ORNITHOLOGY 



121 



We met our friends at the bridge, and 

 as we walked through the woods the 

 white-eved towhees and mcadowlarks 

 mounted the scrub pahiiettos and called; 

 several loggerhead shrikes were in evi- 

 dence, and a pair of red-bellied wood- 

 peckers were busily engaged hunting 

 about on a cabbage palm. At our close 

 approach they flew across the water, — 

 the male giving a loud, rattling call like 

 that of a kingfisher as he flew. Ground 

 doves moved noiselessly about under the 

 scrub, while the animated wrens jerked 

 restlessly over it or disappeared beneath 

 the broad leaves, only to peer out from 

 some hidden retreat with a chuckling 

 call, as if they had gotten the best of us, 

 — and so they had, for they were ever 

 present yet always disappearing just 

 as we wanted to watch them. 



The eagle allowed us to approach to 

 within abotit fifty yards of the nest be- 

 fore taking flight this morning, and re- 

 mained in a nearby tree until we were 

 verv close. She then began circling 

 about overhead and uttering a low gut- 

 teral note, while the male soon appeared 

 giving his sharp, piercing cry. Select- 

 ing a favorable spot, the 5x7 camera was 

 set up close by and focussed on the nest. 

 We then constructed a rough blind of 

 palmetto leaves about it, concealing all 

 but the lens and leaving room to crouch 

 behind and work the camera. Entering 

 the blind. I was covered by my compan- 

 ions, who then walked away making no 

 attempt at concealment, and the birds 

 after following them out of the grove, 

 returned and ceased their cries, circling 

 about and apparently paying not the 

 slightest attention to the blind. They 

 were evidently able to distinguish no dif- 

 ference between three persons entering 

 the grove and two persons leaving it, 

 and their actions clearly indicated that 

 thev did not realize mv presence in the 

 blind. 



The following detailed notes of the 

 birds' actions will give an idea of their 

 extreme wariness and watchfulness 

 about the nest. The male almost im- 

 mediately flew away, while his mate 

 circled about a few times and then 

 perched on the tree within a few feet 

 of the nest, where she sat looking into 

 it with mouth open but uttering no cries. 

 It was now eleven o'clock. After a few 

 moments in this position as if to assure 

 herself that her home had not been dis- 

 turbed, she flew up ; hovered for an in- 

 stant over the nest, then flew off. cir- 



cling about a few times and seeming to« 

 scrutinize the ground below, and at 11.05 

 returned and dropped into the nest, soon, 

 settling down where she could not be 

 seen over its rim from my position in 

 the blind. After making several expos- 



AT THE EAGLE'S NEST. 

 This nest, seven by twelve feet, was seventy feet 

 up in a dead pine eight feet in circumference in a 

 grove of long-leaf pine. 



Photograph by Dr. A. W. King. 



ures I quietly watched. At 1 1 :20 the 

 male came circling over the tree, but 

 without alighting and with no cry flew 

 immediately awa}'. I then made a slight 

 sound to attract the attention of the bird 

 on the nest so she would hold her head 

 up high enough to show in the photo- 

 graph, — which she did, but immediately 

 settled down again out of sight. 



At II -.23 she left the nest, evidently- 

 alarmed by something, and circling about 

 she alighted on a tree, called several 

 times and then flew away. At 1 1 :43 she 

 returned, and slowly circling overhead 

 a few times, alighted near the nest, utter- 

 ing some low, cackling notes. She re- 

 mained thus, looking about and below 

 her for three minutes, then again circling 

 about emitted several rapid, whistling 

 calls followed by shrill peeps. After 

 several minutes absence she returned to 

 the tree and looked about from her perch 

 for two minutes : then flew oft", again 

 circled about and returned without call- 

 ing, remaining, however, but a few 

 minutes, when she was oft' again. Soar- 

 ing- in circles overhead she uttered sev- 

 eral rapid calls. — shrill whistles begin- 

 ning with a rising inflection and rapidly 

 running downward : then in a few 

 minutes returned to the tree and at 

 1 1 :59 dropped onto the edge of the nest 

 — where she remained for three minutes, 

 then flew off. circled and returned to 

 her perch on the tree. 



