THE GOLDEN EAGLE AND OTHER BIRDS OF PREY. 85 



beak, legs and eyes are yellow. Though a sea eagle it travels up the 

 courses of large rivers for considerable distances inland, and may be 

 seen circling round offal and debris scattered over the alluvial plains by 

 the flood waters. 



Closely related to this species is the bald-headed eagle 

 {H. leucoceplialus), which is characterized by having a white head, not, 

 as the name seems to imply, a bald one. This species does not keep 

 so much to the river courses, but may be found in hilly and moun- 

 tainous districts. 



H. pela,gicus, a very large species, has been seen once in China by 

 Pere David. Its true habitat is North-eastern Asia, where it has 

 been recorded as breeding in great numbers in the Sea of Okhotsk. 

 This bird is remarkable chiefly for its enormous yellow bill. 



Much the largest bird in North China, that is at all related to the 

 eagles, is the black vulture (Viiltur inonacluis). This bird has a spread 

 of wing as much as nine feet and over. One 1 measured was nine and 

 a half feet from tip to tip. This specimen now stands in a museum in 

 Tai-yuan Fu. The black vulture is very rare, being found only in high 

 mountainous country. As its name suggests it is of a uniform dull 

 black colour. Its legs are of a deep carmine, and are comparatively 

 weak, with small claws. It has an enormous black beak, and a naked 

 neck, at the base of which is a fine ruff of feathers. The head is cover- 

 ed with fine, black do\VTi, growing into a tuft at the back. 



A much commoner vulture is the lammergeier {Gypaetus harhatus), 

 which is fairly plentiful in Western Shansi. This large bird differs 

 from most vultures in having the head and neck entirely feathered. 

 Its talons, though not so powerful as those of an eagle, are, neverthe- 

 less, much stronger than those of the black vulture, which bird it also 

 rivals in size. The lammergeier is of a brown colour above, paler on 

 the throat and breast, merging into a fine chestnut, on the belly. It has 

 a long wedge-shaped tail. The beak is sharply hooked, and there is a 

 small tuft oi' feathers on the chin like a beard. 



A bird that might almost rank with the eagles is the osprey, or 

 fish-hawk [Pandion haliaetus). Though not so large as the eagle, it is a 

 fine, handsome bird, with dark upper parts and white breast, belly and 

 legs. It has very powerful talons, which are white in colour. It lives 

 upon fish, which it catches by pouncing upon them as they come to 

 the surface. It will pull a fish of three or four pounds weight out cf 

 the water, and carry it off to its nest or some dead limb high up on its 

 favourite tree. The nest, which is enormous, is usually built at the 



