THE GOLDEN EAGLE; THE RING-TAILED EAGLE. 49 
Sub-Family Aquitinz.— The Eagles. 
Size large, and all parts very strongly organized; bill large, compressed, straight 
at base, curved and acute at tip; wings long, pointed; tail ample, generally rounded ; 
tarsi moderate, very strong; claws curved, very sharp and strong. There are about 
seventy species of eagles of all countries. 
AQUILA, Mornrine. 
Aquila, Mornrine, Ay. Gen., 49 (1752). 
General form large and very strong, and adapted to long-continued and swift 
flight; bill large, strong, compressed, and hooked at the tip; wings long, pointed; 
tarsi rather short, very strong, feathered to the toes; claws sharp, strong, curved. 
This genus includes about twenty species, which are regarded as the true eagles. 
AQUILA CANADENSIS. — Cassin. 
The Golden Eagle; the Ring-tailed Eagle. 
Falco Canadensis, Linnzus. Syst. Nat., I. 125 (1766). . 
Falco niger, Gm. Syst. Nat., I. 259 (1788). 
Aquila nobilis, Pallas. Zoog. Ross. As., I. 338 (1811). 
Falco chrysetos, Wilson. Aud., II. 464. 
DESCRIPTION. 
Adult. — Large; tarsi densely feathered to the toes; head and neck behind light 
brownish-fulvous, varying in shade in different specimens, frequently light orange- 
fulvous, generally darker; tail at base white, which color frequently occupies the 
greater part of the tail; other terminal portion glossy black; all other parts rich 
purplish-brown, frequently very dark, and nearly clear black on the under parts of 
the body; primaries shining black; secondaries purplish-brown; tibiz and tarsi 
brownish-fulvous, generally mixed with dark-ashy; cere and toes yellow: iris 
reddish-hazel. 
Younger. — Entire plumage lighter, and mixed with dull-fulvous; under parts of 
the hody nearly uniform with the upper parts; cere, toes, and iris like adult. 
Total length, female, thirty-three to forty inches; wing, about twenty-five; tail, 
about fifteen inches. Male, total length, thirty to thirty-five inches; wing, twenty 
to twenty-three: tail, twelve to fourteen inches. 
The above description is incomplete, so far as the markings of the tail are men 
tioned; for in the adult bird the tail is entirely black, and the young have more or 
less white in proportion to their age, —the youngest birds having the widest white 
band at the base. 
This bird is so extremely rare in New England, that I 
have had no opportunities for studying its habits. It is 
occasionally found here in different seasons of the year, 
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