64 THE PESTS OF THE FARM. 



bill is of a brownish horn color ; the cere, sides of the mouth, and 

 feet, j-ellow ; iris of the eye, reddish hazel, the eye turned consider- 

 ably forwards ; eyebrow, remarkably prominent, projecting over 

 the eye, and giving a peculiar sternness to the aspect of the bird ; 

 the crown is flat ; the plumage of the head, throat, and neck, long 

 and pointed ; that on the upper part of the head and neck, very 

 pale ferruginous ; fore part of the crown, black ; all the pointed 

 feathers are shafted with black ; whole upper parts, dark blackish 

 brown ; wings, black ; tail, rounded, long, of a white, or pale 

 cream color, minutely sprinkled with specks of ash, and dusky, and 

 ending in a broad band of deep dark brown, of nearly one-third its 

 length; chin, cheeks, and throat, black; whole lower parts, a deep 

 dark brown, except the vent and inside of the thighs, which are 

 white, stained with brown ; legs, thickly covered to the feet, with 

 brownish white down, or feathers ; claws, black, very large, sharp, 

 and formidable, the hind one full two inches long. 



The ring-tailed eagle is found in the northern parts of America. 



SEA EAGLE OR GRAY EAGLE. This eagle inhabits the same 

 countries, frequent the same situations, and lives on the same kind 

 of food, as the bald eagle, with whom it is often seen in company. 

 It resembles this last much in figure, size, form of the bill, legs, 

 and claws, and is often seen associating with it both along the At- 

 lantic coast and in the vicinity of our takes and large rivers. 



The sea eagle is said, by Salerne, to build on the loftiest oaks a 

 very broad nest, into which it drops two large eggs, that are quite 

 round, exceedingly heavy, and of a dirty white color. Of the pro 

 cise time of building, we have no account. 



The bird measures three feet in length, and upwards of seven 

 feet in extent. The bill formed exactly like that of the bald eagle, 

 but of a dusky brown color ; cere and legs, bright yellow ; the lat- 

 ter, as in the bald eagle, feathered a little below the kneo ; irides, 

 a bright straw color ; head above, neck, and back, streaked with 

 light brown, deep brown, and white, the plumage being white, 

 tipped and centred with brown ; scapulars, brown ; lesser wing- 

 coverts, very pale, intermixed with white ; primaries, black, their 

 shafts brownish white ; rump, pale brownish white ; tail, rounded, 

 somewhat longer than the wings, when shut, brown on the exterior 

 vanes, the inner ones white, sprinkled with dirty brown ; throat, 

 breast, and belly, white, dashed and streaked with different tints of 

 brown and pale yellow ; vent, brown, tipped with white ; femorals, 

 dark bu iwn, tipped with lighter ; auritfulars, brown, forming a bar 



