368 LAND-BIRDS AND GAME-BIRDS 
(c). Size has always a fascination for the world. The young 
collector prizes a hawk’s egg more than that of the rarest 
warbler. The egg is big, the bird that laid it is big, the nest 
in which it was laid is big, the tree in which the nest was built 
is big, and the wood in which the tree grows is big. In much 
the same spirit, the world has called the eagle and lion king 
respectively of birds and beasts, on account of their large size 
and carnivorous tastes. But modern writers have assured us 
that the lion is not a hero, that he is even a coward, that he 
does not deserve his title, which might better be bestowed 
upon the Royal Bengal Tiger. The eagle, however, though 
inferior in activity, speed, and spirit, to the little Sparrow 
Hawk, better merits the distinction, from the majesty of his 
appearance and the sublimity of his flight. But he cannot 
justly be considered superior to all other birds, since he is 
merely a large ‘‘hen hawk,” who does not hesitate in many 
cases to feed on carrion or on the spoils which he robs from 
more industrious laborers than himself. 
The Golden Eagles are extremely rare in Massachusetts, and 
are probably to be ranked as merely accidental winter-visitors. 
They are resident in mountainous and thinly populated districts 
of northern and possibly western New England. Mr. Brewster 
says that ‘ta pair have bred for years on the cliff directly over 
the Profile House. They could be seen at almost any hour of 
the day scaling about their eyrie, uttering loud screams, but 
were especially noisy and active from sunset to dark.” 
The Golden Eagles are so averse to the encroachments of 
man, that I can find no mention of their being common in any 
much inhabited district, but the immense tracts of forest, and 
the high mountain-ranges, in their usual haunts, enable them to 
live remote from civilization. I have occasionally seen them 
among the White Mountains. They may sometimes be ob- 
served sailing at a vast height in wide circles, but with no per- 
ceptible effort. Ihave watched them for hours, but only once 
have I seen them plunge. One, who had been sailing for a 
long while at the elevation of several hundred feet, suddenly 
closed his wings and dropped with astounding velocity, which 
