1^0 PANDION HALIAETUS. 



in the vicinity of the water, whether along the sea- 

 shore or on the margins of a lake or river, and is com- 

 posed of sticks, sea-weeds, tufts of coarse grass, and 

 other materials, with a lining of sea- weeds and finer 

 grass.- The male assists in incubating, and both birds 

 defend their young with great courage and perseve- 

 rance. 



In addition to these particulars, I may here present 

 some interesting facts, supplied by the celebrated and 

 most enterprising author of the " Birds of America" 

 " and Ornithological Biography," in a letter to myself. 



" My dear Friend, Since the publication of the first 

 volume of my Ornithological Biography, in which an 

 account of the habits of the Fish-hawk is given, I have 

 had many opportunities of extending my acquaintance 

 with it, and have traced it along the whole extent of 

 the Atlantic coast of the United States, and even as far 

 north as Labrador, where it breeds. I have the greatest 

 pleasure in presenting you with the results of my ob- 

 servations, which you may use in whatever way you 

 please. 



" The difference between the periods at which this 

 species breeds along the coast, from the Gulf of Mexico 

 to the northern shores of the St Lawrence, is very 

 great. While on the St John's River in Florida, on 

 the 7th February 1832, I found the Fish-hawks very 

 abundant, and all sitting on their eggs, many of which 

 contained chicks nearly ready for emerging The birds, 

 therefore, mus^t have paired at least six weeks previous 

 to that date. I was, however, surprised to find them 

 more tardy in this respect than the White-headed 

 Eagles, which had young able to fly. Three hundred 



