South-east of the countries of Europe first mentioned,
this Eagle appears to he very generally distributed in suitable
localities. I t is not known from Sardinia, hut occurs in
various parts of Italy, and breeds on the Appenines, as also
in Sicily, where Malherbe mentions an eyry containing two
Eaglets lying amid the bones of rabbits and reptiles; but
that which created the greatest surprise was to find beneath
this great structure some nests of the Tree-Sparrow, containing
eggs and young, and that these little birds had no
dread in thus establishing themselves close to so formidable
an enemy. Mr. C. A. Wright says that it has occurred at
least once in Malta.
In Turkey the Spotted Eagle is stated by Messrs. Elwes
and Buckley to be most abundant in the wooded plains of
Macedonia. In a series of interesting articles in the ‘ Revue
de Zoologie,’ by MM. Alleon and Vian, on the migration of
birds-of-prey on the Bosphorus, these naturalists say that
it passes twice a year in numerous bands, but that it also
breeds in the lofty trees of the forest of Belgrade, near
Constantinople. In Bulgaria it is not uncommon, and is
most numerous near Devna and Pravidy. “ In its habits,”
says Mr. C. Farman, “ it strongly resembles the Buzzards,
generally flying low in pursuit of its prey, which, if belonging
to the feathered tribes, it strikes in the a i r ; ” and the same
gentleman saw a nest in an ash overhanging a stream,
which was warmly and softly lined with the blossoms of the
tree, and contained one young bird and two eggs. Further
to the north, Mr. Hudleston (Ibis, 1861, p. 368), in an
animated description of the down-country of the Dobrudscha,
says, that Aquila navia has its nest in the low blackthorn
bushes which dot the surface of the open plateau, or even
more generally on the ground itself. “ I found, or was
directed to,” he says, “ no less than four, two of which were
on the ground, under the shelter of bushes; two were on
the bare plain.”
Further to the east and north-east, it is not easy to trace
the exact limits of the Spotted Eagle’s range, for the task is
complicated by the existence of a larger race or, in the eyes
of many ornithologists, species, to which the name of Aquila
clanga has generally been applied, and it may possibly be
this form 'which is so abundant in Pomerania. Both forms
are said to occur in Palestine, but Mr. Hume is confident
that the bird which inhabits India belongs to the true
A. ncevia. Mr. Jerdon, in his invaluable work on the birds
of that country, says that the Spotted Eagle is found in
suitable places throughout India. I t is tolerably common in
the Carnatic and Malabar coast, but rare on the table-land.
Mr. Blyth says it is common in the Bengal Sunderbunds.
I t preys upon all sorts of small animals—squirrels, rats,
birds, lizards, and frogs. These last, according to Mr. Hume,
form its favourite food, in quest of which he has known it
follow the course of a canal in progress to a district which
it had not previously inhabited. The Norwich Museum has
a specimen said to have come from Sumatra.
The egg in general character resembles that of the Golden
Eagle, but commonly seems not to be so highly coloured.
That figured by Mr. Hewitson in the last edition of his
work measures 2'5 by 2-02 in.
The young bird in its first year has the bill of a dark
bluish horn-colour, becoming lighter in colour towards the
base, the cere yellow; irides hazel; the whole head, neck,
back, wings, and tail dark chocolate-brown ; the tips of all
the wing-coverts marked with a crescentic patch of pale
wood-brown; the tertials, upper tail-coverts, and tail-feathers
the same; under surface of the body dark brown, the feathers
of the thighs and legs varied with paler brown lin e s ; the
legs feathered down to the tarsal jo in t; the toes yellow,
reticulated for a portion of their length, but ending with four
large and broad scales ; the claws nearly black.
The young of the second year, as figured by Mr. Gould
in his ‘ Birds of Europe,’ is more uniform in its colour
than the bird here represented, but has some of the smaller
wing-coverts, the greater coverts, and the tertials tipped with
light brown ; the general colour dark reddish-brown.
An adult bird had the neck, back, wing-coverts, and tail
reddish liver-brown ; the head, both above and below, rather