FALCONID^ — THE FALCONS. 



329 



LIST OF SPECIMENS EXAMINED. 



National Museum, 17; Philadelphia Academy, 14; Boston Society, 3; Museum Com- 

 parative Zoology, 3; Coll. R Ridgway, 2; Coll. J. C. Sharp, Jr., 1; W, S. Brewer, 1. 



Total, 41. 



Mecisurements. 



The " Bird of Washington " of Audubon was, without the least doubt, a 

 very large immature female, in about the second year : the discrepancies be- 

 tween Audubon's figure and description, and the real characters of the young 

 Bald Eagle, are' very probably the result of carelessness and faulty memory ; 

 the stretch of wing of " 10 feet 2 inches" is, no doubt, an exaggeration ; and 

 the peculiar scutellation of the tarsus, as exhibited in his plate, was as cer- 

 tainly caused by this portion of the figure being worked up from memory. 

 The probability is also that the description was made up, or at least very 

 much added to, from this plate, as there is no record of Mr. Audubon's speci- 

 mens having been preserved. It is by no means strange that persons should 

 consider these large grayish Eagles a different species from the smaller 

 white-headed ones, since their proportions are as different as their colors ; 

 and throughout the country, unscientific people, and among them experienced 

 hunters, distinguish the three stages described above as the " bald," " big 

 gray," and " black " Eagles. ISTothing is more certain, however, than that all 

 are only different stages of one and the same bird. 



In the preceding table of measurements the old and immature specimens 

 are given separately, in order to prove the remarkable fact that the latter 

 have longer wings and tails than the former. This feature is not confined to 

 the present bird, however, but applies as a general rule to all Falconidce. 



Habits. Tlie White-headed Eagle is widely diffused throughout the 

 North American continent, from about latitude 58° north to the Gulf of 

 Mexico and Central America. 



Sir John Eichardson, in Fauna Boreali- Americana (Vol. II, p. 15), states 

 that he did not meet with this species north of 62°, although he found it 

 common between that point and Lake Superior. He also states that they 

 leave the fur-countries in October, when the rivers are frozen. Subsequently, 

 in his expedition overland to the Arctic Seas, in 1848, he found occasion to 

 change his first impressions quite materially. He gives it as abundant at 

 Half-Moon Lake, in latitude 56° north. He also speaks of finding both the 

 Osprey and White-headed Eagle building their nests on the banks of Bear 

 Lake Eiver, in about 60° north. We find in his notes, that Wliite-headed 

 Eagles made their appearance at Fort Confidence, latitude 66° 54', as early 



42 



o 

 VOL. III. 



