268 BIRDS OF PREY OF NOVA SCOTIA—GILPIN. 
I have never seen. If they migrate north of us, as it seems they 
do, they go inland and not along the sea coast. Neither are they 
winter visitants, A stray red tail hawk (B. borealis) is seen dur- 
ing winter. But the gosshawk (A. atricapillus) may be called a 
persistent winter visiter. Specimens of him are brought to 
Halifax frequently at that time. He and his mate, all winter 
Jong, perched on the scrubby pines overlooking the Bay of Fundy 
from the North mountain, and the moose hunters see him feed- 
ing on the white snow upon the grouse he has struck in the thick 
forest. Though this family do naturally resolve themselves into 
harriers, buzzards, hawks, and falcons, some pursuing live game, 
others pouncing upon it, others picking it from the ground, and 
taking lizards, frogs, and even insects, yet with the exception of 
the timid fish hawk, the only one who takes his live meat, they 
all will descend to dead meat and carrion. The imperial eagles 
being the nearest in this to the vultures who never take their 
game alive. I have never heard of the bald heads taking their 
fish alive, whilst the fish hawk, if he drops his fish, will never 
seek to reclaim it, seemingly having no instinct to catch fish ex- 
cept from the water. To him alone is due, if it is an honour, never 
to sit, except to the Abbyssinian banquet of quivering meat. 
There are many traditions and stories of children being carried 
away by eagles; they are usually the traditions of former times, 
and of spectators and eye-witnesses long since relieved of the 
burden of flesh. But there is one instance which happened in 
Labrador, where the parties are still living, An English mission- 
ary was visiting a fisherman’s family in their hut by the shore ; 
the father of the family came stumbling in for his gun, all but 
unutterable ; he handed it to the missionary, saying, “ I can’t kill 
my own child, do your best.” Gun in hand the clergyman stood 
upon the shore, and saw an eagle about eight feet in the air 
slowly rising weighted by the living, child held by its cloth- 
ing; he covered his bird, fired, and it dropt so gently to the 
ground that the child was unhurt, though the slugs by which the 
gun was loaded had done their work. This gentleman, the Rev. 
Mr. Wainwright, now holds a good position in the diocese of 
Honolulu, in the Pacifie. 
