46 PALCONID.E, 
only one ; their general colour is pale bluish- white, some- 
times stained or spotted with faint buff marks. The earliest 
taken was on the 12th of April ; but about ten days later is 
the best time to get them. This Eagle when put off the nest, 
instead of flying straight away, stoops down till it nearly 
touches the ground, and then flies away gradually rising. 
Their principal food, judging from the examination of nests 
and the crops of specimens, appears to be young rabbits. 
They are easily recognized by their small size when on the 
wing, and by the light colour of the underparts. A local 
name which I have heard for them is " Bacallao," from the 
fancied but far-fetched resemblance in colour and shape 
which they are supposed to have when flying overhead to 
that staple article of Spanish diet, a split dried salt codfish ; 
but I may as well mention that I cannot help thinking this 
name was fabricated for my special benefit. 
The young birds generally are of a uniform dark reddish- 
brown colour ; but this is not always the case. 
The tarsi are feathered to the feet ; the entire length varies 
from about 17 to 20 inches, depending upon sex. 
20. CiRCAETUS GALLicus, Gm. Short-tocd Eagle. 
Moorish. Tair el hisani (the Stallion-bird). Spanish. Cule- 
brera (the snake-eater), Aguila parda. 
<( Migratory. Some remain to nest near Tangier, building 
on very tall trees or rocks, laying in April or May one egg, 
very round in shape, though slightly smaller at one end, of a 
white colour, sometimes marked with rusty spots. The males 
sit in their turn; the young do not fly till September. Those 
which pass over to Europe cross in March and April to return 
in October. Although not uncommon in the vicinity of 
Tangier, it is more so than Bonelli^s Eagle. They will some- 
times allow themselves to be killed on the nest rather than 
desert their young. Sixteen eggs have passed through my 
hands." — Favier. 
The Short-toed — or, rather, it might be better named the 
Snake-Eagle, is common both in Morocco and Andalucia, fre- 
quenting wooded districts and the valleys of the Sierras, being 
