WASHINGTON EAGLE. 71 



inner vanes, very broad and firm ; the outer 2^ inches shorter than 

 the 2d, the longest 24 inches to its roots, and about f^ an inch in 

 diameter at the barrel. [In Mr. Pickering's specimen, the longest 

 quill gave 25«^ inches, and in a specimen of the Bald Eagle the same 

 corresponding feather gave only 22^ inches, though the specimen 

 was a female.] The under wing-coverts iron-grey. Foot warty 

 beneath like a rasp, enabling the bird to secure its slippery prey. 

 Leg feathers brown-cinnamon, pointed backwards. Iris hazel, in- 

 clining to chesnut. The head more convex than in the Bald Eagle. 



Subgenus — Haliaetos. 



Nostrils crescent-shaped. Legs half-feathered ; toes divided to 

 the base. 



These live chiefly upon fish ; and keep generally near the sea- 

 shores, lakes, and rivers, though their superior size and strength en- 

 able them to prey upon large animals. 



