THE OOLOGIST 



29 



islands a mile or so away, reached 

 only by boat, tliat contained three 

 nests, but too late to get there now. 



We returned home and the follow- 

 ing morning I investigated the nests 

 myself, hoping for one of the three 

 that were liable to go with me. The 

 sky was overcast, damp, chilly, with 

 a stiff North wind hitting it up hard 

 just as near freezing as could be not 

 to freeze. The boatman, of whom I 

 previously had engaged a ten foot 

 bateu, asked me if I was going this 

 morning. I told him I would try it, so 

 I pulled out. If my energies were 

 greater than the forces I had to con- 

 tend with I would succeed, but if less, 

 I stood a good chance of being taken 

 to sea as the wind and tide both were 

 traveling in that direction. By lining 

 objects on shore I could see I was 

 holding my own. Soon I was on the 

 lee, on up to the bend all right; here 

 the battle had to be renewed, pulling 

 off my overcoat and gloves I bent to 

 the oar, I won, soon to the lee again. 



Soon to Eyrie No. 1, in a pine tree 

 on an island surrounded by marsh and 

 water. Deserted, the oft repeated 

 word. 



Across to Island No. 2, birds at 

 home, not sitting but flying about; T 

 just had to go up anyhow to investi- 

 gate. I knew what had happened be- 

 fore I looked into the nest, — the lit- 

 tle fellows had been in the world about 

 six days and were peeping like little 

 chickens. This nest was in a crotch 

 of a dead pine tree seventy feet up, 

 nest about 4 feet by 4 feet, tree about 

 two and one-half feet in diameter. One 

 of the little fellows I made a speci- 

 men of, the other I named Professor 

 and sent him north to take a series of 

 photographs of him; he died on the 

 journey. 



Eyre No. 3 deserted; flushed one 

 Wood Duck, three Black Ducks and 

 then pulled for landing and home in 

 town, with cold damp feet. 



February 25th, left for Norfolk by 

 rail after bidding another one of our 

 friends, Mr. Gelbert Rosignall, Jr., 

 goodby, and by nightfall the land of 

 scrub Palmetto and most of the Cy- 

 press was left behind. At New Beme 

 and Washington, North Carolina, there 

 were no signs of eagles; near Jackson- 

 ville, North Carolina, noticed Black 

 Vultures. 



On the 28th, met another one of our 

 friends, Mr. H. H. Bailey of Newport 

 News. On the 29th we visited an 

 Eagle's nest up a live pine, 75 feet 

 up, contained 1-2, 1-3 incubated, nests 

 7 ft X 4 ft. X 3 ft. Bird was sitting tight 

 but left nest at our near approach. 

 This nest as all previous, and subse- 

 quently contained the feathers, flesh 

 and bones of Wild Ducks, no fish be- 

 ing seen but would probably be seen 

 if visited later in the season. 



March 1st and 2d visited 4 deserted 

 nests. 



March 3d, another nest, a dandy, 

 it looked in the distance, a dandy when 

 underneath, 100 feet from the ground 

 in an original growth pine three feet 

 in diameter at base, seventy feet to 

 first limb. No birds were about but 

 the nest had been repaired, I went 

 up. It looked fine, just good enough to 

 contain eggs, but it had none, the re- 

 mains of Wild ducks were here in 

 profusion. This is one of the bachelor 

 nests, the definition of this term is 

 where one or both eagles repair their 

 home each year but do not raise a 

 brood. No doubt being too old to lay. 

 This is not the first nest I have had 

 experience with. My theory is that 

 many of the Eagles, like Turkey Vul- 

 tures are too old to lay eggs, and bring 

 off their nestlings. White Crowned 

 and Song Sparrows, Juncos and Car- 

 dinals were noted. 



On the 4th, four inches of snow. 



The 5th, Mr. Bailey and myself 

 drove twelve miles from home to a 

 prospect near a lake. We were tired 



