14 FALCONID.E. 



at the pleasure of the creature, a delicate azure blue tint is 

 seen to pervade the basal part of the feathers, which, appear- 

 ing through the -whole transparent texture, imparts to its 

 plumage the singular tint it displays. It is observable that 

 the beak of this individual is rather less in depth at the base 

 than is usual in this species, and the iris yellowish white. 



It is believed that many individuals of the White-tailed 

 Eagle migrate to and from different parts of Europe, according 

 to the season, and are observed to be much more plentiful 

 in Britain in winter than at other times. A circumstance that 

 I think corroborative of this migratory habit occurred many 

 years ago at my father's seat near Haarlem : — An Eagle of this 

 species, apparently spent with fatigue, fell into one of the orna- 

 mental pieces of water with which gardens in Holland are fre- 

 quently embellished. Being within sight of the house the 

 descent was observed by several persons, and one domestic, 

 who wanted neither strength nor courage, got into a boat and 

 throwing a sack over its head succeeded in securing his cap- 

 tive ; the bird was too much exhausted to offer much resist- 

 ance at the time, although a day or two after he made a fierce 

 attack upon a Spanish blood-hound belonging to the establish- 

 ment, which chanced to approach within his reach. The fol- 

 lowing dimensions were taken from the bird mentioned in 

 the preceding page, — a female : — 



Entire length three feet and a quarter ; expanse from wing 

 to wing seven feet and a quarter ; weight eight pounds and a 

 half; expanse of foot, including the claws, seven inches ; 

 girth of leg two inches ; length of hind and inner claws one 

 inch and a half; length of the longest quill-feather twenty 

 inches ; of the longest tail-feather fourteen. The beak is 

 three inches from the forehead to the tip ; three and a half 

 inches from the tip to the gape. 



The males are not so large as the females, seldom measur- 

 ing more than twenty-eight inches in length. 



