— 54 — 



Length about 28 inches. UiDper parts brown with slightly 

 paler edges to the feathers ; lower parts white streaked with pale 

 brown ; tail tipped with white and crossed with three indistinct 

 bars of dusky brown ; legs yellow and hare ; irides yellow ; 

 eyes large and owl-like. 



245. Bonelli's Eagle. Niscetus fasciatus (Vieillot). 



Not mentioned by Shelley. 

 Niscetus fasciatus. Gurney, " Rambles of a Naturalist," 

 page 131. 



Not uncommon during the autumn and early winter. 



Length about 28 inches. Upper parts very dark brown, the 

 bases of the feathers whitish ; under parts white streaked with 

 dark brown ; thighs barred with brown ; legs feathered to the feet. 



246. White-tailed Eagle. Halicetus albicilla (Linnaeus). 



HalicBtns albicilla. Shelley, p. 204. 



Von Heuglin's statement that this eagle is a resident in Lower 

 Egypt requires confirmation. It certainly occurs there, but 

 is uncommon, and I have no records of its nesting in Egypt at 

 all. Howard Saunders states (" Manual of British Birds," 

 2nd ed., p. 330) that the eggs of this species are laid " by Decem- 

 ber or January in Egypt." It is possible that this fine eagle 

 was, at one time, more common in Egypt than it is at present. 



Length about 33 inches. Very old birds have the head and 

 neck nearly white, but these parts are, in younger birds, light 

 greyish brown, as is the rest of the body plumage. Wing feathers 

 nearly black ; tail wedge-shaped and pure white in the adult. 

 This eagle is subject to varieties, and is said not to attain its 

 full plumage until the fifth or sixth year. 



247. Goshawk. Astur palumbarius (Linnaeus). 



AstuT palumharius. Shelley, p. 185. 



The goshawk is uncommon in Egypt, and is probably only an 

 occasional wanderer to this country. Shelley records it from near 

 Beni Suef, and I have seen it in the Faiyum and near Giza. 



Length about 25 inches. Upper parts ash brown ; tail 

 barred with four bands of dark brownish black ; under parts 

 white, thickly barred with black. Young birds have the under 

 parts huffish with drop-shaped markings, and the tail crossed 

 with five dark bands. In general appearance the goshawk 

 resembles a very large sparrow hawk, but lacks the bluish back 

 of adults of the latter species. 



