THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 133 



coverts much as adult but breast not so rufous and tarsi paler and 

 often whitish ; tail with shorter black tip and proximal portion 

 very little speckled but more or less washed grey immediately 

 proximal to the black, rest white ; inner primaries and secondaries 

 as juvenile with white bases to inner webs. 



Second summer. — (When bird is two to two and a half years old) 

 crown and rest of body-plumage indistinguishable from adult ; 

 tail as in second winter but with narrower bands of black at tip 

 and one or two alternate grey and black irregular bands proximal 

 to black, rest white. 



Third summer. — (When bird is three to three and a half years 

 old) like adult but extreme base of tail-feathers under the coverts 

 white and inner primaries and secondaries with some white at base 

 but much less than in second summer. At the next moult, i.e. 

 when bird is four to four and a half years old it appears to become 

 adult, but there are not enough moulting specimens available to 

 make quite certain of the sequences. 



Measurements and structure. — $ wing 60.5-66 cm. (measured 

 with tape, see vol. 1, p. *xiii), tail 290-325 mm., tarsus 82-110, 

 bill from cere 38-47 (10 measured). $ wing 62.5-70.5 cm., bill 

 40-50 mm. Primaries : 1st between 8th and 9th, 3rd to 5th longest, 

 6th 10-20 mm. shorter, 2nd 35-50 shorter ; 2nd to 6th emarginated 

 on outer webs, 1st to 5th abruptly emarginated and attenuated 

 on inner webs for a little less than distal half. Outer secondaries 

 shorter than 10th primary, inner ones becoming longer and longest 

 about equal to 8th primary, tips sharply rounded. Tail fairly 

 square but outermost feathers shorter than rest, 12 feathers, tips 

 rounded in adult but more pointed in juvenile. Tarsus feathered 

 to base of toes. Claws much compressed, strong and curved. 

 Upper mandible deep, much compressed, sharply curved, projecting 

 much beyond under mandible which has rounded tip and is straight 

 and shallow. Nostrils oblong and very sparsely covered by tips 

 of bristle-like loral feathers. 



Soft parts. — Bill black, greyish at base ; cere and toes rich 

 yellow, claws black ; iris hazel. 



Characters and allied forms. — A. ch. occidentalis (Spain, 

 N.W. Africa) is darker and duller, not so tawny and rufous on 

 crown, nape and under -parts in adult but juveniles are similar, 

 also slightly smaller ; A. ch. daphanea (Himalaya, Mongolia, China) 

 is like A. ch. chrysaetus but usually larger. Golden Eagle is distin- 

 guished from other British Accipitres by its large size, square tail 

 and bill and toes. 



Field -characters. — Except for much greater size, not always 

 noticeable in air, closely resembles Common Buzzard. Has similar 

 broad wings with widespread upward curving primaries and 

 powerful soaring flight. Immature birds show white on tail with 

 dark bar at end when seen from above, but adults are almost 



