154 A HANDBOOK OF EUROPEAN BIRDS. 
webs, and all having white bases; forehead, ear-coverts, and 
chin buffish-white, or white slightly streaked with brown ; be- 
neath yellowish-white ; szdes @* throat, chest, and abdomen 
heavily blotched or streaked with brown; legs barred with 
brown, and feathered to the toes ; bill brownish-black, paler at 
base; cere and feet yellow; claws black; irides brown. 
Benoth:ro to 23 inches; .culmenm*23 wing 16 to 17-75 sstai) 
Oto, 5o ; farsus 2°5 00. 2°75; 
Young: Are considerably darker and duller above; tail- 
feathers with terminal two-thirds brown, tipped with dirty- 
whitish ; abdomen almost uniform chocolate-brown ; legs 
mottled with brown, not barred. 
Distribution : Inhabits the northern portions of Europe 
and Asia ; an irregular visitant to the British Islands, chiefly in 
autumn and winter. 
Habitat: More open localities than Buteo vulgaris: other- 
wise very similar. Partial to precipitous cliffs. 
Note.—Like the Buzzards, this so-cics exivits very considerable variation 
in plumage and size. 
Genus AQUILA. 
BOOTED EAGLE. 
Aquila pennata (Gme/). 
Adult : Top of Zead and nape pale sandy-brown, streaked 
with dark brown ; forehead more or less white; rest of upper 
parts dark brown ; most of feathers being margined and tipped 
with very pale brown; scapulars paler than back feathers ; 
wing and tail-quills blackish-brown, the latter tipped with 
creamy-white ; sides of head pale brown ; ear-coverts darker 
brown ; under parts white (or in some pale brown) streaked 
with dark brown; bill bluish-horn, blacker at tip; cere and 
feet yellow ; claws black ; irides pale hazel. Length r& to-2r 
inches ; culmen 1°6; wing 14 to 16°5 ; tail 8 to 10; tarsus 2°5 
to28. 
Young Male: Wing and tail-feathers more or less broadly 
tipped with white or whitish ; under parts dark reddish-brown, 
narrowly streaked with darker brown; under wing-coverts dark 
brown. 
