ther ferruginous: quills black; one third of.the middle part of
both prime and fecondaries ferruginous; fome of them fpotted
with hrown on their inner webs, but the two firft of the prime
quills are wholly black: the wings reach to one third of the tail :
the brealt is rufous; on each .feather are four tranfverfe ftripes of
brown; under the wings the fame, but paler; as are the thighs-
and under tail-coverts : the tail itfelf almoft black; the two
middle feathers plain; the others, about the middle; have an
oblique white mark on each fide of the fhaft, beginning at the
fhaft, and palling upwards on each fide, imitating the letter V; in'
all of them touching the lhaft, but in fome not quite reaching
the margin : the end of all the tail-feathers tipped, with white :
the legs are yellow : claws pale.
This was received with fome other birds from Cayenne, and is
at prefent in the colleftion of Mifs Blomefield*. A label tied
to it’s leg; had the name of “ Le pagani roux, ou L ’ Aigle a plumage
gris roux,” which I fuppofe to be the names given- by the French
inhabitants of that- ifland.
* I here take the opportunity of acknowledging the aflbftance received from
the well-chofen colledlion of Mifs Blomejjeld, of P.rtland-Jlreet; in which will
be found many new fpecimens of foreign birds from various parts, in the belt
prefervation ;. and which will be noticed in their place in the following
lhcets.
Falco haliaetus, Lin. Syft. p. 129. N° 26.
I/Aigle de Mer. Brif. orn. i. p. 44°* 34' 10*
Le Balbuzard, Buf. oij. i. p. 103. t. 2.— PI, enL 414.
Morphnos, Rati Syn. p. 7. 6.
Bald Buzzard, Will. orn. p. 69. t. 6.
Ofprey, Br. Zool. i. p. 174.— F/. Scot, i» t. I.
Br. Muf. Lev. Muf.
T^HE length is one foot eleven inches. The bill is black: cere
A blue : iris yellow : moft of the feathers on the head are
brown, with white margins : hind head, throat, and neck, white,,
with very little mixture of brown : on each fide of the neck, beginning
from beneath the eye, is a band of brown, reaching almoft
to the Ihoulders : the body is brown above, and white beneath
: tail-feathers tranfverfely barred with white on the inner
webs;. the two middle ones plain brown: legs naked, fhort,
ftrong, and of a blueilh afh- colour •. claws remarkably long,
hooked, and black: bottoms of the feet blueilh.
This bird inhabits Europe-, chiefly in places near the water, as
it’s prey is filh, which it plunges after into the water with great
rapidity,, feldom. miffing it’s aim ; and, bringing them up in it s
talons, retires to a fmall diftance to feaft on them. It alfo preys
on ducks ; but all authors agree that it is fondeft of filh.
I lhall take the liberty here to remark an error that Linnaeus
has fallen into, from old authors who have mentioned' it before
him, TOZ-that the left foot is, fubpalmated.— This,. I .can allure
the reader, has not the leaft foundation in truth *-
- Le
* I do not believe that there is either bird or quadruped, in which each fide,
of the body does not correfpond in ftze and ihape, in a natural date, though.
the
2 6.
+- OSPREY.
D escription.
P lage a nd .-
M anne r s ,.