AQUILA. 133 



sometimes have no lining at all. They are generally placed at the 

 very top of the tree, and though I have found them occasionally on 

 peepul and tamarind trees, the great majority vi^ere on moderate- 

 sized, but dense babool-trees, standing apart in the midst of fields 

 or low jungles. 



Mr. William Blevvitt remarks that he found great numbers of 

 the nests of this bird in the neighbourhood of Hansie during 

 January, ITebruary, March, and April, 1868. None contained more 

 than two eggs, and many of these latter were considerably incu- 

 bated. The nests were without exception in dense keekur-trees 

 (Acacia arabica), at heights of from 16 to 24 feet from the ground. 

 The nests, sometimes loosely and at others densely constructed,, 

 were composed of twigs and small branches of keekur, ber {Z.jajuba), 

 and similar thorny trees ; more than one had a thin lining of grass 

 or leaves, bnt the majority had no lining. In diameter (excluding 

 straggling ends) the nests varied from 16 inches to nearly 2 feet, 

 and in depth from barely 4 to nearly 9 inches. 



During the latter part of 1868 great scarcity prevailed in Hansie 

 and the whole neighbouring country, owing to the failure of the 

 rains. Fodder, especially, was unprocurable, and throughout vast 

 tracts all the babool, ber, and peepul trees were entirely denuded 

 of their foliage, in order to feed the cattle. The result was that 

 A. viiidhiana entirely deserted the neighbourhood, and where in 1868 

 with but little trouble Mr. Blewitt met with scores of nests, he 

 during 1869 only succeeded in findiug two. 



My friend, Colonel Gr. P. L. Marshall, writing of this species, 

 says : — " Very common in the Saharunpoor district. Is said to 

 catch fish by all the natives ; but I do not believe it. The native 

 name is Machopa or Machoka. It builds on trees a nest of sticks, 

 and lays two white eggs, sometimes pure, sometimes blotched with 

 dusky and brownish. It commences building in the end of March, 

 but the eggs are not laid till the end of May ; and I have taken 

 fresh eggs up to the middle of June, and at Bhamlee, in the Mozuf- 

 fernugger district, I took five nests early in June, all with fresh 



" In the Central Provinces," writes Mr. K. Thompson, " this is a 

 common bird in the upland forests. It lays here in November and 

 December." 



Most birds, when they have eggs, even before they begin to sit, 

 watch their nests closely. I have, however, repeatedly found nests 

 of this Eagle, containing one or more eggs, with no parent bird 

 anywhere near. I have several notes of this. I quote one : — 



" On the Western Jumna Canal, near Hissar, on the 15th Decem- 

 ber, I found a large nest on the top of a babool-tree. The nest 

 seemed rather fresh, and therefore, though there was no bird near, 

 I sent up a man to examine it. It proved to contain two large eggs. 

 Whilst the man was near the nest, no bird made its appearance ; 

 only after we had waited about a quarter of an hour, a large 

 A. vindhiana in dark plumage soared slowly past, at a great height 

 overhead. This was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. We did not 



