284 NATURAL HISTVY. 



the contents as it sails lazily along. Furthermore, Mr. S. Bligh informs me that he once found the 

 best part of a bird's nest in the stomach of one of these Eagles which he shot in the Central Province. 

 Its flight is most easy and graceful. In the early morning it passes much of its time soaring round the 

 high peaks or cliffs on which it has passed the night, and about nine or ten o'clock starts off on its 

 daily foraging expedition. It launches itself with motionless wings from some dizzy precipice, and 

 proceeding in a straight line, till over some inviting-looking patna-woods it quickly descends with one 

 or two rather sharp gyrations, through, perhaps, a thousand feet, and is in another moment gliding 

 stealthily along just above the tops of the trees. In and out among these, along the side of the wood, 

 backwards and forwards over the top of the narrow strip, it quarters, its long wings outstretched and 

 the tips of its pinions wide apart, with apparently no exertion ; and luckless indeed is the Bulbul, 

 Oriole, or Mountain Finch whose carefully-built nest is discovered by the soaring robber." * 



The size of the Kite Eagle is about thirty inches in length, and the colour is entirely black, with 

 some indistinct bars of ashy-grey on the tail. Besides the Eagles that have been alluded to already, 

 there are the Hawk-Eagles (Nisaetus), remarkable for their long legs, and the Crested Eagles 

 (Spizaetus), which have a beautiful long crest hanging from the hinder part of the head. 



THE COMMON HARRIER EAGLE (Circartus t gallicus). 



This, which is also called the "Jeaii-le-Blanc," is one of the best-known of all the bare-legged 

 section of the Eagles. The genus Circaetus, to which it belongs, contains five species, of which four 

 are peculiar to Africa, the C. gallicus being found all over Southern and Central Europe, and 

 extending into India, where it is not at all unplentiful. In its nature this bird is rather sluggish, 

 though in confinement it is very untamable, and wears a thoroughly fierce aspect, as could be seen by 

 any one who examined the specimen in the Zoological Gardens. Its ferocious appearance was 

 heightened by its peculiar eye, which is very large, of a bright yellow, with a very small black pupil, 

 whereas the pupil in most birds of prey is rather large. J 



THE INDIAN SERPENT EAGLE (Spikrnis clieela]. 



This is a beaxitiful bird, having the under surface mottled with white spots or " ocelli." All the 

 Serpent Eagles, of which there are several species, are characterised by a similar style of plumage, and 

 by a full, thick crest of feathers springing from the occiput and hind part of the head. They are found 

 all over India and Ceylon, Southern China, and the Burmese countries, the Malayan Peninsula, Sunda 

 Islands, Borneo, and Celebes. The Ceylonese species, which is a small race of the Indian bird, is 

 stated by Layard to feed on Snakes, Lizards, and other reptiles and insects, and to be particularly 

 pai-tial to the large trees on the banks of tanks, from them swooping down on the frogs which 

 came up to sun themselves on the floating logs or reeds. The Indian species of Serpent Eagle is a 

 powerful bird, and is said to capture Pheasants during the breeding season and bring them to the 

 nest. Mr. Hume has generally found small Snakes in their stomachs ; once as many as fifty together 

 were found, all scarcely bigger than large Worms; and an instance was brought to his knowledge of a 

 Cobra some two feet and a half long having been found dead, but uninjured, in one of these birds' 

 stomachs. Mr. Thompson, a frequent contributor to Mr. Hume's " Rough Notes," tells of one which 

 he had alive, and which was kept along with two little Indian Owls (Carine brama), a Carrion Crow, 

 and three large green Woodpeckers, and who killed and ate up every one of the latter, though well 

 supplied with other fresh meat. 



THE BATELEUR EAGLE (Helotarsus ccaudatus\\}. 



This is a very remarkable bird, which might also with propriety be called the Short-tailed Eagle, 

 as it is the only species known in which the wings exceed the tail in length. It is found in Africa 

 only, where it is by no means rave in the southern and north-eastern quarters of the continent. 



* "Birds of Ceylon," p. 49. f <>o?, a Harrier; ie-rur, an Eagle. J Ibis, 1865, p. 253. 



e'Auj (atpew), to lift ; Tapcrds, a tarsus. || Ecamlatus, Latin, meaning "without tail," on account of its shortness. 



