AQUILA 521 



of wounded game. Its call-note is (fide von Erlanger) ichtiok, 

 ichtioh. Its nest is a large heavy structure of boughs, twigs, and 

 dry grass, and is placed on a tree. The eggs, which are 

 deposited in April or May, in Abyssinia in June or August, and 

 on the Blue Nile in January, are white, more or less richly 

 spotted and blotched with pale purplish red and deep rufous 

 and measure about 2*81 by 2'22. 



There are two forms of this eagle, one tawny, and the other 

 allicans) pale clay ochreous, but intermediate specimens 

 occur. 



735. IMPERIAL EAGLE. 

 AQUILA HELIACA. 



Aqnila Jieltaca, Savigiiy. Obs. Ois. de 1'JBgypte, p. 82, pi. xii. (1809) ; 

 Gould, B. of E. i. pi. 5 ; Sharpe, Cat. B. Br. Mus. i. p. 238 ; Tacx. 

 F. 0. Sib. 0. p. 17 ; Blanf. F. Brit. Ind. Birds, iii. p. 334 ; A. ifti- 

 perialis (Bechst.) Orn. Taschenb. p. 553 (1812) ; (Naum.) i. p. 201, 

 Ttif. 6, 7 ; A. crassipes, Hodgs. in Gray's Zool. Misc. p. 81 (1844),-; 

 A. moyilmk (Gmel.) Nov. Com. Petrop. xv. p. 445 (1771) ? ; Dresser, 

 v. p. 521, pis. 343, 344. 



Aiglc Imperial, French; Kaiseradler, German; Aquila 

 imperiale, Ital. ; Mogilnik, Kamgousch, Russ. ; Akctb, Urga, 

 Persian ; lumiz, Hindu. ; Frus, Bengal. 



ad, (Bulgaria). Head and neck above dull yellowish isabelline, the 

 forehead marked with dark brown, the nape tinged with rufous ; rest of the 

 plumage blackish brown, some of the scapulars pure white ; tail dark 

 grey, with a broad terminal blackish brown band, and finally tipped with 

 light brown ; under tail-coverts light brown ; bill bluish, darker at the 

 tip; cere and feet pale yellow; iris brownish yellow. Culmen 2'85, 

 wing 23*5, tail 11 '6, tarsus, 3*9 inch. Female similar but larger. The 

 young bird is brownish yellow, striped with dark earth-brown ; wings 

 and tail dark brown, the latter tipped with light brown ; secon daries 

 tipped with yellowish white; chin and throat unstriped. Between this 

 plumage and the adult all stages are to fee met with. 



Hob. South-eastern Europe ; Asia Minor and Palestine ; 

 east Africa south to Nubia and Abyssinia ; Asia east to south- 

 eastern Siberia, Mongolia, and China; in India no further 

 east than Bengal (Furreedpore). 



In habits this Eagle is a heavy and sluggish bird, and 

 resembles a Buzzard more than any nearer allied species. 



It frequents the plains and steppes, where it feeds on small 

 mammals and birds, frogs, lizards, and carrion. Its nest, which 

 is placed in a tree is a heavy structure of boughs and sticks, 



