yee THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 
No. 185. 
GOLDEN EAGLE. 
A. O. U. No. 349. Aquila chrysaetos (lL inn.). 
Description.—Adu/t: General plumage rich dark brown, sometimes paling 
on wing-coverts, etc.; the lanceolate feathers of occiput and cervix buffy-tipped 
and tawny-edged (scarcely ‘golden’, but the name arises here); wing-quills 
and tai! blackish, the latter clouded or obscurely barred for the basal two-thirds 
with grayish brown and whitish; tarsi, fully feathered to the toes, paler or 
whitish. The birds become somewhat gray with age. Jmmature: Like adult, 
but basal two-thirds of tail plain white contrasting with terminal black; tarsi still 
paler or white. (Authorities flatly disagree as to whether the white-tailed 
bird is adult or young; I follow Ridgway. ‘There is a difference but for pity’s 
sake let’s not go and kill off the rest of the Eagles for the sake of finding out 
who is in the right.) Adult male length 30.00-36.00 (762.-914.4) ; wing about 
24.00 (609.6); tail about 14.50 (368.3); bill 1.60 (40.6); tarsus 3.75 (95.3). 
Adult female length 35.00-40.00 (889.-1016.) ; wing about 26.00 (660.4); tail 
15.50 (393.7); bill 1.80 (45.7); tarsus 4.18 (106.2). Extent of wing from six 
and one-half to seven and one-halt feet. 
Recognition Marks.—Largest; not easily distinguished at distance from 
immature Bald Eagle; feathered tarsi, of course, distinctive. 
Nest, a bulky platform of sticks, on cliffs, or, more rarely, in trees. Eggs, 
2 or 3, dull whitish, usually speckled, spotted, blotched or stained distinctly and 
faintly with reddish brown. Av. size, 2.96 x 2.32 (75.2 x 58.9). 
General Range.—North America south to Mexico, and northern parts of 
the Eastern Hemisphere. Breeding range in the United States practically re- 
stricted to the mountainous parts of unsettled regions. 
Range in Ohio.—Probably no longer resident, but rare winter visitor only. 
BECAUSE of the racial weakness for symbols and striking generaliza- 
tions, we have been taught that the Golden Eagle is the embodiment of all regal 
qualities, including courage, magnanimity, and valor in defense of offspring. 
There is some foundation for all this. In his mountain home the majestic flight 
of the Eagle truly befits the grandeur of the scene. Cradled on a beetling cliff 
and schooled in the clouds, it is little wonder that the Eagle should have be- 
come for us the symbol of both prowess and aspivation. Even in captivity 
there is something awful about his piercing eye, and the unrest of the royal 
captive appeals to all that is chivalrous in our natures. 
3ut the reputation of the Eagle race, quite as in the case of our own, has 
been made by a few individuals, and their feats are a revelation. of the 
possibilities inherent in the breed rather than chapters from common life. Never 
shall I forget the pained disappointment of my first Golden Eagle’s nest in the 
Cascade Mountains of Washington. ‘The situation was romantic enough— 
a ledge of rock some three hundred and fifty feet up on the side of the gulch 
and seventy-five feet clear of the talus below. At the time of my first visit, 
May 18th, the nest contained two eaglets about six weeks old. Armed with 
