Part 29

Form slender; tarsi long; ruff very distinct on the neck in front. Adult. Upper-parts, head, and breast, pale grayish-cinereous, generally more or less tinged with fuscous, and on the back of the head mixed with dark fulvous; upper tail-coverts white. Under-parts white, usually with many small cordate or hastate spots of light-ferruginous; quills brownish-black, with their outer webs tinged with ashy, and a large portion of their inner webs white; tail light-cinereous, nearly white on the inner webs of the feathers, and with obscure bands of brown; under-surface white; inferior wing-coverts white; secondaries tipped with dark-brown. Young. Entire upper-parts dark umber-brown, mixed with fulvous, and white on the occiput and neck behind; upper tail-coverts white. Tail reddish-brown, with about three broad bands of dark-fulvous, paler on their inner webs. Under-parts rufous, with stripes of brown on the breast and sides; tarsi and feet yellow. In younger birds, on the under-parts the brown stripes are more numerous.

Dimensions. Female—total length, 19½ to 21 inches; wing, 15½; tail, 10 inches. Male—total length, 16 to 18 inches; wing, about 14; tail 8½ to 9 inches.

Hab. All of North America; California (Col. M‘Call); Oregon (U. S. Ex. Exp. Vincennes); Cuba (M. de Sagra, M. Lembeye). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. Resembles to some extent the Circus cyaneus of Europe, but is easily distinguished from it by its colors and rather larger size. The adults and young of this species present great differences in color and general appearance.

V. SUB-FAMILY AQUILINÆ. THE EAGLES.

Size usually large. Bill large, compressed, straight at base, curved and acute at the tip; wings long, pointed; tail ample, generally rounded at the end; tarsi moderate or rather long, strong; toes long, strong; claws very strong, curved, acute. This sub-family includes about seventy species, of all countries.

I. GENUS AQUILA. Mœhring, Av. Gen. p. 49. (1752.)

Large, bill large, strong, compressed, and hooked at the tip; wing long, pointed, very strong; tarsi moderate, feathered to the base of the toes. Tail rather long, rounded or wedge-shaped; toes and claws long; the latter very sharp and curved. Contains about twenty species, which are regarded as the true Eagles.

1. Aquila chrysaetos. (Linn.) The Golden Eagle. The ring-tailed Eagle. Falco chrysaetos and fulvus. Linn., Syst. Nat., I. p. 125. (1766.) Falco canadensis. Linn., Syst. Nat., I. p. 125. (1766.) Aquila nobilis. Pallas, Zoog. Ross. As., I. p. 338. (1811.) Falco niger. Gm., Syst. Nat., I. p. 259. (1788.)?

Edw., Birds, pl. 1; Brown, Ill., pl. 2; Buff. Pl. Enl. 409, 410; Wils. Am. Orn., pl. 55, fig. 1; Aud. B. of Am., pl. 181; oct. ed. 1, pl. 12.

Very large; tarsi densely feathered to the toes. Adult. Head above and behind and neck behind light-brownish fulvous, much varying in shade in different specimens. Base of the tail pure white, which color varies in extent in different specimens, but generally occupies the greater part of the tail; remaining portion glossy black. All other parts rich purplish-brown, very dark, and nearly black on the under-surface. Primary quills shining black, secondaries purplish-brown, with a violet tinge; tibia and tarsi brownish-fulvous, tinged with ashy; toes yellow. Younger. Entire plumage mixed with fulvous, and with the under-surface of the body paler.

Dimensions. Female—total length, 33 to 40 inches; wing, about 25; tail, about 15 inches. Male—smaller.

Hab. Whole of North America; Oregon (Dr. Townsend). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. We are not without doubts as to the specific identity of the American and the European Golden Eagles. All the American specimens that we have examined are smaller, the bill shorter, and the plumage much darker than those of Europe. We have not at present, however, a sufficient number of either continent, and it unfortunately happens that nearly all our European specimens are young birds, while the American are adults. Mr. Audubon’s plate represents this bird in nearly mature plumage.

II. GENUS HALIAETUS. Savigny, Hist. Nat. d’Egypt, I. p. 85. (1809.)

Size large; tarsi short, naked, or feathered for a short distance below the joint of the tibia and tarsi, and with the toes covered with scales. Bill large, strong, compressed; margin of upper mandible slightly festooned; wings rather long-pointed; tail moderate; toes rather long; claws very strong, curved, sharp. This genus contains about ten species of all parts of the world, all of which prey more or less on fishes, and are known as Fishing or Sea Eagles.

1. Haliaetus pelagicus. (Pallas.) The Northern Sea Eagle. Aquila pelagica. Pallas, Zoog. Rosso-Asiat., I. p. 343. (1811.) “Aquila marina. Steller, MSS.” Pallas as above. Falco imperator. Kittlitz., Kupf. Nat. Vog., pt. I. p. 3. (1832.) Falco leucopterus. Temm., Pl. col. 1. p. (no page.)

Kittlitz Kupf., pl. 2; Temm., Pl. col. I., pl. 489. Cassin. B. of California and Texas, I., pl. 6.

The largest of the Eagles. Wings rather shorter than usual in this genus; tail wedge-shaped, and composed of fourteen feathers. Adult. Large frontal space, greater wing-coverts, abdomen and tail white; all other parts of the plumage dark brown or brownish-black; bill and legs yellow. Younger. Tail white, more or less marked with brownish-black. All other parts brownish-black, lighter on the head and neck. Quills black, secondaries and tertiaries white at their bases; bill and feet yellow.

Dimensions. Female—total length, 3 feet 8 inches; wing, 2 feet 2 in.; tail, 1 foot 4 inches.

Hab. Russian-American Islands (Pallas); Japan (Temminck & Schegel). Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.

Obs. This very large and powerful bird inhabits north-eastern Asia and the islands between that continent and America, and probably other parts of Russian-America. It is the largest of the Eagles, and appears to be related to the species immediately succeeding.

2. Haliaetus Washingtonii. (Aud.) The Washington Eagle. Falco Washingtonii. Aud. Orn. Biog., I. p. 58. (1831, plate pub. 1827) Falco Washingtoniana. Aud. Louden’s Mag., I. p. 115. (April, 1828)

Aud. B. of Am. pl. 11; oct. ed. I., pl. 13.

Large, “bill shortish, very deep, compressed; feet rather short, with the leg long; the tarsus short, rounded, anteriorly covered with transversely-narrow sentella, posteriorly with small tuberculous scales; feathers of the head, neck and breast narrow and pointed; wings long, second quill longest; tail of ordinary length, rounded, extending considerably beyond the tips of the wings, of twelve broad acute feathers.”

“Bill bluish-black, the edges pale, the soft margin towards the commissure, and the base of the under-mandible yellow; cere yellowish-brown; lore light greenish-blue; iris chestnut-brown; feet deep yellow; claws brownish-black; upper part of the head, hind neck, back, scapulars, rump, tail-coverts and posterior tibial feathers blackish-brown, glossed with a coppery tint; throat, fore-neck, breast and belly light brownish-yellow, each feather marked along the centre with blackish-brown; wing-coverts light grayish-brown, those next the body becoming darker and approaching the color of the back; primary quills dark-brown, deeper on their inner-webs; secondaries lighter, and on their outer-webs of nearly the same tint as their coverts; tail uniform dark-brown; anterior tibial feathers grayish-brown.”

Dimensions. “Length, 3 feet 7 inches; extent of wings, 10 feet 2 inches; bill, 3¼ inches along the back; along the gap which commences directly under the eye to the tip of the lower mandible, 3¼ and 1¾ deep; length of wing when folded, 32 inches; length of tail, 15 inches; tarsus, 4½; middle toe, 4¾; hind claw, 2½ inches.” Audubon as above.

Hab. Kentucky (Audubon); Western and Eastern? Spec. in Mus. Acad., Philada.?