THE BALD-HEADED EAGLE. 311 



brought home, may there see for himself what 

 fine handsome creatures they are. 



But then comes the question how are they 

 to be obtained, and how brought to England ? I 

 do not imagine it would be a very difficult or 

 expensive matter; the young birds in May could 

 be easily obtained, at any point up the Columbia 

 river, by employing the Indians to bring them to 

 the riverside; and once on board steamer, they 

 could be as easily fed as fowls. The great dif- 

 ficulty / have always had is in bringing the 

 young birds from the interior to a vessel; they 

 always die when transported on the backs of 

 animals, however carefully packed. The con- 

 tinued jerking motion given to birds packed on 

 the back of a mule or horse as he walks along; 

 has, according to my experience, been the sole 

 cause of their dying ere you could reach water- 

 carriage ; but the fact of their being so close to 

 water as they are along the Columbia river, would 

 render their being brought home a very easy task. 



THE BALD-HEADED EAGLE (Haliactus leucoce- 

 phalus} is seen but seldom, as during its breed- 

 ing-time it retires into the hills, and usually 

 chooses a lofty pine as its nesting-place. Two 

 of them had a nest near the Chilukweyuk lake, 

 which was quite inaccessible, of immense size, 



