May 1888.] 



a:nd oologist. 



77 



nion-rufous ami chestnut. On two of the e£;gs 

 the markings are lieaviest at the smaller and 

 larger cnils respectively, while the thini has a 

 hroail l)aMii of ciniianion-rufdus near the smaller 

 end: 1.2'.) x 1.12; l.:il xl.1.5: l.;«ixl.l4. 



Set .\IX. .\pril !(!, ISGti, Hiversidc. Califor- 

 nia. Collected by \V. B. \est in hole in Cot- 

 tonwood tree. Five eggs, incubation begun. 

 Ground color, vinaceous-cinnamon, speckled 

 and spotted with cinnamon-rufous; l.;U x .'JO; 

 (very odd shaped); 1.30 xl.ll; 1.33 x 1.0."); 

 ].31 X LOG; 1.38 X 1.09. 



Set XX. April 9, 1885, liiverside, California. 

 Collected by E. M. llaighl. Xest in a hole in 

 tree, made by a woodi)cckcr. Five eggs, incu- 

 bation begun. Ground color dull white to 

 pinkish bull", speckled, spotted, and blotched, 

 chic'dy at the larger ends, with vinaceons cin- 

 namon and cinnamon-rufous: 1.24 x 1.1.5; 1.27 

 X 1.14; 1.28 X 1.15; (these three eggs are the 

 most globular of any in theseries) ; 1.26 x 1.09; 



1.34 X 1.13. 



Set XXI. April 2(i, 1879, Nicasio, California. 

 Collected by (Charles A. .\llen. Four eggs. 

 Ground color piidvish buff, speckled, spotted, 

 and blotched with cinnamon-iufous. The 

 markings are confluent at the larger ends in 

 three of the larger eggs: 1.33 x 1.13; 1.87 x 

 1.14; 1.3(; X 1.11; 1.43 x 1.0."). 



SetXXll. May 3, 18G7. Los Angeles Coun- 

 ty, California. Collected by C. N. P. Nest 

 in a hollow tree. Five eggs, fresh. Ground 

 color vinaceous-cinnamon, speckled and spotted 

 with cinnamon-rufous: 1.34x1.13; 1.34x1.11; 



1.35 X 1.12; 1.30 x 1.12; 1.33 x 1.11. 



Nesting Habits of the Bald Eagle. 



HV WAl.TEll IIO.XIE, FKOGMOKE, .S. C. 



I recently examined a file of The Oknithol- 

 ociST AND Ooi.oiiisT, and found that the in- 

 formation therein contained upon the nesting 

 habits of the American or Bald Eagle (//((^ife- 

 etus leuciicephalus). was more meagre than upon 

 any of the rest of our liitpturrx. I cannot tell 

 why this should be so, for it is not a bird that 

 is easily overlooked, and it is moreover of wide 

 distribution. 



This locality seems to be >:peciall}' favored as 

 a breeding resort, and the following remai-ks 

 are intended to in some measure till the Jiii/tits 

 above indicated. 



.Mthongh at cine tirnel knew of thirteen nests, 

 I have never yet taken one egg. To confess the 



truth at the outset, I am a very poor climber. 

 The nests are in the liighest pines, and conld no 

 doubt be reached without serious difficulty b)' 

 one who was accustomed to the use of irons. 



I li.ive participated in two futile attempts 

 with other parties to obtain the eggs. One 

 venturous lad ascended a rope to within a few 

 feet of the nest. The female bird then launched 

 herself from it, and the male at the same mo- 

 ment darted down from high in the air towards 

 her. My acrobatic friend, fearing an imme- 

 di.-ite attack, slid precipitately back to irrni. 

 ^finiijt, and no cajoling or ridicule would induce 

 him to make another ascent. In fact, a Ion" 

 rent in the widest i)art of his nether raiment, he 

 insisted had been made by the talons of the 

 wrathful birds. The second attempt ;it which 

 I assisted was even further from success than 

 the first. 



The nest is usually placed in a crotch at some 

 distance from the top of a living tree. I have 

 never seen one perched upon a dead stub in the 

 favorite position of the Fish Hawk. I'he ma- 

 terial is ]>rincipally sticks with but little grass 

 and trash, and no perceptible lining. The hol- 

 low is not so deep as in the Fish Hawk's nest, 

 and the general ajipearance is wider and 

 rougher. (These remarks are based upon two 

 nests which were in felled trees. One contained 

 two young birds — both uninjured — and the 

 other was empty). 



The hunters and old residents in the vicinity 

 state that the two eggs are laid at wide inter- 

 vals of time, and tlius the callow young that is 

 first hatched aids in the incubation of his little 

 brother. Be that as it may, my own observa- 

 tions with the spy-glass show very little differ- 

 ence in the development ol the nearly fiedfed 

 young, after they begin to stand up and move 

 about in the nest. 



Another oft repeated tradition is anent a mar- 

 vellous stone said to be contained in every nest, 

 and which the great birds guard with jealous 

 cai-e. One of these is now in my possession — 

 that is, if there is any truth in the story — for I 

 dislodged it from a nest into which I fired a 

 chaige of buck shot. It is a water worn pebble 

 of white quartz, oval in shape, and about two 

 and a quarter- inches in its largest dimensions. 

 Such a stone as is common on many pebbly 

 beaches, but it is the only one I ever saw among 

 these sandy, rockless islands. 



Another point that has often struck inc is 

 tliat fre(iuently an iiiMuature male is seen mated 

 with a full i»lumageil female. Possibly the 

 males are slower in gaining the white head and 

 tail, or they may be less wary and oftcmer fall 



