Bald Eagle. 273 



downward in pursuit of the fish falling through the air, 

 and the meteor-like descent of the eagle on such occasions 

 is a sight never to be forgotten by the beholder. 



The most of the recorded appearances of the bald eagles 

 in this section are for the fall, winter, and spring. The 

 dry prairie regions do not seem to offer them the proper 

 inducements for continuous residence. It is probable that 

 the individuals of the species killed or seen in sections 

 are stragglers, pursuing the migrating water-fowl from 

 their more permanent homes. Close observation may 

 show that the bald eagles in some neighborhoods migrate 

 as the crows do. While there are birds seen in certain 

 localities at all seasons, it may be the case that the sum- 

 mer residents remove farther south or to other localities 

 alter the breeding season, and that other individuals come 

 in to occupy the ground thus vacated. However, in most 

 cases the same birds are known to remain throughout the 

 year near their breeding places. 



This eagle seems to be more abundant in Florida and 

 the southeastern coast of the United States than else- 

 where. Mr. Maynard says that to study the bald eagle 

 in its abundance, one must visit Florida, where there are 

 more nests in a given area than in any other section, and 

 that he has found several times three or four eyries, all 

 occupied, within the radius of a mile. ' Ornithologist and 

 Oologist for May, 1889, contains information about a series 

 of twenty-six sets, amounting to forty-seven eggs of the 

 bald eagle, collected in the Indian River region of Florida 

 in two seasons. The earliest date given is November 25th; 

 another set was taken November 30th; eighteen sets were 

 taken in December; four in January, and the remainder in 

 February. The dates are given to show the early nesting 

 of the bald eagle in its southern resorts. All of the above 

 nests were situated in pine trees, at various heights not 

 exceeding eighty-six feet. Thirteen of the nests were 

 less than sixty feet from the ground. Thus the real facts 

 do not bear out the assertions so frequently seen that the 

 eagle chooses a wild and inaccessible site for its nest. 

 However, there are notable instances of such a choice. 



In the northern portions of its habitat the bald eagle 

 nests in March and April. When a new nest is to be 

 18 



