A DESCRIPTION of BIRDS. BOOK II. 3. XXXX HE GOLDEN EAGLE is in Length, from Point of Beak to Tip of T Tail, about three Feet nine Inches : XXXX The Breadth, from Tip to Tip of the Wings extended, is eight Spans: The Length, from the Bill to the Talons, is four Spans and a half. The Bill is very ftrong, crooked, and exceeding fharp. The Tongue is like a Man's, broad, round, and blunt at the Tip. The Feathers of the Neck are hard, and of a rufty Colour. The Eye by Nature is very carefully preferved; for, inftead of one, as in another Animals, it has four Lids or Covers for it. The Wings and Tail are of a dufky Colour: The other fmall Feathers of the whole Body are of a Chefnut Colour, fprinkled with white Spots, fewer on the Back, more on the Belly; the Bottoms of all being white. The Legs are feathered down to the Feet, of a dufky Colour; the Feet are yellowish. It has four Talons, very fharp and crooked. This Fowl is of an extraordinary Fiercenefs, and will affault a Cat, Dog, &c. 2. THE SEA EAGLE, or Osprey (which feems to be the fame with the English Bald Buzzard) hath been thus defcribed: From the Point of the Beak to the End of the Talons is about three Feet long; from Tip to Tip of the Wings nine Spans broad.. The Bill and the Tongue are very much like the Golden Eagle's. From the Chin hang down small Feathers like Hair, imitating imitating a Beard; whence by fome it is called The Bearded Eagle. The Feathers of the whole Body are party-coloured, being whitish, dufkifh, and rufty. Its Legs are almoft wholly covered with dufky Feathers, fomewhat inclining to yellow. Befides the Feathers, the whole Body is covered with a white and foft Down, as the Skin of a Swan. The Talons are very black and hooked. This Eagle feeds only on Fish. 3. THE BLACK EAGLE is about twice as big as a Raven. The Jaws and Eye-lids are bare of Feathers, and fomewhat reddish; the Head, Neck, and Breast, black. In the Middle of the Back, between the Shoulders, it has a large white Spot dashed with red; the Rump red. The leffer Rows of Feathers in the Wings are of a Buzzard Colour; then a black Streak or Bar cross the prime Feathers, after that a white one; the remaining Part of the Feathers to the Tips, of a dark Ash Colour. The Eyes are of an Hazle Colour. The Legs are feathered down a little below the Knees, the naked Part being red. The Talons are very long. 4. THE Eagle called MORPH NOS, or Morphno Congener, is about the Height and Bignefs of a large Dunghill Cock. Its Beak is pretty long, hooked, and tending almoft directly downward. The Colour of the Feathers is rufty, like that of old Iron, except that at the End of the Wings it hath many Spots. The Legs are all over feathered down to the Beginning of the Toes, and fprinkled with whitifh Afhcoloured Spots. The Feet are yellow; the Toes above toward the Leg, covered with Scales; toward the Talons, with round Tables. 5. THE VULTURINE EAGLE, called Gypactos, is of a very large Size, being not much less than the Golden Eagle, but of an unufual and ridiculous Shape; the Beak, not, as in other Eagles, bending from the Root to the Tip, but ftraight almoft to the Middle, toward the Point bowed into a remarkable Hook, after the fame Manner as in Vultures. The whole Head whitish, inclining to dufky (fufcum.) The upper Part of the Neck, about half Way down, almost 2 |