BLACK VULTURE.
The Lammergeyer or Bearded Vulture, (Gypaetus barbatus), is now probably extinct in Europe, but is still found in parts of Asia. It feeds largely on lambs.
A nearly cosmopolitan bird is the Golden Eagle, (Aquila chrysaetos). It is equally at home in the highlands of Scotland and the mountains of North America, nesting on the highest cliffs.
The Bateleur Eagle, of Africa, (Helotarsus ecaudatus), has narrowly missed the distinction of being the most beautiful of all birds of prey. Its plumage is charmingly colored but it is out of proportion. Its tail is so absurdly short that its wings quite conceal it, and make it appear as if altogether tailless.
HARPY EAGLE.
GRIFFON VULTURE.
Bald Eagle, (Haliaëtus leucocephalus).—The appearance of the adult Bald Eagle, our National emblem, with its conspicuous white head and tail, is familiar to all; but the immature birds, as shown by several of the specimens, lack the white in their plumage. These birds are found usually near water, and their food is chiefly fish. These they sometimes catch for themselves, but if ospreys are found in the vicinity, they are watched by the eagles, and often robbed of their hard-earned prey.
Perhaps the fiercest among all the hawks is the White Gyrfalcon, (Falco islandus). A native of the far north, it descends to a more equable clime only when forced to do so by scarcity of food. It is so swift of wing that it is able to capture a duck in full flight.