75 



GOLDEN EAGLE. 



: Falco Chrysaetos. F. fusco-ferrugineus, rostro plumbeo, cera 

 pedibusquejlavis, cauda basi cinereo-undulata. 

 Brown-ferruginous Eagle, with lead-coloured beak, yellow 



cere and feet, and tail clouded with ash-colour at the base. 

 Falco Chrysaetos. Lin. Syst. Nat. 

 Golden Eagle. Will. orn. p. 58. Penn. Brit. Zool. 

 Le Grand Aigle. Buff. ois. 1 . p. 76. 

 L'Aigle dore. Briss. av. I. p. 431. 



This is regarded as the chief of the European 

 Eagles. Its general length, according to Pennant, 

 and others, is three feet, and the breadth seven 

 feet four inches; but the Count de BufFon in- 

 forms ns that the female is considerably larger, 

 and Willughby, without mentioning the sex, states 

 the length at full three feet nine inches. The bill 

 is three inches long, and of a deep lead colour, 

 with a yellow cere: the irides bright, golden hazel- 

 colour ; the head and neck are covered with nar- 

 row, sharp-pointed feathers of a deep brown colour, 

 edged with tawny, particularly those on the hind 

 part of the head: the whole body is of a dark 

 brown colour with ferruginous or tawny clouds : 

 the large wing-feathers are deep brown, with white 

 shafts; and the tail brown, the base being gene- 

 rally marked with irregular ash-coloured bars or 

 blotches: the legs are yellow, short, and very 

 strong, being three inches in circumference, and 

 feathered to the very feet, which are covered with 

 large scales, and armed with most formidable 



