1986 THE DIURNAL BIRDS OF PREY 



upon sex." And he adds that he captured a nestling with white under parts, 

 thus effectually disposing of the theory that the dark form was the young. In the 

 light variety the general color of the upper parts is brown, with a tinge of purple 

 on the scapulars, and the above-mentioned distinct white patch on the uppermost 

 feathers of that series. The lowest scapulars and wing coverts have buffish-white 

 borders; while the quills are blackish, the secondaries having light borders. The 

 head and neck are fawn color, with streaks of dark brown; the sides of the face 

 being streaked with blackish, and the frontal feathers nearly white. A slight 

 lengthening of the feathers at the back of the head gives rise to an incipient crest. 

 The brown tail is tipped with dull white and marked with several indistinct darker 

 bars. On the under parts the ground color is buffish white, with a tinge of fawn 

 on the throat and chest, upon which are a number of dark streaks, which disappear 

 on the abdomen and thighs. The beak is bluish black, with a pale blue base, and 

 the cere and feet are yellow. In the dark variety, the plumage differs from that of 

 the adult by the brown color of the under parts, where the feathers have black 

 shaft lines. The booted eagle inhabits all the countries bordering the Mediterra- 

 nean, extending into Southern Africa and Southeastern Europe, and also occurring 

 in Gilgit, India, and Ceylon. It is represented in Australia by the nearly-allied 

 S. morphnoides. In India the species under consideration frequents groves, gardens, 

 and cultivated lands, and in the neighborhood of towns and villages inflicts serious 

 loss on the owners of pigeons and poultry. Jerdon says that this eagle generally 

 swoops down on its prey which includes small mammals while circling in the 

 air, but that it will occasionally pounce down from a bough. It breeds in Spain 

 and other parts of Southern Europe, as well as in India and Africa, the nest being 

 apparently always situated in a tree. Writing of the nests observed by him in 

 Spain, Lord Lilford states that they always contained two eggs, this seeming to be 

 invariably the number laid by this eagle. In Spain the booted eagle is one of the 

 most common Accipitrines, arriving late in April and remaining till October. 

 " The nests," continues Lord Lilford, " of which we found several, were generally 

 placed on the lowest branches of a tall pine, at the junction of the main trunk, and 

 were built of sticks, but inside invariably contained fresh twigs with the green 

 leaves adhering to them." The breeding season in Spain lasts from April till June, 

 and the oval eggs have grayish or dead white grounds, which may or may not be 

 blotched with pale yellowish or reddish brown. The booted eagle is remarkable for 

 its shrill piercing scream, which is stated both by Lord Lilford and Mr. Hume to- 

 be unlike the cry of any other Accipitrine. In Gilgit, this eagle is found from 

 March till October, and it breeds there at an elevation of five thousand feet. 



The characteristics by which the true eagles may be distinguished 

 True Eci2"Ics 



from the hawk eagles having been already indicated under the heading 



of the latter, it will suffice here to refer to some of the leading features of the 

 present group. The true eagles are all birds of large size, and, with the exception 

 of Steller's sea eagle, include the largest representatives of the whole family. In 

 all of them the beak is strong and of moderate length, curving gradually from the 

 cere, with a sharp point and nearly straight cutting edges; while the nostrils may 

 be either oval and oblique or circular. The wings are large and long, and have 



