LECTUKE V. 167 



Golden Eagle is the Bird of Jupiter of the an- 

 cient Greeks and Romans, It is numbered 

 among our native British birds, having been oc- 

 casionally observed to breed in the northern parts 

 of the island; but in Ireland it is more com- 

 mon : its extent of wings, when fully expanded, 

 is more than seven feet. 



The Osprey or F. Ilaliatiis of Linnaeus is 

 one of the larger or rather middle-sized species 

 of this genus, and is of a brown colour above, 

 white beneath, with the head whitish, and the 

 cere, legs and feet blue. Linnasus, in mentioning 

 this bird, falls into a vulgar error, in supposing 

 that the left foot is slightly webbed. The Osprey 

 is a native of Europe, and is found in our own 

 country, chiefly frequenting the seashores, and 

 the larger lakes, and preying on fish, which it 

 seizes by precipitating itself upon them from a 

 considerable height*. Few of the present genus 



* A much larger and finer species, very nearly equalling the 

 Golden Eagle in size, is the Falco Ossifragm of Linnaeus, 

 which by many naturalists is also called the Sea-Eagle, though very 

 different from the Common Osprey. Its colour is brown with 

 paler variegations, and it is remarkable for the strong curva- 

 ture of its sharp-pointed claws. Native of England, &c. 



