81 



SEA EAGLE. 



Falco Ossifragus. F. fusco-ferrugineus, cruribus seminudisjlavis, 



rectricibus albo-nebulosis . 

 Brown-ferruginous Eagle, with half-naked yellow legs, and 



tail feathers clouded with white. 

 Falco Ossifragus. Lin. Syst. Nat. 

 Sea Eagle or Osprey. Will. orn. p. 5Q. 

 Sea Eagle. Lath. Sf Venn. 

 L'Orfraie. Buff. ois. I. p. 112. 



Equal, and sometimes superior in size to the 

 Golden Eagle, to which it bears a general resem- 

 blance, and for which it has been often mistaken. 

 Exclusive however of its much lighter colour, an 

 invariable specific difference is afforded by the legs, 

 which are feathered but a little way below the 

 knees. It is a native of Europe, and is also found 

 in North America. It preys principally on fish, 

 which it seizes by darting down upon them, while 

 swimming near the surface: it also preys oc- 

 casionally on birds and other animals, and Mr. 

 Pennant affirms that the Eagle represented by 

 Barlow* with a cat in its talons is of this kind. 

 The artist was an eye-witness to the spectacle, 

 and in the conflict both animals fell to the ground. 



The American variety is superior in size to the 

 European; is clouded and spotted with white, and 

 has the legs feathered halfway down. It is very 

 common in the northern parts of America, prey- 

 ing both on sea and land fowls, and on young 

 seals, which it seizes while swimming. 

 * Barlow's Plates. No. 36. 



v. vii. 6 



