GOLDEN EAGLE— S POTTED EAGLE 63 



light brown, others are almost cream-coloured, while 

 the markings on the breast often form a T-shaped 

 pattern. 



The Buzzard feeds on field-mice, reptiles, frogs, and 

 occasionally earthworms, varying this diet with small 

 birds. See Plate 4, Fig. 16. 



Perhaps the best Imown of the true Eagles is the 

 Golden Eagle, the original species to which the name 

 Eagle was given, a native of Europe and also of the 

 western part of the United States. The name is de- 

 rived from the supposedly golden colour of the plum- 

 age, but, as a matter of fact, this is a rich dark brown 

 in tone. The legs are a brilliant yellow, and the eyes 

 are dark brown and mild in expression. The bird it- 

 self, however, is one of the fiercest and most rapacious 

 of the Order to which it belongs. It feeds upon hares 

 and small mammals. Grouse and other birds; and 

 when pressed to hunger it will even eat carrion. Of 

 the numerous stories told of these birds carrying away 

 children in their claws, none has ever been authenti- 

 cated. The eggs of the Golden Eagle, two or three 

 in number, vary greatly in colouration. See Plate 2, 

 Fig. 8. 



The Spotted Eagle is a bird which can be easily 

 recognised by the white patch on the shoulders. It is 

 a southern form, occurring in Southeast Europe, and 

 ranging thence through Palestine to India and China. 

 While some travellers describe it as displaying great 

 beauty and majesty in its movements, and dauntless 

 courage when foraging for food, others tell a different 

 story. One writer assures us that it is a dull and 

 stupid bird. "I have driven," he- says, "the female off 



