ANDERSON — THK BIRDS OK IOWA. 253 



Genus Aouila Brisson. 

 152 (349)- Aqiiila chrysdetos {h\nn.). Golden Eagle. 



The Golden Eagle is a rather rare but fairly regular visitor to 

 Iowa, at least specimens are killed in different parts of the state 

 nearly every year. It is sometimes taken in winter, although 

 most of the specimens are observed in March and April and in 

 October. It does not breed in the state, and its wanderings seem 

 to follow the migrations of the other birds, waterfowl, etc., which 

 form the bulk of its food. 



"It may be stated that in sections of the country where rab- 

 bits, prairie dogs or gophers are abundant the Golden Eagle is 

 very beneficial, confining its attention mainly to these noxious 

 animals; but in places where wild game is scarce it is often ver}' 

 destructive to the young of domesticated animals" (Fisher). One 

 stomach which I examined, taken in Hancock county, contained 

 several large frogs, and others contained the remains of rabbits. 



The Golden Eagle seems to have been more abundant in the 

 early days. Thomas Say mentions its occurrence at Engineers' 

 Cantonment in 1819-20, as Falco {Aquila Briss./u/vzis), "Ring- 

 tailed Eagle Wilson; War-eagle of the Omawhaws" (Long's 

 Exp.). Keyes and Williams state that several were taken in the 

 eastern part of the state in 1886. Cooke states that "several were 

 seen and some captured in central and northern Iowa in the win- 

 ter of 1883-84, the last ones leaving from March 15 to 22" (Bird 

 Migr. in Miss. Val., 107-8). C. F. Henning writes that it was 

 fairly common in the earl}- days, but he has had several fine spec- 

 imens brought to him during the past ten years. Some of the 

 more recent specimens which I have handled in the flesh were 

 taken as follows: December 7, 1900, Davis City, Iowa, taken by 

 Guy Bailey; April 14, 1903, by Dr. J. H. McKay; October 25, 

 1904, Iowa City; March 16, 1905, six miles south of Iowa City. 

 The Golden Eagle may be known from the Bald Eagle in any 

 plumage by having the tarsus feathered to the toes. 



Genus Hali.EETIJS Sav-igny. 



153- (352)- Haliaehni leucocephalus {L\\va.). Bald Eagle. 



The Bald Eagle has been characterized by Dr. Coues: "North 

 America, anywhere, common — for an Eagle; piscivorous; a pirat- 

 ical parasite of the Osprey: otherwise notorious as the emblem of 



[Proc. D. .\. S. Vol XI. | 35 i^^^- 3°. 1906.] 



