76 Contributions from the Charleston Museum. 



seem to prefer the latter places because they are comparatively 

 uninhabited and are nearer the sea. 



Certain pairs breed much earlier than others as I will illustrate . 

 A pair of these birds has been (and still is) breeding on the plan- 

 tation of Mr. B. J. Whitesides, in Christ Church Parish, for more 

 than fifty years. This particular pair of eagles must be very 

 old as the eggs are always laid in November, while other pairs 

 do not have eggs laid before December and January. On No- 

 vember 27, 1899, I secured two eggs which contained very large 

 embryos. The nest was built in the top of a gigantic short-leaf 

 pine 112 feet and 6 inches from the ground. I saw, in this nest 

 on January 6, 1899, two young which were nearly ready to fly. 

 Another set of two slightly incubated eggs was taken from this 

 nest on November 20, 1905. When these eagles have been 

 deprived of their first set of eggs, they generally, if not invariably, 

 remove from Mr. Whitesides' plantation to lay again on Dewees 

 Island, which is about seven miles away. Other dates upon 

 which I have observed eggs of this pair are: November 29, 1901, 

 two incubated eggs; and November 23, 1903, two incubated eggs. 

 The length of time consumed in building a new nest and laying 

 two eggs, after the birds have been deprived of their hrst pair 

 and have established themselves on Dewees Island, is about 

 thirty-five days. 



Another pair of these eagles has bred on a lonely, uninhab- 

 ited island in the Wando River for many years, and to show that 

 they return to the same nest every season, I mention the number 

 of sets of eggs taken from this nest, namely — January 12, 1901, 

 two eggs nearly hatched; December 20, 1901, two fresh eggs; 

 January 2, 1903, two eggs with small embryos; January 6, 1904, 

 two fresh eggs; January 14, 1905, two eggs with small embryos; 

 February 11, 1905, two fresh eggs (second laying); and January 

 15, 1906, two eggs with small embryos. 



The nest is almost always placed in the top of the tallest and 

 most inaccessible pine trees, either living or dead, and is composed 

 of sticks, grass, bark, and Spanish moss, sometimes profusely 

 lined with the last as well as with downy feathers from the breast 

 of the birds. The largest nest I ever saw measured 8 feet across 

 the top and was 7 feet in diameter. Only two eggs are laid. 

 These are white and measure 2.80X2.15. I have never seen an 



