  Theoretical and numerical studies are presented of the amplitude modulation
of electron-acoustic waves (EAWs) propagating in space plasmas whose
constituents are inertial cold electrons, Boltzmann distributed hot electrons
and stationary ions. Perturbations oblique to the carrier EAW propagation
direction have been considered. The stability analysis, based on a nonlinear
Schroedinger equation (NLSE), reveals that the EAW may become unstable; the
stability criteria depend on the angle $\theta$ between the modulation and
propagation directions. Different types of localized EA excitations are shown
to exist.
