THE OOLOGIST. 



97 



where collectors have only taken three 

 eggs, the set was incomplete or the bird 

 had been robbed of her eggs several 

 times. The eggs are bluish or greenish- 

 white Avith occasiouly a few obscure 

 blotches of dark color, averaging about 

 1.90x1.50 of an inch in size. In our ex- 

 perience with this hawk we have found 

 that instead of building its own nest, it 

 has repaired either an old crow's or one 

 of the larger species of hawk's nest, and 

 thus has saved a good deal of hard 

 work building such a bulky aflfair. The 

 breeding season varies considerably, 

 even in the same latitude, with this 

 species. Usually the eggs are laid be- 

 tween the 10th and 20th of May, but 

 some collectors report finding their 

 eggs as early as May 1st. and others as 

 late as June 1st. A set of their eggs 

 makes a fine addition to a collection 

 and are well worthy of notice. 



Ekwin G. Waud, 

 Palmer, Mass. 



The Eagles of North America, 



BY J. W. P. Smithwick, Sans 



Souci, N. C. 



Gin this article I will try to describe 

 the different species of eagles that in- 

 nabit North America, and give a few 

 notes on each species. Only tiiree spec- 

 ies of these grand birds make this Con- 

 tinent their home; but these are the 

 noblest and finest of the whole family. 

 What nobler bird than the Bald Eagle — 

 the emblem of our Republic — can be 

 found anywhere; and, the Golden 

 Eagle, too, cannot be surpassed in state- 

 liness. Eagles are birds of very great 

 strength and power of endurance, cap- 

 able of performing the longest journey 

 seemingly, without fatigue. 



BALD EAGLE {HciUmetus leucocephdlus .) 

 Tliis eagle frequents the whole of 

 North America, Init is more numerous 

 in Florida than anywhere else. Dr. 

 Coues says in his Key, that it inhaljits 

 N. A. anywhere, common — for an 



eagl(!. The size of the Bald-headed 

 species, varies from thi'ee feet to three 

 feet and three inches in length; and in 

 extent, from six to eight feet, and I 

 have even heard of them being killed 

 which measured nine feet in extent, but 

 have never met with an instance of this, 

 and therefore I cannot verify the state- 

 ment. Several years ago, four Bald 

 Eagles were fighting in the air over my 

 grandfather's farm, when two of them 

 clinched and fell to the ground, not 

 many yards away from the house. 

 They thoroughly terrorized the two col- 

 ored people that were working thei'e, 

 because they believed that Judgement 

 Day had come, and this occurrence was 

 to warn them of its appi'oach. One of 

 them, an old man started for the house 

 to get the gun. When he got to the 

 steps, he changed his mind and thought 

 that he would take them alive, and 

 started back; but when he caught sight 

 of the birds his heart failed him, and he 

 started to the house again half running, 

 only to repeat the same performance as 

 soon as he reached the door steps My 

 aunt and the colored woman in the 

 meantime assailed the eagles with a 

 board apiece, and in a short time dis- 

 patched them both. When they came 

 tlirough the yard gate, each carrying a 

 dead eagle, they saw the old man still 

 running back and forth, calling out, 



"Oh! Miss S , Where's de gun, 



Where's de gun." h\ answer to him 

 they held up their eagles, which ccnu- 

 pletely overcame him to think that they 

 should kill them without a gun. 



The Bird of Washington which the 

 immortal Audubon thought was a new 

 species was notliing more than the im- 

 mature Bald Eagle. In speaking of 

 The Washington P^agle, Audubon's own 

 words are: "It was in the month of 

 February, 1814, that I obtained the first 

 sight of this noble bird (meaning the 

 Hui)posed new species. The Bird of 

 Washington), and never shall I forget 

 the delight it gave nw. Not even Her- 



