BIEDS. 315 



ourselves of the language of the poet, nor seek to deaden the 

 warm tiiits which glow upon his pictures. 



Two species of Eagle — the Golden and the White-tailed — 

 are known as permanent residents in these countries. The 

 addition of another to our Fauna was an occurrence of some 

 interest to ornithologists. This third species is an inhabitant 

 of the Apennines, and other mountains of central Europe, and 

 is known as the Spotted Eagle {Aquila nccvia). Mr. R. Davis, 

 of Clonmel, states * that it wsis shot in the month of January, 

 1845, on the estate of the Earl of Shannon, county of Cork, 

 and was at the time in a fallow field, devouring a rabbit. 

 Another bird, similarly marked, but reported to have been of 

 a hghter shade of brown, was shot at the same place within a 

 ^QVf days afterwai-ds, but was not preserved. 



Fig. 258.— Golden E\gle. 



The Wliite-tailed, or Cinereous Sea Eagle (Haliceehts 

 alhkilla), is somewhat less in size than the Golden Eagle. It 

 is much more abundant, and it seems in its habits to approach 

 more nearly to the Vultures. We shall, therefore, convey a 

 better idea of the habits of "the wide ruhng Eagle," by 

 appropriating our limited space to the Golden Eagle {Aquila 

 chrysaiilos, Fig. 258). 



• In a letter to ilr. Yarrell— f/t/e British Birds. 



