164 Allen’s naturalist’s library. 
so distinctly on the crown itself ; entire back, scapulars, and 
median wing-coverts bright fulvous-brown, with large markings 
of dark brown towards the tips, imparting a strongly mottled 
appearance to the upper surface of the body ; lesser and greater 
wing-coverts dark brown, the latter slightly mottled with whity- 
brown, as also the inner secondaries, the quills being otherwise 
as in the adults ; lower back, rump, and upper tail-coverts 
light brown, the long coverts mottled with whity-brown ; tail of 
the latter colour, the centre feathers especially whitish, all 
irregularly mottled with greyish-brow’n, which colour is most 
developed on the edge of the feathers ; throat dark brown, rvith 
white bases to the feathers, the sides of the face being almost 
uniform dark brown ; rest of under surface of body mottled 
like the back, the bases of the feathers being fulvous-brown, 
mottled with dark brown down the centre and at the tip; under 
tail-coverts and thighs rather more uniform ; under wing-coverts 
entirely dark brown ; cere yellowish-brown ; bill black ; feet 
yellow ; iris brown. 
Characters. — I have already stated that the unfeathered legs 
of the White-tailed Eagle unfailingly distinguish it from the 
Golden Eagle. The pure white tail of the adult is a further 
character, and the mottled plumage and whitish tail of the 
young birds ought to render identification of immature speci- 
mens easy. Indeed it is only by gross carelessness that the 
two species can be confounded, and yet we know that this is 
often the case. 
Eange in the British Islands. — Principally observed in England 
as a migrant in autumn and winter, though it formerly bred on 
many parts of the coast and in the Lake district, but even in 
the south of Scotland it has become extinct as a breeding bird, 
and places like Ailsa Craig, where there used to be an eyrie, no 
longer know the species except as a chance visitor. In the 
western isles of Scotland it still breeds, and also on the 
northern coast. Mr. Ussher says that in its former breeding- 
haunts in Donegal, Antrim, Dublin, Wicklow, Cork, Clare, and 
Galway it is extinct ; but a pair has bred recently on the coast 
of Mayo, and another pair on the coast of Kerry. 
Eange outside the British Islands. — The White-tailed Eagle is 
found in most parts of Northern Europe, and breeds in Scan- 
