Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-12-07

Great Forest Eagle ol ssmar largest VI
RaptoraI EMdl.

Ia recent number Of the lbn
Mr.. W. r. Ogilyie Grant relatos In,
story of what is perhaps Tie most in
1eresting ornithological discovery o
recent years. Mr.. John Whitehead
"A naturalist who has devoted mncl
time OF the exploration OF the differ
emit islands of tho Philippine group
has formed, among other collections
of birds made in hat region, a series
I of those inhabiting lhe island Of Sa-
mar This collcctio was lost at sea
near Singapore, and in order to re-
plaoe it and restore the lost link in
Ibis chain of examples Of "island life
an this littlc-known region, no once
anOre set out from Manila in 1896
and established himself again in the
woods of Samar.
ln this island of Samar this inn
practicable forest is found in its most
impracticablc form Life there is
more "aloof" from the ground level
than any other forest region. Mr.
sOgiIvic Grant dwells with due empha-
sis upon this often forgotten aspect
'of nature" in these regions lie points
zout that The greater part Of the is
land is covered with dense and lofty
forests, many. of the trees being over
,240 feet high, while there are no hills
cor rocks from which the forests can
BE surveyed. The forest animals,
enonkeys, lorises, and the like, live
mt height of 900 feet from the
ground, that being the sunlight
aevel," below which direct light and
heat do not penetrate. This "trce-
top" plane of the great forest, being
still terra incognita, has always been
regarded as a possible region in which
some great bird or ape may be dis
covered, and in spite of accumulated
difficulties Mr.. Whitehead did make
such discovery. He has found and
brought home from the island the
largest raptoral bird yet discovered,
the great forest eagle Of Samar.
The discovery of this great bird
of prey is the more creditablc to the
explorer, because only one pair of
the giant eagles was seen. Their
haunt was watched daily, and at last
the male bird was shot, and though
at remained in the top of one Of the
lofty trees, clinging firmly with its
huge claws to the branches, native
climbed to the summit and broughtit
down. lis weight was judged by
Mr. Whitehead at between 16 and 20
pounds, and being then weakened by
fever he could scarcely hold it ont at
arms length
The skin of this bird is now pre-
served at the Museum of Natural
History at South Kensington AS
it is the only adult specimen in the
world available for inspection by nat
uralists, it is not exhibited in the
public part of the collection, and
though the colored plate by
Keulemans which illustrates Mr.
Ogilvie Grants paper is a model
of accurate drawing, it does not
leave the impression of size
given by the skin when actually
seen and handled The length Of the
eagle and the huge size of its beak
and claws are the features most strik-
ing in the specimen at South Ken
sington Like most raptoral birds
which seek their prey in woods or
forests, from the sparrow-hawk up
wards, it has rather short wings in
proportion to its great bulk. The tail,
ON the other hand, it is very long. In
ats equipment for flight and steering
IT is much like an enormous goshawk.
There are two or three such hawks,
as large as many of the eagles, half
goshawk, half buzzard, which have
been found in parts Of the tropical
forest, though for the reason men
toned above they are very rarely seen,
and still more rarely captured for col
lections
But in its combined armament Of
beak and claws the forest eagle ex-
ceeds not only all these great hawks,
but each and every one of the other
eagles The beak is not larger than
that Of Pallas' sea eagle, and the pow
or Of the wrist and claws is not so
great as that Of the harpy eagle. But
the combination of,the two weapons
Of ofTense possessed by the Samar
eagle is greater than that of either of
the formidable species named The
beat is so hooked that the outline in
profile is the perfect segment of
circle, the exact center of which is
the point at which the skin, called
the cere, joins the cutting edge of
the upper mandible. Mr. Grant notes
that the depth Of the bill is greater
than that of any known bird of prey,
.wa,,A DALAI 100 onoslo 4