CATALOGUE OF VERTEBRATES. 577 



lagopus and the sancti-johannis. The latter was supposed to be 

 black when adult (and was known as the black hawk), and its 

 young to resemble the lagopus. We now know that the mela- 

 nistic condition affects certain individuals, both youag and old, 

 and that all gradations from black to light are found. 



AQUILA, Briss. 

 A. chrysaetos, L. Golden Eagle. 



Tarsus entirely feathered to toes ; plumage glossy, purplish 

 brown ; head and neck golden brown ; quills blackish. Length, 

 36 inches; tail, 16 inches. A northern species. 



" Occasionally on the sea-coast, and still more rarely inland, a 

 specimen of this eagle is seen or taken. The young or ' ring- 

 tailed eagle ' is generally seen during winter on the coast, but 

 they are few in numbers. A specimen was seen by the author 

 near Trenton in April, 1863."— [C. C. A.] 



HALI^BTUS, Savig. 

 H. leucocephalus, L. Bald Eagle. 



Dark brown ; head, neck and tail white after the third year. 

 Length, 36 inches; tail, 14 inches. Feeds on fishes, which it 

 often takes by robbing the osprey, or fishing eagle. " Notorious 

 as the emblem of the Republic." — Coues. 



" More abundant on the sea-coast than elsewhere within the 

 limits of the State; and breeding in secluded swamps, never 

 very far from good fishing grounds. 



" In Mercer county two or three pairs are generally seen every 

 year, but no nest has as yet been found within the last ten years. 

 They are not an offensive bird to the farmer, and would prob- 

 ably be more abundant were they not so eagerly pursued when 

 seen inland." 



FALCO, L. 



F. peregrinus, var. anatum, Bonap. Duck Hawk. Peregrine Falcon. 



Upper mandible toothed, lower notched ; nostrils circular (as 



in all falcons) ; tarsus scarcely feathered below the joint ; plumage 



blackish ash, with paler waves, whitish, and barred below ; black 



cheek patches. Length, 16 inches; tail, 7 inches. 



