THE AMERICAN* EAGLE HERRICK 271 



a later and more careful search revealed no others.^ All of the nests 

 which we examined were said to have been recently occupied, but 

 they were abandoned at the time of our visit and not an eagle was 

 seen on the island. Our arrival happened to coincide with that of 

 the well-known annual pest of mayflies or "Canada soldiers," which 

 come suddenly, remain a week or less, and as suddenly depart. It is 

 no exaggeration to say that, after leaving the roads, we were ham- 

 pered at every step by these extraordinary creatures which covered all 

 exposed objects; all standing room seemed to be taken on every 

 spear of grass, on every twig and leaf ; the very bark of the trees, 

 great and small, being " furred " by them ; and as we walked they 

 swarmed up in such incredible nimibers over our bodies as to almost 

 blind us. It was difficult to keep the lens of our camera clear of 

 them long enough to take a photograph. 



All the nests which we saw were in open pastures; the first to 

 be visited, on the northeast side of the island, stood in the top 

 of a decrepit elm at a height of about 75 feet; it was of the cup 

 form, perhaps 8 feet tall and 6 feet or more across the top. A 

 farmer, engaged in spraying his grapes near by, informed us that 

 it had been abandoned and again reoccupied the present season. 

 Another nest, farther to the south and east, was also in a living 

 elm, which was 12 feet in girth and stood some 1,200 feet from a 

 roadway. It appeared to be very insecurely placed at a height of 

 about 60 feet and was evidently a nest of the first year, measuring 

 hardly more than 5 feet either way and remarkable only for its 

 asymmetry and the great length of many of the sticks which entered 

 into its mass. 



The second nest that we visited, at a point a little to the south 

 of the first, was so remarkable that the sight of it alone amply 

 rewarded us for all our trouble and annoyance with insects. It 

 crowns a remarkably small shellbark hickory (pi. 3), about a foot 

 and a half in diameter at its base and living in every branch, the 

 lowermost being within reach from the ground so that a good climber 

 should be able to make the ascent without much difficulty and by 

 the aid of a cord to surmount the aerie. We were told that not 

 long ago a man had made this attempt, but was attacked so viciously 

 that he quickly had a change of heart. This nest is remarkable for 

 is symmetrical bowl shape, as well as for its proximity to the ground ; 

 according to our later estimates, it is 6 feet tall and over 7l^ feet 



^ I visited the island again on Apr. 12-13, 1924, in company of my friend Prof. H. W. 

 Mountcastle, wlio ascended the tree in which the bowl-shaped nest herein shown was 

 placed and obtained data for the correction of our earlier estimates of its dimensions and 

 height from the ground. At that time two of the nests were occupied, but, to our dis- 

 appointment, tMs last and most interesting of all had been abandoned. 



