198 ACCIPITRES. 



is very numerous during the fishing-season at Eturop, the most 

 southerly of the Kurile Islands {Blakiston and Piyer, Trans. As. Soc. 

 JapaUj 1883, p. 181) ; and there is an example in the Swinhoe col- 

 lection from Hakodadi (Swinhoe, Ibis, 1874, p. 150), whence it had 

 been obtained twenty years earlier by the Perry Expedition (Cassin, 

 Exp. Am. Squad. China Seas and Japan, ii. p. 219). There are 

 three examples in the Pryer collection from Yokohama, and one 

 in the Norwich Museum procured by Mr. Ringer at Nagasaki. 



The range of the Black Kite extends from Western Europe to 

 Eastern Siberia and Japan ; but examples &om the latter districts 

 diflfer slightly from those inhabiting Europe. Some of the Siberian 

 birds appear to winter in India. 



The Siberian form of the Black Kite is slightly larger than the 

 western form, and has the white at the base of the outer primaries 

 extending below the under wing-coverts, but that on the margins of 

 the feathers of the head is confined to the forehead. 



Eggs in the Pryer collection are on an average larger than those 

 of the European form. 



181. HALIAETUS ALBICILLA. 

 (WHITE-TAILED EAGLE.) 



Vultur albicitta, Linneus, Syst. Nat. i. p. 123 (1766). 



The White-tailed Eagle is a large bird (wing from carpal joint 

 29 to 26 inches). The white tail is only characteristic o£ adult 

 birds, but the>bsence of feathers on the lower half of the tarsus, 

 combined with the large size, prevent it being confused with any 

 other Japanese bird except Steller's Sea-Eagle, which has a very 

 cuneiform tail consisting of 14 (instead of 12) feathers. 



Figures: Dresser, Birds of Europe, v. pi. 348 (adult), pi. 347 

 (young in first plumage) . 



The White-tailed Eagle is a common resident on aU the Japanese 

 coasts (Blakiston and Pryer, Trans. As. Soc. Japan, 1882, p. 180). 

 There are two examples in the Pryer collection from Yokohama; and 

 there are others in the Norwich Museum brought by Mr. Ringer from 

 Nagasaki, where the example obtained by the Siebold Expedition was 

 probably procured (Temminck and Schlegel, Fauna Japonica Aves 

 p. 12). 



