The GOLDEN EAGLE (_Aquila chrysaëtos_) is much more slenderly built and
has a smaller head than the bird above described, but the wings and tail
are longer, and the former do not extend as far as the extremity of the
tail. The male is three feet long and seven feet and a quarter across
the span of the wings; the wing measures two feet four inches and the
tail thirteen inches; the female is three feet two inches in length, and
seven feet and a half across. The plumage is lighter than that of the
Tawny Eagle, and more of a reddish brown upon the breast, hose, and lower
tail-covers; the region of the shoulder is indicated by a white spot;
the tail is always brownish grey, marked with irregular crooked black
lines, and the black stripes are narrower than in the preceding species.
All the feathers that compose the tail are of equal length, except the
two outer ones, which are somewhat shortened; the lower part of the wing
is always very dark, and often entirely without markings. The plumage
of the young is darker, and without the white patch in the shoulder,
and the reddish-brown feathers on the back of the head and neck, that
characterise the adult bird.