not observed in the British Isles.' 89 



lection appears to have contained such an example; and we can- 

 not think that its present possessor would have objected to lend 

 it for Mr. Breeds use^ particularly, too, as the distinction between 

 the Indian "Mace's Eagle" [Pontoaetus macei, Temm.) and the 

 present has never been shown in any plate. 



The most serious fault we have to find with Mr. Bree is for 

 propagating a terrible error, by continuing (after the manner, it 

 is true, of certain authorities who in most cases fully deserve 

 attention) to annex the American Bald Eagle [Halia'etus leucoce- 

 phalus, Linn.) to the European list, from wliich Dr. Schlegel, as 

 we have always thought, most properly erased it. But our author 

 does not seem to have given himself the trouble of attending to 

 the reasons adduced by that careful writer. It is true he does 

 not seem to attach much credit to Nilsson's statement (which is 

 undoubtedly incorrect) of its being commonly met with in Scan- 

 dinavia ; but he says, " It is generally believed, however, to occur 

 accidentally in Europe. One male, as reported by Degland, has 

 been killed in Switzerland, a female in Wiirtemberg; and it is 

 stated by Brehm to appear sometimes on the sea-coast of Ger- 

 many.'^ Now, if Mr. Bree will bvit turn to the ' Revue critique 

 des Oiseaux d'Europe^ (page 27), he will find, "Pour ce qui 

 regarde les individus tues, a ce qu'on pretend, pres de Stuttgart 

 et de Zurich, ces individus n^ont jamais ete decrits par aucun 

 naturaliste, ce qui me fait penser que ce n'etaient tout simple- 

 ment que de tres-vieux individus de I'aigle-pecheur commun, 

 espece que I'on a, comme le sait tout-le-monde, long-temps con- 

 fondue avec celle d'Amerique du nord." What are these " in- 

 dividus," but the birds reported, long before Degland^s time, 

 to have occurred in Switzerland and Wiirtemberg? for, we 

 take it, our readers do not require to be informed that Zurich 

 is an important city in one country, and Stiittgardt the capital of 

 the other, though Mr. Bree does not seem to be aware of it. As 

 to good Pastor Brehm^s statement of this species appearing on 

 the sea-coast of Germany, we venture to suggest that the only 

 locality where this is possible would be that part of the Con- 

 federation indicated as the scene of the discovery of the child by 

 the shepherd in the ' Wintcr^s Tale,' before Sir Charles Hanmer 

 and Mr. Kcan changed "Bohemia" into "Bithynia," But our 



