44 FALCONIDiE. 
as it were^ in the air, head to wind, apparently immovable, 
like an artificial kite, for sometimes nearly two minutes. At 
this time, when watched through a glass, no movement of the 
wings can be noticed beyond an almost imperceptible quiver- 
ing ; but the legs and feet are continually shifted as if used to 
balance the bird. When not breeding, they hunt together, 
one high above the other, suddenly stooping down on some 
luckless rabbit or else gliding off to take up a fresh aerial 
station whence to watch for their prey, which seems to be 
always taken on the ground. They feed chiefly on rabbits, 
but have taken poultry away from the signal-station ; and 
Sergeant Munro informs me that once one of the Eagles struck 
at and seized his cat, but let it go after cutting its back open 
and drawing blood. 
Once at Gibraltar, in February, I watched two Ravens for 
a long time bullying one of these Eagles, which now and then 
made a fatile dash at his tormentors, but at last turned tail, 
leaving the Ravens masters of the situation. On another 
occasion, in the same month, I saw a Bonelli^s Eagle flying 
about not far from the Osprey^s nest, when down swooped an 
Osprey, like a stone, striking the Eagle on the back and 
knocking out a lot of feathers. Shrieking out, they were 
bound together for a few seconds, and then separated, neither 
apparently the worse for the encounter, and each flying off 
towards their respective eyries. They were so close as to be 
within easy shot when (to use a Yankeeism) they " collided." 
A young bird about a month old was bought from a Moor at 
Tangier, and sent to me on the 18th of April ; but it was so 
wild and savage that I thought it would kill itself. However, 
I succeeded in bringing it to England for the benefit of the 
Zoological Gardens. 
The fully adult birds have a white patch on the back be- 
tween the wings ; and when viewed from above, this mark is 
very apparent and will at once identify the species; when 
below them the white appearance of the underparts and 
their very powerful gliding flight distinguish them. To a 
novice they mostly resemble the Osprey when on the wing ; 
but the latter has a more flapping flight and shows its white 
