90 



( '. II. Merriam — Bird* of Connecticut. 



rugged precipice, and consists of a few sticks ami weeds barely suf- 

 ficient to keep the eggs from rolling down the rocks These 



eagles feed upon young fawns, hares, raccoons, wild turkeys, par- 

 tridges, and other quadrupeds and birds, but will feed on putrid flesh 

 only when severely pressed by hunger."* 



1 69. HaliaetUS leuCOCephalus (Linne) Savigny. Bald Eagle. 



A resident ; not uncommon during the migrations. Saw one flying- 

 over the city, Nov. 20th, 1875. Also observed five individuals during 

 Feb. and March, 1876. They unquestionably breed about four miles 

 above the mouth of the Housatonic River, Conn., as I am told by my 

 friend, Mr. Geo. Bird Grinnell. One was shot near the mouth of the 

 East Haven River in Nov., 1876, and is now in the collection of Mr. 

 Thomas Osborne of this city. Used to breed in suitable localities 

 throughout the State, and there were formerly two eyries within a 

 few miles of New Haven, one at Mt. Carmel, and the other on Salton- 

 stall Ridge.f 



Linsley kept an immature specimen (called by him " Washington's 

 Eagle") alive for some time, concerning which he writes: "I kept him 

 awhile confined, but soon found it unnecessary, because if he left my 

 premises he would return to the stand at night. I have known him 

 to eat fourteen birds (mostly King-birds), and then he was satisfied 

 for a week. He appeared to prefer this mode of living, and paid no 

 attention to a daily supply. He, however, in the course of the summer, 

 became so mischievous among the young ducks of my neighbors, that 

 1 was compelled to kill him. A single anecdote of his conduct may 

 not be uninteresting : While he had possession of my front yard, 

 occupying the centre as his stand (the walks making a semicircle to 

 the door), he would remain perfectly quiet if gentlemen or ladies 

 entered ; but if a person with tattered garments, or such persons as 

 were not accustomed to come in at the front door, entered the yard, 

 it was actually dangerous for them, and they could only escape the 

 tremendous grasp of his talons by running with their full strength 

 and shutting the gate after them. Facts of this kind often occurred, 

 and I was occasionally compelled to release from his grasp such indi- 

 viduals as he had taken captive. With one claw in the sward and 

 grass, he would hold quietly any man with the other." 



* History of Vermont, by Zadock Thompson, p. 59, 1842. 



\ Am. Jour. Sci. and Arts. vol. xliv, No. 2, p. 251, April, 1843. 



