14 cassell's book of birds. 



covers bordered with a light shade ; the tail-feathers are numerously striped and mottled, or are of a 

 uniform colour, with a light tip ; the upper tail-covers are brownish yellow. In the young birds the 

 plumage is variegated, the feathers being for the most part brown, and spotted with light yellow on 

 both sides of the shaft and at the tip ; in some instances the wings of the young have a beautiful 

 border ; the hose and lower wing-covers are a mixture of brown and dirty white. 



The Spotted Eagle and its congeners for the most part frequent marshy or boggy country, and 

 are found in large numbers in woodland districts. Each pair seems to live within a certain 

 limited space, in the centre of which the eyrie is built ; and so attached are they to the spot they 

 have selected for a home, that it is almost impossible to drive them to other quarters ; even should 

 the eggs or young be destroyed, the parents will not quit the eyrie, or only leave it to erect another 

 a few yards from the old nest. In the northern parts of Europe the Spotted Eagle is met with during 

 the summer, appearing early in March, and leaving about October, some few remain throughout the 

 winter. In fierceness and daring this species is far inferior to any other member of the group to 

 which it belongs ; its manners are gentle and its disposition timid, as may at once be seen by the 

 expression of its eye. When perched, its appearance is extremely ignoble ; but when on the wing 

 it exhibits some of the dignity characteristic of its race, and often passes whole hours in performing 

 beautiful gyrations through the air. This Eagle destroys small birds, mice, and frogs in great 

 numbers ; it perches like a Buzzard upon a tree, stone, or post, and from thence peers around in 

 the hope of descrying a victim ; should its observations prove successful, it at once rapidly descends 

 to seize its prey, which is sometimes pursued with a kind of hopping gait ; it also devours carrion with 

 the avidity of a vulture. The voice of this species is very loud and resonant, and when the bird is 

 pleased its sound is not disagreeable. Birch-trees are usually preferred for building purposes, and 

 where these are not to be found, fir or pine trees are selected; the eyrie, which is small and very 

 carelessly constructed, is flat, and ornamented with green branches. The egg — for there is usually 

 but one — is either oval or round ; the shell is white, with pale blueish grey, reddish brown, or yellow 

 spots, more or less distinctly laid on ; some are prettily adorned with a wreath of spots round the 

 centre. The female sits for three weeks, and, should she be driven from her charge, perches upon 

 the nearest tree and utters pitiful cries ; the young are tended by both parents, and fed principally 

 upon small reptiles ; if taken from the nest they are easily tamed. 



The DWARF EAGLES (Hieraelos) are the smallest members of this family, and have received 

 the name they bear on account of the shortness of their legs ; the two species we are about to describe 

 closely resemble each other, and are about one foot and a half long, and three feet seven inches broad; 

 the wing measures thirteen inches and three-quarters and the tail seven inches and a quarter. The 

 female is one inch and a half longer and about three inches broader than her mate. 



THE BOOTED EAGLE. 



The Booted Eagle (Hieraetos pennata) is yellowish white upon the brow, and striped upon the 

 top of the head with a darker shade ; the nape is reddish brown, the mantle and wings blackish 

 brown, each feather having a light edge, and thus imparting a mottled appearance to the back and 

 surrounding the wings with two indistinct borders; the shoulder is marked with a white spot; the upper 

 sides of the tail-feathers are dark brown, with a light tip, the lower part is pale grey ; the feathers on 

 the lower portions of the bird are light yellow, with brown lines upon the shafts ; these lines are 

 broadest upon the breast, gradually decreasing until they are scarcely visible upon the hose ; in some 

 old birds these dark markings are only visible upon a small part of the breast ; the eyes are of a pale 

 bronze tint, the beak light blue at its base and tipped with black, the feet lemon yellow, and the cere 



