THE AMERICAN EAGLE HEERICK 277 



Lake, where the birds would swoop down and almost strike the head 

 of his climber, and were so very savage that one of his party became 

 frightened, and, thinking that they might injure him, shot the 

 male, which was the fiercer of the two. 



The same writer has given an interesting account by Capt. B. F. 

 Goss of two nests of the eagle on small islands in Nueces Bay, near 

 Corpus Christi, Tex. ; one of these, thought to be the work of an in- 

 experienced bird, was on an islet which did not rise over 2 feet 

 above high water, and was little more than a sand reef; the nest 

 "consisted simply of a few sticks laid on the bare ground, not 

 enough to make a single tier even, and these were covered with 

 bones, feathers, and fish scales." The other nest, on an island but 

 little larger and bearing a small solitary tree, rose "like a monu- 

 ment " out of the water and was visible for miles. " It was built 

 with surprising regularity, appeared to be a perfect circle, and the 

 sides smooth and almost perpendicular. It was built of sticks, and 

 sloped slightly toward the center," where he said an eaglet sat and 

 viciously snapped at him as he peered over the edge. Both parent 

 birds, he adds, " attacked us with great fury, screaming and striking 

 at us with their talons." Later when an assistant was taking the 

 eggs from a tree nest, he continues : " he was set upon by both the 

 eagles, and if he had not had a good stick with which to defend 

 himself I feel sure they would have struck him." 



Precisely the same kind of variability which we have noticed in 

 the eagle, and apparently due to the same cause, may be seen in the 

 behavior of a robin, or even of a bluebird, under similar conditions. 

 Who would expect the ordinarily timid bluebird to attack a person 

 who approached its nest at any time or under any conditions ? Yet, 

 I have known a male of this serene and gentle species to drive 

 straight at the head of an intruder, and with such speed and fiery 

 pugnacity that he involuntarily threw up his hands. 



The Vermilion eagles were constantly pestered by one or more 

 kingbirds whenever, upon approaching or leaving the aerie, they 

 crossed their preserves. It is a familiar sight to see the doughty 

 kingbird pursuing an eagle, hawk, or crow, now and again darting 

 at them, pecking at their head or back and driving them from their 

 territory. The Vermilion kingbirds would pursue their supposi- 

 tious enemy up to the nest tree, and even alight upon its branches, 

 and there continue for some minutes their harsh notes of protest 

 close to the aerie. More than once during the present season I saw 

 one and sometimes two of these plucky birds follow an old eagle 

 to its tall perch, alight just above it, and as the spirit moved, dart 

 with vim at the greater tyrant sitting in unconcern but a few feet 

 away; at every lunge of the little kingbird the old eagle seemed 

 20397—25 19 



