34 FAMILIAR WILD BIRDS. 



rate — be growing so surely and rapidly extinct. Speci- 

 mens of the Golden Eagle have occasionally been met 

 with in nearly every part of the United Kingdom, but it 

 is most frequently seen in the northern parts of Scotland 

 and the islands lying to the north and west. As already 

 intimated, it is common nowhere, and is rapidly becoming 

 scarcer. Of late years, however, in some parts of Scotland 

 it has been strictly preserved. 



It is found in North America, more especially towards 

 the Arctic regions, and also in Iceland, Scandinavia, Russia, 

 Germany, France, Northern Africa, and Asia Minor. 



The adult male is about three feet in length, the female, 

 like most birds of the same class, being larger than her mate. 

 The beak is of a bluish horn colour, darkening towards the 

 tip; the cere yellow; the skin of the lore has a bluish 

 tinge ; the irides are hazel, pupils black ; on the top of the 

 head the feathers are pointed, and rufous-brown ; the general 

 colour of the body is a dark brown ; the wing-coverts 

 are reddish and blackish-brown, the wings being black and 

 blackish-brown ; the tail feathers are a varied mixture of 

 brown, the ends being much darker ; the under parts and 

 the feathers on the legs, which reach to the foot, are bay ; 

 the toes are yellow, with three broad scales on the ex- 

 tremities; claws black. In young specimens the plumage 

 is darker, and the half of the tail nearest the body is quite 

 white; in this condition it is known by some naturalists 

 as the Ring-tailed Eagle. 



The nest of this bird is usually placed on some high, 

 precipitous rock or crag, and only accessible with difficulty. 



The nest is large and flat, and is composed of strong 

 sticks, the structure extending over an area of several feet. 

 Two or three eggs are laid : they are about three inches in 



