On the Skeleton of the Wedge-tailed Eagle (Uroaetus audax, Latham)
By R. W. SHUFELDT, M.D.. C.M.Z.S., R.A.O.U., Washington, D.C.
At different times, and in various places, I have, during the past thirty years, published accounts of the skeletons of a number of extinct and existing eagles. With the exception of Pithecophaga philippiensis, all of the species thus described and illustrated have been North American ones; and, while they differ in not a few respects, it may be said that, in the main, the osteological characters, as seen in all these typical aquiline forms, vary but little. Osteologically, however, most eagles have some distinctive character or characters to distinguish them, such as the great, transversely compressed beak of the Monkey-eating species of the Philippines, and so on for others.
Within the past year I have enjoyed the opportunity to study the skeleton of the famous Wedge-tailed Eagle (Uroaetus audax) of Australia and Tasmania. This has been made possible through the generosity and kindness of Captain S. A. White, who some months ago sent me a skeleton from Adelaide, and of the National Museum of Melbourne, which institution presented me with a beautifully prepared skeleton from its collections. Both are skeletons of adult birds, and more or less perfect in character. A short time after they came into my possession, I made photographs of a variety of their bones, and reproductions of those photographs are to be seen on the plates accompanying the present account of the skeleton of this species.
When about to commence work on the osteology of this famous Eagle, I was not aware that the subject had been touched upon by any previous writer; so it was a surprise to me when my friend, Mr. Henry K. Coale, of Highland Park, Chicago, kindly presented me with a copy of the interesting and useful little brochure entitled a "Memoir on the Wedge-tailed Eagle (Uroaetus audax) (Latham), a Study in Avian Osteology" by Mr. H. H. Scott. This appeared from the Launceston Museum on November 18th, 1909. The remarkable part of this work is that it appears to have been published by The Examiner Daily and Weekly Courier, Illustrated, of Launceston, Tasmania. But whether it appeared in that journal originally is a point upon which I am not informed at this time. One thing is certain, however, no American newspaper would for an instant think of issuing such a print; we have not yet reached such a phase of advancement. However, it matters not whether the Examiner published this neat little work, or whether it only came off their presses and was not a contribution to the paper; it is, apparently, in some respects a useful addition to the literature of the subject, and the facts and statements set forth in it will be
