134 FALCONID^). 



touch the eggs, called the man down, and withdrew to watch the 

 nest ; hiding ourselves carefully some little distance off. It was not 

 till tie sun was setting that this same A. vindliiami suddenly made 

 its appearance, and descended to the nest, where it was shot. It was 

 a female, and from first to last we saw nothing of the male." 



Colonel E. A. Butler writes : " The Tawny Eagle breeds in the 

 neighbourhood of Deesa, principally in the months of January and 

 February. 



" I also found it breeding in Sind and have the following note 

 on the subject : Sukkur, 3rd February, 1879, two slightly incubated 

 eggs. The nest, which was of the usual stick type, but not very 

 large, was placed at the very top of a low rundee-tree in a grass 

 1 Beerh ' resting on the low outside twigs about 20 feet from the 

 ground and commanding a good view of the surrounding country. 

 The old birds hung about the spot for several days after the eggs 

 were taken, and I saw the hen bird sitting on the nest constantly 

 during that time, but she did not lay again." 



Messrs. Davidson and Wenden, writing from the Deccan, say : 

 " Extremely abundant. Eggs taken from 28th October to 12th 

 February. % Some single eggs were set. One nest had three, but 

 the majority only two eggs. An Eagle's egg, almost certain to be 

 that of this species, was brought to D. on the 30th September." 



The late Mr. A. Anderson contributed the following account of 

 this Eagle to the P. Z. S. : " I examined several nests during the 

 season, and invariably found only two eggs (I have since taken three 

 eggs, but this is an unusual number). They vary considerably in 

 size, shape, and coloration ; but on the whole they are poorly 

 marked. January and February is the most general time for this 

 Eagle to lay ; but I came across some nests early in November. 

 These birds had evidently built too soon, and used to sit mopingly 

 close to their nest or on a neighbouring tree, as if watching their 

 homestead, patiently waiting their appointed time. 



" The Wokab is partial to certain trees for the site of its nest ; 

 but I have found its predilection in this respect to be regulated by 

 the abundance or scarcity of the trees in question. In the Cawn- 

 pore district they almost invariably build on solitary peepul-trees 

 (Ficus religiosa). In the Futtehgurb and Mynpoory districts, 

 where the seesoo (Dalbergia seesoo} grows to so gigantic a size, the 

 preference is apparently given to them. Higher up the Doab, 

 where the country assumes somewhat of a desert character, I found 

 them building on thorny acacias. On one occasion I found a nest 

 on a babool, which was certainly not more than fifteen feet high 

 a mere apology for a tree. 



" In November, 1867, I got a pair of abnormally small eggs, 

 without the faintest indication of any colouring-matter (the con- 

 tents of an unusually small nest, which was situated at the very top 

 of a perpendicular branch of a mango), shooting one of the parent 

 birds. This tree was one of a straggling group, close to the Mar- 

 tiniere College at Lucknow ; and, in proof of the boldness of this 

 Eagle, I may mention that an enormous camp was formed under 



