78 HALIAETUS ALBICILLA. 



Progress towards Maturity. — The principal 

 chang-es which take place in regard to colour, as the 

 bird advances, are these. The bill first becomes bluish - 

 black, but ultimately yellow; the cere becomes brighter; 

 the iris assumes more of yellow ; the white at the base 

 of the feathers gradually disappears ; the tail becomes 

 lighter, at first patched with white, and ultimately of 

 that colour entirely. The general colour of the pi umage 

 after the first moult is darker than at first, but at each 

 successive change if becomes paler. At the age of two 

 years the bird is of the following colours. 



Bill bluish-black, brownish at the tip of the upper 

 mandible, and along the greater part of the lower, yel- 

 lowish at the sides of the base ; cere greenish-yellow ; 

 irides darkish-brown. Head and hind-neck dark-brown, 

 the latter still marked with white ; fore-neck and breast 

 brownish- white, longitudinally marked with deep brown. 

 Upper parts in general pale brown, patched with deeper, 

 some of the scapulars glossed with purple. The hind 

 part of the back is white, the tips of the feathers um- 

 ber ; the tail-coverts brownish-grey. Base, outer webs, 

 and tips of tail-feathers, deep brown ; inner webs and 

 part of outer near the tip brownish-white. Belly pale 

 brown, spotted with umber. Tibial feathers brown ; 

 lower tail-coverts white, tipped with deep brown. 

 Primaries brownish-black ; secondaries greyish-brown. 

 Feet gamboge-yellow ; claws bluish-black, tinged with 

 brown. 



In the young plumage, the white-tailed sea-eagle very 

 much resembles the white-headed species in the same 

 state ; although, when the birds are placed together, 

 the difi^erences are obvious. The brown tints of the 

 American species ?.re much darker than those of ours,. 



