Bird of Washington, 119 



say, that, as the new world gave me birth and liberty, the 

 great man who insured its independence is next to my heart : 

 he had such true nobihty of mind, and honest generous 

 feehng, as is seldom possessed ; he was brave, so is the 

 eagle ; and his name, extending from pole to pole, resembles 

 the majestic soarings of the mightiest of the feathered tribe. 

 During the month of January following I saw a pair of sea 

 eagles flying over the falls of the Ohio, one in chase of the 

 other. The next day I saw them again ; the female had re- 

 laxed in her severity, had laid aside her coyness, and to a 

 favoured tree they continually resorted. I pursued them un- 

 successfully for several days, when they forsook the place. 



The flight of this bird is very different from that of the 

 white-headed eagle, encircling more diameter than the 

 latter ; whilst sailing, keeping nearer to the land and the sur- 

 face of the w^ater ; and when about to dive for fish, falling 

 in a circuitous spiral manner, as if with an intention of 

 checking all retreating movement which its prey* might 

 attempt, and only when within a few yards darting upon 

 it. The fish-hawk often does the same. When rising with 

 a fish they fly to a considerable distance, forming, in their 

 line of course and that of the water a very acute angle, 

 something not exceeding thirty degrees, when several hundred 

 yards distant from the spot emerged from* My last oppor- 

 tunity of seeing the sea eagle, was on the ] 5th of November, 

 1821, a few miles above the mouth of the Ohio ; two passed 

 over our boat, moving down in easy flappings. In a letter 

 from a kind relation, Mr. * * *, dated, " Falls of the Ohio, 

 July, 1819," containing particulars relative to the swallow- 

 tailed hawk (Falco furcatus), he also says : " Yesterday, for 

 the first time, I had an opportunity of viewing one of those 

 magnificent birds, which you call the sea eagle, as it passed 

 low over me, whilst fishing ; I shall be really glad when I 

 can again have the pleasure of seeing your drawing of it." 

 The glands containing the oil used for the purpose of lubri- 

 cating the surface of the plumage were, in the specimen here 

 represented, extremely large ; the contents had the appear- 

 ance of hog's fat which had been melted and become rancid. 

 This bird makes more copious use of that substance than 

 the white-headed eagle, or any of the Falco genus, except the 

 fish-hawk; the whole plumage looking, upon close examin- 

 ation, as if it had received a general coating of a thin clear 

 dilution of gum arable, and presenting less of the downy gloss 

 exhibited on the upper part of the bald-headed eagle's plumage. 

 The male bird weighs 14 J lbs. avoirdupois, measures 3 ft. 

 7 in. in length, and 10 ft, 2 in. in extent. The upper man- 



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