392 FALCON AND EAGLE GROUP 



or whitish to a ground-colour of this nature more or less fully speckled, 

 spotted, or blotched with rusty brown, chestnut, or even umber. 



Of the black kite {Milviis 7nigf'ans), which inhabits a large part 

 of Europe, exclusive of Scandinavia, an example is recorded to have 

 been taken at Alnwick, Northumberland, in the spring of 1866, and 

 a second is reported from Aberdeen in 190 1. In the case of such a 

 rare straggler no description is necessary. 



The same may be said with regard to the black -winged kite 

 {Elaiitis c(E7-uleus), the t}'pical representative of a genus of small-sized 

 species. It is an African species, occurring locally in India, northern 

 Africa, and the south of Europe ; and a single example is stated to 

 have been killed in Meath about the \-ear 1842. 



Of a third foreign representative of the kite-group, namely, the 

 handsome American swallow-tailed kite {Elanoidcs [or iV(U/(/er!/s] 

 furcatJis), easily recognised by its pied plumage and the great length 

 of its deeply forked tail, the reported British examples comprise one 

 from Argyllshire in 1772, a second from Yorkshire in 1805, a third 

 from Surrey in 1833, a fourth from Cumberland in 1853, and a fifth 

 said to have been shot on the Mersey in 1843. 



iTr.--.L .. •, J The white-tailed eagle, or sea-eagle, together with 

 White-tailed ** & > .^ 



, .. the true eagles, is sufficiently distinguished from all 



Lag'ie (Hailaetus ,. , . , ^ , . , 



... ... , the preceding birds-of-prey by its greatly superior 



size ; and it is therefore unnecessary in the present 

 work to refer to the structural peculiarities of the group as a v.hole. 

 In the case of the present species it will accordingh- suffice to state 

 that it is distinguished from the true eagles by the lower portion of the 

 legs being bare of feathers and covered in front from the middle third 

 with plate-like scales, while the toes are protected throughout their 

 length by large transverse plates. Sea-eagles are found almost every- 

 where in suitable localities, with the exception of South America ; the 

 present species being specially characterised by the white wedge-shaped 

 tail of the adult. 



In length a full-grown female white-tailed eagle varies from about 

 34 to as much as 38 inches, and in weight from 10 to about 13 lbs., 

 while her partner is but little smaller. When in the fully adult 

 plumage, which is not assumed till the sixth year, the two se.xes are 

 alike in colour, having the head and neck nearly white with brown 

 .streaks, the tail wholly white, and the remainder of the plumage brown, 

 but paler on the throat and breast, where the feathers show dark 

 shaft-streaks ; while the eyes are pale yellow, and the beak, cere, and 



