may occasionally be approached by 
stalking, but in Britain they are generally wary, owing to constant 
VOL. IX M 
