18 



FALCONIDjE. 



species under the name of Aquila barthelemii. They con- 

 stantly differ from other Golden Eagles, it is said, by the 

 presence of a few white feathers among the scapulars. Two 

 of these birds, taken from the nest in 1857, were sent to 

 Mr. Gurney, and one of them, never having before shewn 

 any departure from the ordinary plumage of A. chrysaetus, 

 was observed in 1864 to have the first scapular on each side 

 of a pure white. The Norwich Museum possesses a similar 

 example from Algeria. Young Golden Eagles, before as- 

 suming the fully mature plumage, often have the feathers 

 of the tarsus white, and in this state some ornithologists 

 have been inclined to regard them as belonging to a distinct 

 species. 



The foot of the Golden Eagle is so distinctly marked from 

 that of the White-tailed or Cinereous Eagle, as to afford the 

 means of deciding between the two at any age ; and the 

 three anterior toes of both species are therefore here figured 

 to shew the distinction. The foot on the left hand is that 

 of the Golden Eagle, in which the tarsus is clothed with 

 feathers and each toe is covered with small reticulations as 

 far as the last phalanx, then with the three broad scales 

 already referred to. In the foot of the White-tailed Eagle, 

 represented by the figure on the right hand, the reticulations 

 are confined to the tarsus, the whole length of each toe being 

 covered with broad scales. 



The figure of the Golden Eagle at the head of this article 



