HALIAETUS. 165 



only so long as there are eggs in the nest, for no sooner are these 

 hatched than the temper of the bird becomes wholly changed, and 

 it will then defend its young with fierceness and determination. 

 The nests I have repeatedly found and robbed, both on the banks 

 of the Ganges and of the Sutledge, and in all cases where they 

 contained only eggs, not the least show of resistance was made, 

 the old birds either sailing off with a loud querulous cry, or sul- 

 lenly remaining on an adjacent tree, watching the robbery that was 

 going on. On one occasion, however, I met with a very different 

 reception, when my servant was attacked with an unexpected 

 ferocity from which nothing but my gun could have saved him. 

 The circumstance occurred in January 1832, when on my way up 

 the country. The nest was placed near the summit of a tree, 

 growing on one of the Colgoug rocks, in the middle of the Ganges, 

 and contained two half-fledged young ones. The old birds offered 

 a most determined resistance, and without the aid of fire-arms we 

 should decidedly have been defeated, as they dashed fiercely and 

 fearlessly at the man in the tree, who prayed hard to be allowed 

 to descend, and was only kept at his post by the promise of reward 

 and fear of the cudgel. At first we had to contend with the 

 female only, but after one or two rapid swoops and dashes at the 

 robber's head, which he avoided by bobbing under the nest, finding 

 she could make no impression, she suddenly uttered a shrill cry, 

 which was responded to in the distance, and in an instant after 

 her mate was seen swiftly gliding to her aid from the opposite 

 bank of the river. The two then charged together towards the 

 nest with the rage and fierceness of despair, and so terrified the 

 man in the tree, hampered as he was with the young ones, that, 

 had I not fired at and wounded the Eagles as they advanced, they 

 would assuredly have hurled him into the river. In this manner, 

 however, after repeated attempts to come to the rescue, we man- 

 aged at last to drive off the old birds and secure the booty. At 

 the end of five weeks the young ones exhibited as nearly as pos- 

 sible the plumage of the bird figured by Hardwicke and Gray as 

 H. lineatm." 



More recently Captain Hutton sent me the following further 

 remarks in regard to this species : — "In the Dehra Doon this bird 

 is extremely common, but it merely skirts the outer hiUs, about 

 6500 feet, without entering them. I have seen six to eight to- 

 gether passing along the side of the hills below Mussoorie for 

 some distance, and tliea returning again together in like manner ; 

 but what the object can be, I cannot make out. There is no 

 fishing-ground along that route. They build in lofty trees on the 

 banks of the larger Doon streams, laying one or two large white 

 eggs. The nest I have described in the Journal of the Asiatic 

 Society of Bengal." 



The usual number of eggs laid by this species is' three ; but 1 

 have myself twice found four, and it is not at all uncommon to 

 meet with only two eggs, fully incubated, or two young ones, in a 

 nest. 



