Spotted and Other Eagles 241 



nearing the fence, and it seemed if the rabbit could succeed in reaching it, he 

 could, by dodging around among the trees, baffle his pursuers. The Eagles 

 seemed to know this also, for when within fifty yards of the fence, the larger 

 one of the two swooped down at the rabbit, and when he dodged, the Eagle 

 pursued him, flying at a height of about three feet above the ground. The 

 rabbit redoubled his speed and made straight for the fence, the Eagle follow- 

 ing and both doing their best. This unequal race was kept up until the fence 

 was reached, the Eagle having gained until she was but two or three feet behind 

 the rabbit. When the rabbit passed through the fence, I expected to see the 

 Eagle give up the pursuit, but she had no intention of doing so, for without 

 slacking her speed she raised herself just enough to clear the fence, and, dropping 

 down behind the rabbit, continued as before. Instead of dodging around 

 among the trees he was so crazed with fear that he ran in a straight line down 

 the orchard. The velocity with which the Eagle flew at this stage of the chase 

 was something wonderful. Fast as the rabbit ran, the ' great black shadow ' 

 behind him drew nearer and nearer, until, poising an instant over its victim, the 

 Eagle pounced upon him. A short struggle, a cry or two from the rabbit, and 

 all was still." 



The Spotted Eagle (A. heliaca), which is distributed from southeastern Europe 

 to central Asia, northern India, and China, is sometimes mistaken for the species 

 just described, but it is a smaller bird, with less difference in size between the 

 sexes, and further the adults may be separated at once by the presence of a more 

 or less conspicuous white patch on the shoulders. It is a rare and occasional 

 visitor to the British Islands, but breeds rather abundantly in the forests of central 

 and southeastern Europe. In India, Blanford describes it as a sluggish, heavy 

 bird, often seen sitting on trees or sometimes on the ground in open country. 

 During the winter season it throngs the well-wooded and cultivated portions of 

 the plains of continental India, but goes farther north and west to breed. It 

 feeds largely on carrion, although it also kills small mammals, birds, and lizards. 

 Like the other Eagles it constructs a bulky nest of large sticks, placing it usually 

 in a tree, and lining it with a few green leaves. The eggs, two or three in number, 

 are variable in size and shape, and are pale grayish white and unspotted, or 

 occasionally with purplish brown blotches. 



Other Species. In southeastern Europe and northern Africa this species is 

 replaced by Adalbert's Eagle (A. adalberti), which is a slightly smaller species 

 in which the white shoulder patches continue along the edge of the wing to 

 the carpus; its habits are similar. The Steppe Eagle (A. bifasciata), which 

 was formerly regarded as a color phase of the Imperial Eagle, is a bird about 

 thirty inches long, nearly uniform brown in color, with often a rufous-buff patch 

 on the nape. Its habits are similar to those of the Imperial Eagle, except that 

 it usually places the nest on the ground. Allied to the last, but much smaller, 

 is the Indian Tawny Eagle (^4. vindhiana), a common bird of the Indian penin- 

 sula. It feeds on small mammals, birds, lizards, and carrion, and is also guilty 

 of robbing Kites and Falcons of their captures. Other species found in India are 

 the rare Brook's Eagle (A.fulvescens), and the Large and Small Spotted Indian 



