EAC.LKS, HAWKS, AND KITES 



81 



'I'lic I'.alil l"a<,'le frciiui-nts the shores of lakes 

 and rivers. His food consists very largely of fish 

 aiul he very seldom or never nests at any great 

 distance from where this food can be obtained in 

 abimdancc. He is almost non-migratory, only 

 deserting his home during the coldest weather 

 when the waters arc frozen over. Frequently 

 he is seen soaring high in the air in search of 

 something to eat. His power of sight is famous 

 and often he will spy the object of his quest 

 when at a distance of two or three miles and 

 make a direct line for it. Most of his food is 

 dead fish gathered from the surface of the water 

 or from the shores of lakes and rivers but when 

 he cannot find the dead fish he often robs the 

 ( )sprey coiiiijelling it to drop the fish it has 

 just captured. Sometimes the Eagle fishes for 

 himself but he is not an expert fisherman. Oc- 

 casionally he joins the Crows and Ravens when 

 they are feeding upon carrion. Tn the winter 

 time he often attacks waterfowl, but is rarely 

 successful if the fowl be upon water, for just as 

 the Eagle dro])s for his prey the latter dives be- 

 neath the surface of the water and escapes. He 

 kills many rabbits, squirrels, mice, and snakes, but 

 on the whole he confers no decided benefits on 

 the agriculturist. On rare occasions an Eagle 

 has been known to pick up a hen or to destroy 

 a young lamb but these are not common offenses. 

 The male Bald Eagle has a high clear call 

 which is represented by the syllables cac-cac-cac. 

 The female's cry is more harsh and broken and 

 Dr. Fisher compares it to the loud laugh of a 

 inaniac. They have a screaming note which 

 much resembles the voice of a sea gull and has 

 been likened to that of a small fox or of a dog. 



The nest, a bulky and conspicuous affair, is 

 placed high up in a large tree generally so situ- 

 ated that a wide view of the surrounding countrv 

 can be obtained. Year after year the same pair 

 of Eagles occupy the nest, making slight repairs 

 to it each spring. Bald Eagles mate for life and 

 apparently they are very fond of each other. 

 Family cares are undertaken very early in the 

 season ; in Florida, eggs are laid in December or 

 January ; in the Middle States, in February or 

 March: and in districts further north, a little 

 later. 



.About thirty days are needed for incubation 

 and only one brood is reared a season. When 

 the baby Ivigles are hatched they are covered 

 with a whitish down but they acquire their 

 lirst plumage before they are able to fly. 

 Three years must pass before maturity is reached. 

 I )uring these years the young Eagles are notice- 

 ably ditTerent in color from the adults and dur- 

 ing the first year after leaving the nest they are 

 larger than cither of the j)arents, the expanse of 



Courtesy of Nat. Asso. Au'l. Si. 

 BALD EAGLE'S NEST 

 Florida 



the wing being often a foot more. These large 

 immature birds deceived Audubon who thought 

 they were a distinct species and named them 

 " Birds of Washington." 



In northwestern Alaska, northwestern Mac- 

 kenzie, central Keewatin, and northern Ungava 

 south to British Columbia and the Great Lakes 

 occurs a larger but otherwise similar Eagle 

 known as the Northern Bald Eagle (Haliccetus 

 Icucoccphalns alascanus). 



