Sea-Eaole. RAPT0RES> HALI^ETUS. 19 



Falco Ossifragus, Linn. Syst. 1. p. 124. 3.—GmeI. Syst. 1. p. 255. 4.— ^ 



Latli. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 12. 7 — Rail, Syn. p. ^. 3 — Will. p. 29. t. 1, 



—Muller, No. 60. 

 Falco Melanseetus, Gmel. p. 254. Sp. 2.— Lath. Ind. Ornith. 1. p. 10. 3, 



—Linn. 1. p. 124. 2 Rait, Syn. p. 7- 4 — ^Ti//. p. 30. t. 2 — Briss. \ 



p. 434. 8. 

 Aquilla Ossifraga, Briss. 1- p. 437. 9. 

 L'Orfraie, ou Grand Aigle de Mer, Buff. Ois. vol. 1. p. 112. t. 3 — Id. I |j^^^ 



PI. £nl. 112. yearling Bird. — Id. 415. the figure of one from two to ' °"'*' 



three years old. 

 Sea Eag'le, Br. ZooL 1. No. 44. t. 17 lb. fol. t. 63 — Zool. 2. No. 86. A. 



— Will. (Ang.) p. 59. t. I.— Lath. Syn. 1. p. 30.— Id. Sup. p. 9 — 



Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 1 Mont. Ornith. Diet.— /d. Sup — Wale. 



Syn. 1. t. 2 Shaiv's Zool. 7. p. 81 Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 2.— Don. 



Br. Birds, t. 105 Low's Fauna Oread, p. 32 Bewick'' s Br. Birds, 



l.p. 11. / 



Provincial — Erne or White-tailed Eagle. 



The identity of the Cinereous and Sea Eagle ivS now so 

 satisfactorily established, that I have, without any hesitation, 

 brought the synonyms hitherto assigned to the two supposed 

 species under the same head. To many, it may appear sin- 

 gular that this fact should only now be fully ascertained ; 

 but when we consider the great impediments to the investiga- 

 tion of the natural history of these birds, arising from the 

 wild and mountainous districts they inhabit, the difficulty of 

 procuring specimens, and the few opportunities afforded, 

 therefore, of watching the progress of the young bird to ma- 

 turity ; the slow advance of our knowledge in regard to this, 

 as well as other facts connected with this branch of science, 

 will rather be a matter of regret than surprise. Many of 

 our ornithological works, also, can only be regarded as com- 

 pilations from the essays of earlier authors, in which the 

 errors, arising from such deficiency of information as must 

 naturally attend the infancy of a new pursuit, may be ex- 

 pected ; and which errors have too often, without any at- 

 tempt at further scrutiny, been faithfully transcribed. 



The similarity in habits and manners, as well as in essen- 

 tial specific characters, between the Cinereous and Sea 

 Eagle, first led me to suppose that they were of the same 

 species, and that the difference of plumage might only pro- 

 ceed from the respective ages of the individuals, as appears 



B 2 



