438 



AVES— EAGLE. 



THE RING-TAILED EAGLE 



Is probably the young of the golden eagle, though formerly considered a 

 distinct species. When young, the body is of a lighter color than that bird, 

 but deepens into a blackish brown as the eagle advances in age. 



The tail feathers of this bird are highly valued by the various tribes of 

 American Indians, for ornamenting their calumets or pipes of peace. The 

 ring-tailed eagle is characterized as a generous spirited and docile bird. Its 

 solitary habits, the vast inaccessible cliffs to which it usually retires, united 

 with the scarcity of the species in those regions inhabited by man, all com- 

 bine to render a particular knowledge of its nabits very difficult to be cttained. 



THE OSPREY EAGLE. 1 



This bird and the sea eagle have often been confounded with each other. 

 They are, however, very different. The osprey, both male and female, is 

 much smaller than the sea eagle ; the tarsi of the osprey are scaly and 

 naked, while those of the sea eagle are feathered part of the way; the 

 osprey may be trained to catch fish for its keeper, but the sea eagle will not 

 serve a master. 



1 JPalm haliaetus, Lin. 



