856 WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 



thers pale greyish-brown. The downy part of the plumage is greyish- 

 white on the dark, white on the white parts ; the bases of the quills be- 

 come shaded into light-grey, and ultimately into greyish-white. 



Length to end of tail 34 inches ; extent of wings 7 feet; bill along 

 the ridge 2i%, along the edge of lower mandible 2t%, its height l^^^ ; 

 tarsus 3 ; hind toe 1^^, its claw 2 ; middle toe 2t^j, its claw It*?. 



Adult Female. A splendid specimen from Nova Scotia agrees in its ge- 

 neral characters with the above, the bill and other parts being as described. 

 The nostrils are oblong, oblique, 5^ twelfths long, 3 twelfths in breadth. 

 The tarsi are feathered anteriorly and on the sides for nearly two-thirds 

 of their length, and are covered with transverse series of roundish, and 

 transversely elongated convex scales, of which some of the anterior are 

 merely somewhat larger, and twelve in a double series behind are scu- 

 telliform. On the first toe are four, on the second five, on the third 

 thirteen, on the fourth six entire scutella ; their basal spaces being co- 

 vered with scales. The claws are as described above. There is no dif- 

 ference in the texture or form of the feathers. The outer five quills are 

 abruptly cut out on the inner web ; the first quill is 4 inches 2 twelfths 

 shorter than the second, which is 1 inch 1 twelfth shorter than the 

 third, the latter is the longest, but exceeds the fourth only by 2 twelfths, 

 the second is shorter than the fifth, the first 1 inch 9 twelfths longer 

 than the first secondary. The tail is rounded, the lateral feathers being 

 li inch shorter than the middle ; but the tail-feathers are considerably 

 worn. 



The bill, cere, eyelids, and feet yellow ; claws bluish-black. The 

 head, the neck for half its length, the rump, upper tail-coverts, tail, 

 lower tail-coverts, and the feathers in the vicinity, are pure white. The 

 rest of the plumage is deep chocolate, the feathers terminally margined 

 with light brown ; the quills, large coverts, and scapulars brownish- 

 black, tinged with grey toward the base, where they finally become 

 greyish-white. The downy bases of the feathers greyish-white on the 

 dark parts, white on the rest. 



Length to end of tail 40^ inches ; bill along the ridge 3j%, along 

 the edge of lower mandible 2x1, its height at the base of the cere ly|, 

 a little beyond the angle of lower mandible 1^^ ; wing from flexure 

 25| ; tail 13;^ ; tarsus 3i% ; hind toe 1^, its claw 2i^2 ; second toe 1^, 

 its claw 2/2 ; third toe 2i%, its claw 1{§ ; fourth toe Ijj, its claw 1^. 



