328 BULLETIN 1G7, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUFEUIVI 



{Procyon lotor) are sometimes captured, but the nocturnal habits of these 

 animals probably account for their not being more frequently obtained. Mr. 

 Thomas Mcllwraith mentions that an eagle shot on Hamilton Bay, Ontario, 

 had the bleached skull of a weasel hanging firmly fastened by the teeth into the 

 skin of its throat, a grewsome relic of a former desperate struggle. 



Among the smaller mammals rabbits are often eaten, occasionally 

 prairie dogs are taken, and, where they are plentiful, tree squii-rels 

 and ground squirrels, or spermophiles, form a large part of the food 

 of the bald eagle. Domestic dogs have been attacked and such small 

 fry as rats and mice are sometimes taken to the nest. Eagles, like 

 most hawks and owls, cast up in the form of large pellets the indiges- 

 tible portions of their food, such as bones, fur, and feathers. 



In certain places, particularly in winter, bald eagles live largely on 

 waterfowl, mainly geese, brant, ducks, and coots. This eagle is per- 

 fectly capable of catching a duck on the wing and frequently does so ; 

 but oftener the duck is pounced upon in the water or forced to dive 

 again and again until it becomes exhausted and is easily captured ; 

 frequentl}^ two eagles join in the chase, which gives the poor victim 

 a slim chance to escape. I have seen two eagles chasing a black 

 duck in the air until it was forced down into the water. Ducks 

 killed by sportsmen are often picked up by eagles. In Florida coots 

 {Fulica) are very abimdant in winter and furnish a favorite food 

 supply for the eagles. Dr. W. L. Ealph (Bendire, 1892) says that 

 many are caught on the wing ; he found the remains of 13 in one nest. 

 The interesting account, in a letter from John W. Baker to Charles 

 F. Batchelder (1881), well illustrates the eagle's method of attack 

 and the coot's attempt at escape. The eagle came daily and alighted 

 in the top of a tree near the river where large numbers of coots were 

 feeding. 



At the first sight of the Eagle the Coots all huddled together, remaining so 

 during his rest, swimming about aimlessly and casting uneasy glances up in 

 the direction of their enemy. The moment the Eagle lifted himself from his 

 perch, the Coots seemed to press towards a common centre until they were 

 packed so closely together that they had the appearance of a large black 

 mantle upon the water ; they remained in this position until the Eagle made his 

 first swoop, when they arose as one bird, making a great noise with their 

 wings, and disturbance with their feet which continued to touch the water 

 for the first fifty or one hundred feet of their flight. This seemed to discon- 

 cert the Eagle who would rise in the air only to renew his attack with great 

 vigor. 



These maneuvers were kept up, the Eagle repeating his attack with marvelous 

 rapidity, until, in the excitement and hurry of flight, tliree or four Coots got 

 separated from the main body ; this circumstance the Eagle was quick to dis- 

 cover and take advantage of ; it was now easy work to single out his victim, 

 but usually long and hard to finally secure it. I have never seen him leave 

 the field of battle, however, without a trophy of his prowess, though I have 

 seen him so baffled in his first attempt to separate the birds, that he was 

 compelled to seek his tree again to rest. 



