54 WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 



they enter the skin; the broadest secondaries are three inches 

 in breadth across the vane; the scapulars are very large and 

 broad, spreading from the back to the wing, to prevent the air 

 from passing through; another range of broad flat feathers, from 

 three to ten inches in length, also extends from the lower part 

 of the breast to the wing below, for the same purpose; between 

 these lies a deep triangular cavity; the thighs are remarkably 

 thick, strong, and muscular, covered with long feathers point- 

 ing backwards, usually called the femoral feathers; the legs, 

 which are covered half way below the knee, before, with dark 

 brown downy feathers, are of a rich yellow, the colour of ripe 

 Indian corn; feet the same; claws blue black, very large and 

 strong, particularly the inner one, which is considerably the 

 largest, soles very rough and warty; the eye is sunk under a 

 bony or cartilaginous projection, of a pale yellow colour, and 

 is turned considerably forwards, not standing parallel with the 

 cheeks, the iris is of a bright straw colour, pupil black. 



The male is generally two or three inches shorter than the 

 female; the white on the head, neck and tail, being more 

 tinged with yellowish, and its whole appearance less formida- 

 ble; the brown plumage is also lighter, and the bird itself less 

 daring than the female, a circumstance common to almost all 

 birds of prey. 



The bird from which the' foregoing drawing and description 

 were taken, was shot near Great Egg-harbour, in the month of 

 January last, was in excellent order, and weighed about eleven 

 pounds. Dr. Samuel B. Smith, of this city, obliged me with 

 a minute and careful dissection of it; from whose copious and 

 very interesting notes on the subject, I shall extract such re- 

 marks as are suited to the general reader. 



" The Eagle you sent me for dissection was a beautiful fe- 

 " male. It had two expansions of the gullet. The first prin- 

 " cipally composed of longitudinal bundles of fibre, in which 

 " (as the bird is ravenous and without teeth) large portions of 

 " unmasticated meats are suffered to dissolve before they pass 

 " to the lower or proper stomach, which is membranous. I. 



