FALCONIDiE. — HALIiETUS LEU C O CEPH ALUS. 51 



a great height. One only approached us, but as soon as we were noticed, the bird 

 made a precipitate retreat. It was apparently conveying food to the nest, and was 

 not at first aware of our presence ; after which it hovered at a distance, suggestive 

 of more prudent caution than of parental devotion or courage, uttering hoarse, 

 disagreeable cries of displeasure, not unlike imperfect barkings of a dog. No at- 

 tempt was made to molest or interrupt the man as he ascended to, or after he had 

 reached the nest, which we supposed to be unoccupied. We were however surprised 

 to find, when he had climbed to the nest, that the female had been sitting upon it 

 all the while, and only left when the unwelcome caller was near enough to have 

 reached the bird with his hands. She too flew over the man's head in somewhat 

 closer proximity, uttering frequent cries of distress, but made no effort whatever to 

 attack him. On the contrary, her whole behavior seemed to evince a cowardice and 

 want of spirit very difierent from that which we usually associate with Eagles when 

 it becomes their parental duty to defend their young. 



To our disappointment, the nest was found to contain no egg, and but a single 

 bird, apparently about a fortnight old. It was some six or seven inches in length, 

 its weight between one and two pounds, and its head and claws disproportionately 

 large. It was covered uniformly with a thick, close, and soft downy plumage, which 

 was of a clean deep straw-color. There was not the least admixture of gray or brown.' 

 The young bird was completely helpless, and uttered almost constant cries for food. 

 It ate readily whenever fish or meat was oft'ered it, but was unable to support itself 

 upon its legs. It was taken to my host's house, where it was well cared for, and for 

 a while, with careful attention, it did well and grew apace, ever manifesting a most 

 inordinate and ever insatiable appetite for fish and flesh. 



The nest was described to me by my assistant as a platform between five and six 

 feet in diameter, and at least four in thickness. It was constructed of regular layers 

 of large sticks, each several feet in length, and from an inch to an inch and a half 

 in thickness. Its surface was perfectly flat, and was " finished ofl'," to use his ex- 

 pression, with tufts of grass, dry leaves, mosses, lichens, small twigs, &c., &c. He 

 found in it, by the side of the young Eagle, four or five large eels, each of which 

 was about two feet in length, showing that the parent birds provide liberally for 

 their own wants and those of their young. 



Estimating the age of the young Eagle at ten days, and allowing four weeks 

 for incubation, and at least one week's interval between the deposition and the 

 commencement of the parent buxl's sitting upon it, we have very nearly the exact 

 period at which the egg was laid, March 13th. It is interesting to notice, in this 



' Mr. Audubon describes " the young birds, when not larger than middle-sized pullets," as " covered 

 with a soft, cottony kind of down," and adds, that " their first plumage is of a grayish color, mixed with 

 brown, of different depths of tint." This is a little obscure, but I presume Mr. Audubon intended by " first 

 plumage," not the downy covering of which he speaks, but that which succeeds to it. The color of the 

 down has no gray or brown, but is as described above. 



