468 GOLDEN EAGLE. 



enced whilst in danger, that ere three days had elapsed his hair became 

 quite grey. 



Falgo Cheysaetos and F. fulvus, Linn. Syst. Nat. voL i. p. 125. — Lath. Ind. Or- 



nith. vol. i. p. 10. 

 Falco fulvus, Ch, Bonaparte, Synops. of Birds of the United States, p. 25. 

 AauiLA Cheysaetos, Swains.axiA. Richards. Fauna Bor. Amer. vol. ii. p. 12. 

 Ring-tailed Eagle, F. fulvus, Wils. Anier. Ornith. vol. vii. p. 13. pi. 55. fig. 1. 



Young. 

 RoTAL or Golden Eagle, Nuttall, Manual, part i. p. 62. 



Adult Female. Plate CLXXXI. 



Bill shortish, deep, compressed, strong, cerate at the base ; upper man- 

 dible with the dorsal outline nearly straight and sloping at the base, from 

 the margin of the cere to the end curved so as to form the fourth of a 

 circle, the sides sloping and slightly convex, the edges sharp, nearly 

 straight, with a slight convexity and a shallow sinus close to the strong 

 subtrigonal tip, which is concave or channelled beneath ; lower mandible 

 convex on its dorsal outline, the sides convex, the edges sharp and in- 

 flected, the tip obliquely truncate. Nostrils in the fore part of the cere, 

 lateral, oblique, oval, open, with a process at their anterior margin. Head 

 of moderate size, neck short, body full. Legs of ordinary length ; the 

 tibia proportionally long ; the tarsus short, rounded, robust, feathered to 

 the toes, which are rather short, very strong, united at the base by a short 

 web, marginate, covered above with series of angular scales, and towards 

 the end with large broad scutella, of which there are four on the hind toe, 

 three on the next, four on the middle toe, and three on the outer ; the 

 first and second toes are about equal, the hind one stronger, the middle 

 toe longest, the outer shortest and smallest ; claws long, curved, rounded, 

 flat beneath, middle claw with a deep groove and an edige on the inner 

 side. 



Plumage compact, imbricated, glossy ; feathers of the head and neck 

 narrow and pointed, of the back and breast broader, but still pointed. 

 Space between the bill and eye covered with small bristle-pointed feathers 

 disposed in a radiating manner ; both eyelids ciliated ; a bare projecting 

 space over the eye. Wings long; the fourth quill longest, the third al- 

 most equal, the second considerably shorter, the first short; the first, second, 

 third, fourth, fifth, and sixth, abruptly cut out on the inner webs; the 



I 



