384 LAND-BIRDS. 



h. The nest is built on cliffs, or rarely in trees. The eggs 

 are most often two in number, and are three inches long or 

 more. They are white, usually blotched with brown. ^^* 



c. Size always has a fascination for the world. The young 

 collector prizes a Hawk's egg more than that of the rarest 

 Warbler. The egg is big, the bird that laid it is big, the nest 

 in which it was laid is big, the tree in which the nest 

 was built is big, and the wood in which the tree grows 

 is big. In much the same spirit, the world has called 

 the Eagle and the lion king respectively of birds and of 

 beasts, on account of their large size and carnivorous tastes. 

 But modern writers have assured us that the lion is not a hero, 

 that he is even a coward, that he does not deserve his title, 

 which might better be bestowed upon the royal Bengal tiger. 

 The Eagle, however, though inferior in activity, speed, and 

 spirit to the little Sparrow Hawk, better merits the distinction, 

 from the majesty of his appearance and the sublimity of his 

 flight. He cannot justly, however, be considered superior to 

 all other birds, since he is merely a large " Hen Hawk," who 

 does not hesitate in many cases to feed on carrion, or on 

 the spoils which he robs from more industrious laborers than 

 himself. 



The Golden Eagles are extremely rare in Massachusetts, 

 and are probably to be ranked as merely accidental winter 

 visitors. They are resident in mountainous and thinly popu- 

 lated districts of northern and western New England. Mr. 

 Brewster says that " a pair have bred for years on the cliff 

 directly over the Profile House.* They could be seen at 

 almost any hour of the day scaling about their eyrie, utter- 

 ing loud screams, but were especially noisy and active from 

 sunset to dark." 



The Golden Eagles are so averse to the encroachments of 

 man that I can find no mention of their being common in 



121 This description, as one or two ferred to were really Duck Hawks. I 



of the others, is gathered from other have, however, since seen a Golden 



writers. Eagle soaring over the summit of 



* This was an unfortunate error of Mount Lafayette in midsummer. — 



identification, for the birds here re- W. B. 



