Coupled with the physical limi- 

 tations confronting an eagle at- 

 tempting to carry an excessive 

 weight, which would tend to dis- 

 count the likelihood of their trans- 

 porting human prey, is the mis- 

 taken interpretation that often is 

 placed on eagle flight activities. 

 Herrick (1924b, p. 407) has well 

 described the different approaches 

 employed by the bald eagle when 

 merely swooping, more or less as a 

 flight maneuver, and when seriously 

 intent on killing its prey. 



When an Eagle stoops at an enemy or 

 at his prey, and is deterred at the strik- 

 ing point, he will immediately rise, and 

 might carry off a cap, as has been known 

 to occur when the attack was upon a 

 man who had invaded the nest, or "a 



fragment of a frock" if a child were 

 assailed ; but whenever he strikes in 

 earnest and endeavours to master his 

 prey and rise with it in the air, as is said 

 to have been the case in the instances 

 given above, liis action is very different. 

 His aim then being to maim or kill, the 

 Eagle instantly drives his talons with all 

 his power into the body of his victim. 

 If danger is scented he will make every 

 etfort to lift his prey bodily from the 

 ground and bear it to a place of safety : 

 but if the place and time are propitious 

 he tries to finish the business on the spot 

 by repeated thrusts of beak and claw, 

 often "treading" his quarry, until its 

 vitals have been reached and resistance 

 is at an end. It is evident that an Eagle, 

 with claws nearly two inches long, or 

 more if measured on their curve, could 

 not strike a child of whatever age and 

 strive to bear it away, without the cer- 

 tainty of inflicting grievous injuries, 

 irrespective of the success of his efforts. 



SUMMARY 



1. Study of the economics of the 

 bald eagle was prompted largely by 

 the need for information to appraise 

 the merits of bounty and other leg- 

 islation affecting the eagle in the 

 Territory of Alaska, where it long 

 has been the subject of controversy. 

 To accomplish this, fieldwork by 

 the senior author was carried on 

 mainly in 1941 with additional ob- 

 servations being made in 1945 and 

 1946. Subsequently, he examined 

 the stomach material collected and 

 prepared initial tabulations of food 

 items. The junior author com- 

 pleted tabulation of the examined 

 stomachs, reviewed pertinent litera- 

 ture, and compiled the manuscript 

 in its present form. 



2. As a background for better 

 understanding of the economics of 

 the bald eagle, this paper assembles 



information concerning its char- 

 acteristics and life history. In- 

 cluded are data on range, abun- 

 dance, movements, plumages, age, 

 sex ratio, dimensions, weight, nest- 

 ing, eggs, young, and enemies. 



3. Although the bald eagle was 

 noticeably reduced in Southeastern 

 Alaska during the years of bounty 

 payments subsequent to 1917, there 

 are indications that the bird is now 

 recouping its numbers and may 

 again assume its former abundance 

 in favored areas. In the United 

 States, even in its favorite habitats 

 in Florida and the mid-Atlantic 

 States, the nesting bald eagle has 

 decreased in numbers with a corre- 

 sponding lessening of its economic 

 influence. During fall, winter, and 

 s])ring, migrating eagles gather at 

 favorable feeding areas and in some 



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