164 ALLEN'S NATURALIST'S LIBRARY. 



so distinctly on the crown itself; entire back, scapulars, and I 

 median wing-coverts bright fulvous-brown, with large markings I 

 of dark brown towards the tips, imparting a strongly mottled j 

 appearance to the upper surface of the body ; lesser and greater 

 wing-coverts dark brown, the latter slightly mottled with whity- 

 brown, as also the inner secondaries, the quills being otherwise 

 as in the adults ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 

 light brown, the long coverts mottled with whity-brown ; tail of 

 the latter colour, the centre feathers especially whitish, all 

 irregularly mottled with greyish-brown, which colour is most 

 developed on the edge of the feathers ; throat dark brown, with 

 white bases to the feathers, the sides of the face being almost | 

 uniform dark brown ; rest of under surface of body mottled 

 like the back, the bases of the feathers being fulvous-brown, 

 mottled with dark brown down the centre and at the tip ; under 

 tail-coverts and thighs rather more uniform ; under wing-coverts 

 entirely dark brown ; cere yellowish-brown ; bill black ; feet 

 yellow j iris brown. 



Characters. I have already stated that the unfeathered legs 

 of the White-tailed Eagle unfailingly distinguish it from the 

 Golden Eagle. The pure white tail of the adult is a further 

 character, and the mottled plumage and whitish tail of the 

 young birds ought to render identification of immature speci- 

 mens easy. Indeed it is only by gross carelessness that the 

 two species can be confounded, and yet we know that this is 

 often the case. 



Range in the British Islands. Principally observed in England 

 as a migrant in autumn and winter, though it formerly bred on 

 many parts of the coast and in the Lake district, but even in 

 the south of Scotland it has become extinct as a breeding bird, 

 and places like Ailsa Craig, where there used to be an eyrie, no 

 longer know the species except as a chance visitor. In the 

 western isles of Scotland it still breeds, and also on the 

 northern coast. Mr. Ussher says that in its former breeding- 

 haunts in Donegal, Antrim, Dublin, Wicklow, Cork, Clare, and 

 Galway it is extinct ; but a pair has bred recently on the coast 

 of Mayo, and another pair on the coast of Kerry. 



Range outside the British Islands. The White-tailed Eagle is 

 found in most parts of Northern Europe, and breeds in Scan- 



