NORTHERN BALD EAGLE 347 



back downward, and presented his claws, which sent the osprey 

 scaling off in a hurry. This maneuver was repeated several times. 

 It was too late in the season, August 16, for the osprey to have young 

 in its nest. A somewhat different method is thus described by Free- 

 man F. Burr (1912) : 



The Eagle had just forced the Osprey to drop a fish, but had failed to catch 

 it as it fell. The smaller bird then withdrew to a point about fifty feet above, 

 and suddenly swooping down, attempted to strike the Eagle on the back. Just 

 as it looked certain that the broad back must receive the full force of the 

 stroke, up went one great wing, with an agility and a skill that would have 

 (lone credit to a practised boxer, and the Osprey was tossed aside with appar- 

 ently almost no effort. This was repeated several times ; when the Osprey, 

 evidently discouraged, gave up the unequal fight and winged away toward the 

 far side of the lake. Immediately the Eagle dropped to the water, and picking 

 up the fish made off with it. 



Eagles are often attacked by crows, just as these black rascals will 

 attack any large bird of prey; and occasionally the crow pays the 

 extreme penalty for its audacity. Mr. Brewster (1925) relates the 

 following surprising incident : "An immature Bald Eagle perched on 

 a stub on B Point was harassed for several moments by a Crow of 

 whose noisy and threatening demonstrations it took little apparent 

 notice at first ; but when the Crow alighted on its back about between 

 the shoulders and began pecking at its head the Eagle spread its 

 wings and swooped down a steep incline to plunge headlong into the 

 Lake where it almost completely immersed itself, thereby escaping 

 for the moment from its tijrmentor who, however, did not let go his 

 hold until just as the water was reached." 



The eagle despises the crow, but does not fear it; ordinarily it 

 treats the crow with indifference, but when it has eggs in its nest any 

 approaching crowds are promptly driven aw^ay. Hawks also are not 

 tolerated near an eagle's nest containing young. Almost any small 

 bird will fearlessly attack an eagle or any other predatory bird that 

 comes too near its nest. The fiery little kingbird will even invade 

 the eagle's territory to attack it, even alighting on a perch above the 

 eagle's nest and darting down at it. Dr. Herrick (1932) relates the 

 following incident: "The mother eagle had but just dropped a fish 

 on the eyrie, and taken a favorite perch 100 feet from our tower and 

 from a Blue Gray Gnatcatcher's nest that was affixed to the lofty 

 branch of an elm just below the tent. The eagle was beset by this 

 pair of indignant gnatcatchers, which buzzed about her like so many 

 angry wasps. I could see one of the eagle's wings drop, as she 

 started to relax, but there was no peace for the tired bird and after 

 ducking her head time and again at the thrusts of her pigmy assail- 

 ants, she left this perch and went to one farther away in the forest." 



Voice. — Mr. Brewster (1925) describes the eagle's notes very well, 

 as follows: 



