The Bald Eagle in Louisiana 53 



drop like a bullet into a flock of unsuspecting ducks, and 

 ducks are not the only birds that sometimes make life 

 worth living either. 



I have examined four nests of the eagle in Louisiana, 

 three on the estate of E. A. Mcllhenny, the well known 

 conservationist. The first nest was found February 17, 

 1917. There is a peninsula of cypress trees jutting into 

 the marshland about a mile back in the dense swamps sur- 

 rounding Avery Island, and the eagles had chosen the snag 

 of a very high tree, that would give them a range "of view. 

 The half rotten tree had a portion of the top broken ofP, 

 and leaned at quite an angle, so as to be an aid in climb- 

 ing. I used iron pegs, and drove in as I climbed. In this 

 nest was one young only, a bird almost full grown, and 

 weighing in fact, as much as an adult. It was one of 

 the characteristic uniform brown plumage of the juvenile. 

 The nest itself was nearly six feet across, a massive affair 

 of small cypress limbs two and three feet in length ; moss 

 and marsh grass were used for lining, and the whole in- 

 terior was a mass of filth. Bits of rabbit fur, feathers 

 from pintail and mallard ducks, and numerous bird bones, 

 including the leg bone of a Great Blue Heron, cluttered 

 up the nest. 



The adults were not at all ferocious, but after a few 

 preliminary circles, sailed off and watched me from a dis- 

 tant outstretched limb. They are exceedingly wary and 

 usually occupy such an exposed position, where they can 

 see and be seen from afar. 



The second nest was found within a few hundred 

 yards of the first, on February 2, 1919. Eagles seem to 

 nest in the same locality for many years, and one pair that 

 I know of, occupied the same general nesting site for sev- 

 enteen successive years. In this nest were two eggs, one 

 in advanced state of incubation, while the other was 

 spoiled. One bird only was seen, the bird on the nest, and 

 she flushed before we were within two hundred yards. She 

 made a few circles and then disappeared, not to be seen 



