The Spotted Eagle m 



in its stomacli ; it weighed three and a half pounds. The writer saw and examined 

 this beautiful specimen in Messrs. Pratts' shop ; it was exactly similar in plumage 

 to the two obtained in Cornwall which he had also seen, and is also figured by 

 Mr. Thorburn in Lord Lilford's book. Although the two young birds of which 

 the portraits are given by Lord Lilford are of about the same age, they differ 

 considerably in plumage ; the Colchester bird being much darker, and with fewer 

 of the light spots than the Sudbourne specimen, which Lord Lilford states is the 

 finest example of the spotted stage of plumage that he had ever seen. But he 

 adds that the third Eastern Counties' specimen, which was shot at Leigh, near 

 Southend, in Essex, November 3rd, 1891, and of which his artist, Mr. Thorburn, 

 also made a drawing, was very nearly as beautiful. Ornithologists are* deeply 

 indebted to Lord Lilford for the fine series of portraits of the Spotted Eagle, for 

 besides the two young birds already mentioned, he has given a very perfect picture 

 of an adult taken from a living example in his aviaries. This beautiful portrait 

 well bears out the description given above of the adult as greatly resembling the 

 red-brown plumage of the Golden Eagle. 



There would appear to be two races of the Spotted Eagle, a larger and a 

 smaller, and it is the smaller race that has supplied the birds which have reached 

 this country. Lord Lilford writes that he became very well acquainted with the 

 Spotted Eagle in his shooting expeditions in Epirus and Albania, in 1856, 1857, 

 and 1858, and found it very abundant in the winter months, " in fact it might 

 fairly be called the Eagle of Epirus, although by no means the only representative 

 of the genus Aquila therein. The favourite resorts of the Spotted Eagle are 

 marshy but well wooded plains, and in my experience almost ever}?- clump of 

 high trees on our favourite shooting-grounds was tenanted by one or more 

 of these birds from October till March or April. In general habits I could 

 perceive but little difference between this Eagle and the Common Buzzard, 

 except that the former birds very frequently followed us, or kept flj'ing from 

 tree to tree upon our flanks, as we tramped the country' with our guns, but 

 I must admit that I never saw a Spotted Eagle in pursuit of any bird, even 

 of a wounded one. My impression is that, during the winter months, these 

 Eagles feed principally upon small mammalia and marsh- frequenting birds 

 that they can take upon the ground, such as Waterhens and Rails, and I can 

 vouch for the fact that, in springs at all events in European Turkey-, frogs and 

 small snakes form their staple diet. The usual zxy of this Eagle is a shrill 

 frequently repeated double note, but I have occasionally heard them utter a long 

 scream. To those who are not well acquainted with this species, I ma}- state, 



* Especially as some confusion had existed concerning the Spotted Eagles. 



