FALCO. 
particulars it refembles the golden eagle. From the top 
of the bill to that of the tail, it meafures four feet eight 
inches : the bill is about feven inches long ; the tail two 
feet three inches, and the larged: feathers of the wing are 
about three feet: the head, throat, arid upper part of the 
neck, are covered with a pale red brown : the back, rump, 
and coverts of the tail, are blackifh ; all the lower parts of 
the body, the bread, belly, and hides, are bronze, deep 
towards the head of the bird, but yellowifh as they ap¬ 
proach nearer the tail. The variety y. has the cere blu- 
ifh, legs and body above chellnut mixed with white; tail 
cinereous. 
10. Falco albicilla, the great earne, or cinereous eagle. 
Cere and feet yellow ; quill-feathers white, the middle 
ones tipt with black. The head and neck of this fpecies 
are of a pale adi-colour ; the body and wings cinereous, 
clouded w'ith brown ; the quill-feathers very dark ; the 
tail white ; the legs feathered but little below the knees, 
and of a very bright yellow : the male is of a darker co¬ 
lour than the female. This fpecies is in fize equal to the 
black eagle, and inhabits Europe as high as Iceland and 
Lapmark. It is common in Greenland, but does not ex¬ 
tend to America ; or, according to Mr. Pennant, if it does, 
it varies into the white headed eagle, to which it has great 
affinity, particularly in its feeding much on filh ; the Danes 
therefore call it fjkeorn. It is common in the fouth of 
RulTia, and about the Volga, as far as trees will grow ; 
but it is very fcarcein Siberia. It inhabits Greenland the 
whole year, fitting on the rocks with flagging wing, and 
flies (lowly. It makes its nefl on the lofty cliffs, with 
twigs, lining the infide with modes and feathers ; lays two 
eggs ; and fits in the latter end of May or beginning of 
June. Thefe birds prey on young feals, which they feize 
as they are fioatingon the water; but oft-times, by fixing 
their talons in an old one, they are overmatched, and 
drawn down to the bottom, (creaming horribly : they feed 
alfo on fifh, efpecially the lump fifh, and a fort of trout; 
on ptarmigans, auks, and eider-ducks : they fit on the top 
of rocks, attentive to the morion of the diving birds; and 
with quick eyes obferve their courfe by the bubbles which 
rife to the furface of the water ; then they dart down and 
catch them as tlqey rife for breath. The Greenlanders 
ufe their fkins for clothing next to their bodies ; eat the 
fielh, and keep the bill and feet for amulets: they kill 
them with their bow,; or take them in nets placed in the 
fnow properly baited ; or tempt them by the fat of feals, 
which the eagles eat to excefs ; and which occalidns fuch 
a torpidity as to make them an eafy pr^y : they are com¬ 
mon in Scotland and the Orkneys; where they, feed on 
filh, as well as on land animals. A grey eagle of this kind 
was taken alive, in January,. 1802, by a trap, on lord 
Mountrath’s efiate, in Norfolk ; it meafured feven feet 
eight inches between the extremities of the wings, and 
four feet from the beak to tire tail. 
II. Ea gles. Feet generally rough •, of larger .fize . 
11. Falco coronatus, the crowned eagle. Cere rufly ; 
feet white fpotted with, black, downy ; bread rufous ; 
Tides banded with black. “This bird,” fays Edwards, 
V is about a third fmallerthan the larged European eagles, 
and appears bolder and more intrepid than the others. 
The bill with the cere, in which the nodrils are placed, 
is of a dull brown ; it is cleft as far as the eyes, and the 
edges of the mandibles are yellowifh at the infertion ; the 
iris is reddilh orange ; the fore-part of the head, the or¬ 
bits, and the throat, are covered with white feathers, 
Iprinkled with fmall black (pecks ; the hind part of the 
neck and of the head, the back and the wings, are of a 
deep brown, verging on black ; but the outer edges of 
the feathers, are light brown. The quill-feathers are of 
a deeper colour than the others in the wings ; the (ides of 
the wings near the top, and the ends of Tome of the co¬ 
verts of tlie wings,.are white ; the-util is of a deep grey, 
interfered with black bars, and the under part appears 
of a dull afli grey ; the bread is of a reddifh-brown, with 
large tranfverfe (pots on the lides; the belly is white, and 
1 
115 
alfo the under part of the tail, which is marked with 
black fpots ; the thighs and legs are covered to the nails 
with white feathers prettily marked with round black 
fpots ; the nails are black, and very flrong; the toes are 
covered with feales of a vivid yellow ; it eredts the fea¬ 
thers on its head like a crown, whence it is named. Inha¬ 
bits Guinea. 
12. Falco cheriway, the Amba eagle. Cere rofy ; lggs 
yellow; body ferruginous; head whitifh and crefteO. 
Inhabits the ifland of Amba. Creft long, which it is not 
able to eredt; orbits whitifli ; eyes yellow ; bill bluilh ; 
quill-feathers long, and blackifh ; tail longer than 
the wings, -and blackifh ; tail-coverts white ; claws 
black. 
13. Falco Thartis, the Chilefe eagle. Cere and feet 
yellow ; body grey ; crown creffed. Creft black, outer 
feathers longer ; bill whitifli; quill and tail-feathers black 
at the tip ; feet fcaly, claws flrong ; male whitifli, fpotted 
with black ; female grey. Inhabits Chili ; builds in thee 
higheft trees, making its nefl of twigs, wool, hair, and fea¬ 
thers; lays five eggs; feeds on carrion and domeftic 
birds; fize of a capon. 
14. Falco melanaetos, the black eagle. Cere yellow ; 
feet yellow, fomewbat downy ; body rufty-black, with 
yellow (freaks. Bill horn-colour verging to blue ; irids 
cheftnut; exterior parf of the tail white, with blackifh 
fpots, tip whitifli ; legs dirty-white, toes yellow ; claws 
black. Inhabits Europe and North America ; two feet 
ten inches long. 
15. Falco glaucopis, the German eagle. Cere and 
legs citron-yellow; legs fomewhat downy; back and- 
breaft brown ; head yellowifti-white, with brown firipes ; 
quill-feathers black. Bill glaucous ; noflrils large, oval, 
briftly ; tongue flefliy, the edges horny, hardly cleft at 
the end ; irids hoary-yellow ; front with brown lunate 
marks ; legs fliort, covered with foft feathers ; feet on the 
fore-part a littledowny ; claws black : tail above reddifh- 
brown, beneath dirty-white, with fix black bands. In¬ 
habits Germany ; one foot nine inches long. 
16. Falco leucocephaltis, the bald eagle. Cere and 
legs yellow ; legs fomewhat downy ; body brown ; head 
and tail white. Its manners are more cruel and favage 
than thofe of the common eagle ; it is more voracious, 
confequently lies under a flronger neceflity of early ba- 
niflving its young, when it is incapable to provide fufficient: 
fupplies of food. This voracity is remarkable in the 
young which at a very early period contend for the meat 
brought them by the parents, with fo much fiercenefs and 
avidity, that they are fometimes forced to end thedifpute, 
by putting to death one of the combatants. Though it 
is an eagle of fmall fize, weighing only nine pounds, it is 
flrong and full of fpirit, preying on lambs, kids,and fawns. 
They always make their nefl near the feu or great rivers, 
and ufually upon old dead pine or cyprefs trees, continu¬ 
ing to build annually on the fame tree till difturbed'. Inha¬ 
bits the woods of Europe and North America : in Bering’s 
ifland, neftles on the cliffs, and lays two eggs in the begin¬ 
ning of July. 
17. Falco offifragus, the fea eagle, or ofprey. Lin¬ 
naeus deferibes its characters as follow : “ Its cere is 
yellowifh, its feet partly woolly, its body ferruginous, 
the tail-feathers white along the infide.” This bird is 
commonly called the great fea eagle. It is indeed nearly 
as large as the golden eagle ; and its body feems propor¬ 
tionally longer, though its wings be fhorter. It mea¬ 
fures, from the end of the bill to the point of the nails, 
three feet and an half; but its expanded w'ings do not 
reach above feven feet. The fea eagle is diffinguifhed 
by the colour and figure of its nails, which are of a film¬ 
ing black, and form an entire femicircle ; by its legs, 
which are naked below, and covered with fmall yellow 
feales ; and by the beard of feathers which hangs from 
the chin, and which has occalioned its receiving ihe name 
of bearded eagle. It loves to haunt the fea-fhore, and 
often frequents' inland traCts, near lakes, marfhes, or ri¬ 
vers that abound with fifh. It catches the largeff of the 
finny 
