148 



EAGLE. 



Orn. 1. p. 12. 7 Rail, Syn. p. 7. 3 Will. p. 29. t. 1 Muller, No. 60 — 



Falco Melanaeetus, Gmel. p. 254. sp. 2 Lath. Ind. Orn. 1. p. 10. 3 — Linn. 1. 



p. 124. 2 Rati, Syn. p. 7. 4 Will. p. 30. t. 2 Briss. 1. p. 434. 8 — Aquila 



Ossifraga, Briss. 1. 437.9 L'Orfraie, ou Grand Aigle de Mer, Buff. 1. p. 112. 



t. 3 lb. pi. Enl. 112. yearling Bird lb. 415. the figure of one from two to 



three years old Sea Eagle, Br. Zool. 1. No, 44. t. 17 lb. fol. t. 63 — Zool. 



2. No. 86. A.— Will. (Angl.) p. 59. t. \.^-Lath. Syn. 1. p. 30 — lb. Supp. p. 



9 Lewin's Br. Birds, 1. t. 1 Mont. Orn. Diet lb. Supp.— Wale. Syn. 1. 



t. 2.— Shaw's Zool. 7. p. 81 Pult. Cat. Dorset, p. 2 — Don. Br. Birds, t. 105. 



— Low's Faun. Oread, p. 32 — Bewick's Br. Birds, 1. p. 11. — Selby, pi. 3. and 

 3* p. 9. 



Provincial. — Erne. White-Tailed Eagle. 

 " The identity," says Selby, " of the Cinereous and Sea Eagle is now 

 so satisfactorily established, that I have, without any hesitation, brought 

 the synonimes hitherto assigned to the two supposed species under the 

 same head. To many it may appear singular that this fact should only 

 now be fully ascertained ; but when we consider the great impediments 

 to the investigation of the natural history of these birds, arising from 

 the wild and mountainous districts they inhabit, the difficulty of pro- 

 curing specimens, and the few opportunities afforded, therefore, of 

 watching the progress of the young bird to maturity ; the slow advance 

 of our knowledge in regard to this, as well as other facts connected 

 with this branch of science, will rather be a matter of regret than 

 surprise. Many of our ornithological works also can only be regarded 

 as compilations from the essays of earlier authors, in which the errors, 

 arising from such deficiency of information as must naturally attend the 

 infancy of a new pursuit, may be expected ; and which errors have 

 too often, without any attempt at further scrutiny, been faithfully 

 transcribed. 



" The similarity in habits and manners, as well as in essential specific 

 characters, between the Cinereous and Sea Eagle, first led me to sup- 

 pose that they were of the same species, and that the difference of 

 plumage might only proceed from the respective ages of the individuals, 

 as appears in many other instances. An opportunity having occurred of 

 watching the progress of the young Sea Eagle from its earliest age, I 

 eagerly availed myself of it, and witnessed the gradual and interesting 

 changes it underwent, till it had finally acquired the plumage of the 

 adult, or Cinereous Eagle. During this process, I was happy to find 

 that my supposition had been anticipated, and the fact ascertained both 

 by M. Cuvier, and by M. Temminck." * 



This species is rather less than the Golden Eagle. The bill, cere, 

 and irides, of a pale yellow ; a bare space between the bill and eye of a 

 bluish colour ; the head and neck of a pale ash-colour ; the body and 

 wing coverts cinereous, clouded with brown ; the quills dusky ; tail 



