Sea Eagles 



2 37 



a more varied dietary than the Golden Eagle, hunting for food both on sea and 

 land. " Like the Osprey, he drops from a considerable height on to a fish seen 

 near the surface, and, striking his talons into it, bears it away to land. But 

 he preys more on Puffins, Guillemots, and other sea-fowl, than on fish. He 

 destroys mountain hares, Grouse, and Ptarmigan, and is regarded by the shep- 

 herd as the worst enemy to the flock." The nest is usually in cliffs by the sea- 

 shore, and the eggs are similar in number, size, and color to those of the Bald 

 Eagle. 



Other Species. Inasmuch as the habits of the various Sea Eagles are 

 mainly identical, the present account of the group may be concluded with a 

 brief enumeration and description of the remaining species. Pallas's or the 

 Ring-tailed Sea Eagle (H. leucoryphus], which ranges throughout southern 

 and central Asia as far west as the Persian Gulf, the Caspian and Black seas, 

 and is abundant in northern India and Burma, is a smaller species, the male 

 being about thirty and the female thirty-three inches in length. It may be 

 known by having the sides of the head and neck with the chin and throat whitish, 

 but especially by a white band about four inches wide across the tail, some three 

 inches from the end, whence one of its names mentioned above. It frequents 

 mainly the large rivers, tidal creeks, lakes, and marshes rather than the sea- 

 coasts, and feeds largely on fish, with occasional water-birds, frogs, snakes, 

 etc. Still smaller is the White-bellied Sea Eagle (H. leucogaster) of the coasts 

 of India, Ceylon, and Burma, whence it extends throughout the Malay Archi- 

 pelago to Australia, Tasmania, and western Polynesia. The head and neck 

 all around, as well as the lower parts and the terminal third of the tail, are white. 

 This species occurs on the coasts, being rare inland, and feeds chiefly on fish 

 and sea-snakes. The African Sea Eagle (H. vocifer) has the head, breast, and 

 the top of the back and tail pure white, while the wings and back are nearly 

 black, and the abdomen and thighs reddish brown. It is found in tropical 

 Africa, frequenting the mouths of rivers, lakes, and other suitable places, feed- 

 ing on fish, crabs, reptiles, and now and then a young lamb. Somewhat smaller 

 than this is the Madagascar Sea Eagle (H. vociferoides), which differs from it 

 by having the under parts brown and the lower wing-coverts chestnut. 



Steller's Sea Eagle (Thalassoaetus pelagicus\ which occurs in Kamchatka 

 in summer and Japan in winter, is another giant species which is referred by 

 some to the preceding genus, and by others placed in a genus by itself, differ- 

 ing, among other characters, in having a wedge-shaped tail of fourteen instead 

 of twelve feathers and an enormous bill. The plumage of the adult is brownish 

 throughout, with the wing-coverts, rump, tail, and tail-coverts pure white, while 

 the young are nearly brown throughout, only the tail being white. The full- 

 grown bird is about forty-one inches long. The Korean Sea Eagle (T. branicki), 

 a native mainly of Korea, is also a very large bird. It is a uniform slaty black, 

 without white on any part of the body, and in correspondence with its gigantic 

 size has a very loud, penetrating cry. 



The Fishing Eagles. It is probable that the so-called Fishing Eagles 

 (Polioaelus] should also be referred to this subfamily, but there are very decided 



