THE GOLDEN EAGLE 39 



exceptional length. I should say that, on an average, 

 a mature cock eagle has a spread of wing from 6 to 7 feet, 

 and a hen from 7 to 8 feet. The length of the birds varies 

 from 2| feet to 3| feet, and the weight from 12 to 14 lbs. 

 These measurements are from a male eagle : Length 

 32 inches, wing 24*5 inches, tail 13 inches, tarsus 3-7 

 inches. A female showed a length of 35*5 inches, a wing 

 of 27*5, tail 14 inches, and tarsus 3*8 inches. 



The Golden Eagle has the bill horn-coloured or deep 

 blue-black, the tip being the darkest. The iris is of a 

 clear orange bro^vn, the pupil black. The crown of the 

 head and the nape are russet. Chin and throat dark 

 brown. Breast brown, ending in a reddish tint. Back 

 dark brown, the lesser wing coverts being lighter 

 in colour. Primaries nearly black. Secondaries brown- 

 ish black. Wing coverts brown. Rest of the body brown, 

 and this brown becomes lighter with advancing years. 

 Tail deep brown, paler at the base, and barred irregularly 

 with dark brown. Upper tail coverts pale brown tinged 

 with grey. The legs, which are heavily feathered, are 

 light brown. The feet are yellow. Expanse of foot 7 

 inches, including the claws. These latter are black, and 

 the outer one is the smallest of the four. During the 

 first year there is a well-defined white bar on the upper 

 half of the tail, but this becomes less with each moult. 

 In immature plumage the secondaries are white for three- 

 quarters of their length, and this applies to the tail also. 

 Upper tail coverts white, some tipped with brown, under- 

 tail coverts the same. Legs covered with white feathers 

 inside. The plumage is very similar in male and female. 

 When newly hatched, the eaglets have pink eyes, and 

 when plumaged the wing coverts are patched with white. 

 White varieties of the Golden Eagle have been from time 

 to time reported. I believe the following distinction 

 enables immature Golden Eagles to be identified from 



