SHORT-TOED EAGLE. 91 



Since my notice in the "Revue," one of my friends 

 found three nests of this bird in the Vosges. The 

 eggs were like the drawing I send you. 



Dr. Alexander Savatier wrote to me from Beauvais, 

 sur Matha, (Charente-inferieure.) 'I have killed on its 

 nest, in a forest in our neighbourhood, a female of 

 Jean-le-Blanc. The nest was placed upon a very high 

 tree; it was sixty or seventy centimetres in diameter; 

 it was composed of dry twigs; it only contained one 

 egg, half sat upon. It was May 16th. The shell was 

 a dirty white, and rugose. Great diameter eight cents, 

 and little, about six cents. The peasants assured me 

 they had seen other nests, always with only one egg, 

 and that this was never spotted.' 



Authors generally attribute two eggs to this species. 

 He added that the bird feeds principally on reptiles; 

 I have verified the truth of this assertion, for having 

 opened the stomach of my bird, I found it contained 

 a sort of ball, about the size of a partridge's egg, 

 composed of serpents' scales." 



The adult male has the upper part of the head 

 variegated with brown spots; nape, back, and upper 

 tail coverts ashy brown, a little lighter upon the edge 

 of the feathers; inferior parts, under tail coverts, and 

 legs white, with spots of a light reddish brown, more 

 numerous and nearer together on the neck and chest, 

 less frequent on the belly and sides; cheeks garnished 

 with black hairs; wing coverts similar to the back, with 

 edges of a lighter tint; quill feathers blackish brown; 

 tail white below, above brown, and barred widely with 

 a blackish tint, terminating in a white or whitish edge. 

 Beak ashy black; cere and feet whitish yellow; iris 

 brilliant yellow. 



The adult female has less white on the head, neck, 



