44 



THE OOLOGIST 



I am very well convinced that the 

 female of this pair is a very young 

 bird (for an Eagle, that is). When I 

 made her close acquaintance in 1904 

 she was very large and unusually dark 

 and in perfect plumage. Young Eagles 

 are always very much darker than the 

 old birds, which grow grayer and 

 more golden with age. In a band of 

 eagles one can distinguish the young 

 birds almost as far as he can see them. 

 In 1903, the year before the first large 

 set was taken, it was reported that an 

 Eagle had been shot in the canyon. 

 This may have been the female of the 

 old pair, the survivor seeking a new 

 mate in the present incumbent. We 

 found that all our birds here, large and 

 small, will lay a second set when the 

 first is removed and it has always been 

 our custom to allow such second sets 

 to hatch as we are all interested in the 

 conservation of the bird supply, but 

 we have no reason to believe that a 

 second set is ever laid by these birds, 

 the only indication of it ever found 

 being the piece of shell found in the 

 nest in 1907 and that was probably a 

 third egg of the set of two taken ear- 

 lier in the season. A single abnormal 

 or infertile egg might be merely an ac- 

 cident, a repetition of it a coincidence, 

 but when, year after year, eggs both 

 abnormal in size and infertile as well 

 are laid it would seem to show a most 

 remarkable physical condition. I have 

 been told recently, that another Eagle 

 had been shot in the canyon a few 

 weeks ago. It is to be hoped that it 

 was a visitor only, as it would be most 

 interesting to watch these birds to see 

 how soon, if ever, they return to nor- 

 mal conditions. 



In the latter part of August Mr. 

 Dixon and I again visited the canyon. 

 We found the lower nest (No. 2) near- 

 ly gone, nothing remaining but some 

 sticks on the outer edge and a mass 

 of thoroughly decayed rubbish in the 



bottom. In Mr. Dixon's Oologist pap- 

 er he speaks of the birds taking ma- 

 terial from the old nests to rebuild 

 their new ones. This fact appears to 

 be verified from the condition of this 

 nest, an examination of the rocks and 

 hillside below the nest failing to 

 show any debris of any description 

 that could have come from it. It was 

 originally a very large nest, containing 

 enough material to fill a small wagon 

 and the fact is significant. The nest 

 Xo. 3, on the ledge above, was in re- 

 markably good condition, even to the 

 lining. It has not been occupied since 

 190.5, although patched up more or less 

 most every year since. It is placed 

 on a jutting semi-eliptical ledge or 

 shelf about 7 feet long by 4 feet deep, 

 somewhat over-hung by the face of 

 the cliff above. This was completely 

 filled by the nest, which was built up 

 to a height of a little over 2 feet, the 

 lined nest proper being about 16 inches 

 in diameter and hollowed out to a 

 depth of about 4 inches. 



The protographs illustrated in this 

 article are by J. B. Dixon of Escondi- 

 do, Cal., except the one showing the 

 comparative size of three eggs — the 

 largest laid by this bird, the average 

 egg of the Golden Eagle, and a West- 

 ern Red-tail Hawk's egg. The plate 

 for which is kindly loaned us by The 

 Condor, and to Mr. Dixon and Mr. 

 Sharpe, ourselves as well as the read- 

 ers of this article are certainly under 

 much obligation. 



For further information relating to 

 the eagles of the Escondido country, 

 see The Oologist, Vol. XXIII, pg. 126-9. 



It is the purpose of Ye Editor some- 

 time in the future to publish a half 

 tone photo of the set of eggs taken in 

 March, 1912, above referred to, to- 

 gether with a half tone photograph of 

 the nest and eggs in situ and of Ye 

 Editor looking into the nest, together 



