

THE SEA-EAGLES. 



toe. The nostrils are perpendicular ovals, the tail is slightly 

 rounded, and the bare tarsus is scaled in front and reticulated 

 behind. 



Members of the genus Haliaetus are found in the northern 

 portions of the New World, but are not known from Central 

 or South America. In the Old World they are found almost 

 everywhere, and one species, Haliaetus hucogaster, is an in- 

 habitant of the Malayan Archipelago, Australia, and even ex- 

 tends to some of the Oceanic Islands. 



I. THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. HALIAETUS ALBICILLA. 



Vultur albirilla, Linn. Syst. Nat. i. p. 123 (1766). 

 Haliaetus albicilla, Macg. Brit. B. iii. p. 221 (1840) ; Newt. ed. 

 Yarr. Brit. B. i. p. 25 (1871); Sharpe, Cat. B. Brit. Mus. 

 i. p. 303 (1874); Dresser, B. Eur. v. p. 551, pi. 348 

 (1875); B. O. U. List Br. B. p. 97 (1883); Seebohm, 

 Br. B. i. p. 87 (1883) ; Saunders, Man. Br. B. p. 319 

 (1889); Lilford, Col. Fig. Brit. B. parts xiii. xvi. (1890). 



(Plate XL VI.) 



Adult Male. General colour above brown, with a tinge of 

 sandy-colour on the neck and wing-coverts, many of the 

 feathers being edged with pale brown or ashy-grey ; head and 

 sides of face with a decided tinge of ashy-grey, the ear-coverts 

 browner ; the median and greater wing-coverts glossy brown, 

 with whity-brown margins ; quills black, with brown shafts, the 

 primaries externally shaded with ashy, the secondaries like the 

 back, but darker brown towards their tips ; lower back and rump 

 dark brown ; long upper tail-coverts white, slightly varied with 

 brown at the base and at the tips ; tail pure white ; under 

 surface of body, brown, the throat and chest whity-brown, 

 with dark brown central streaks, some of the feathers shaded 

 with ashy ; under wing-coverts and inner lining of quills dark 

 brown, the latter inclining to ashy ; cere and bill yellow ; feet 

 yellow, the claws black; iris straw-yellow. Total length, 33^5 

 inches; oilmen, 3^0 ; wing, 24-5; tail, ii'o; tarsus, 4'!. 



Adult Female. Similar to the male, but larger. Total length, 

 38 inches; culmen, 3*8; wing, 26-3; tail, i3'5; tarsus, 4'6. 



Young Birds. The young are much darker than the adults, 

 and much more mottled, the head and neck being blackish- 

 brown, the long feathers slightly tipped with fulvous-brown, not 



M 2 



