210 BIRDS OF ONTARIO. 



on examination, to be the bleached skull of a weasel. The teeth had 

 the " death grip " of the skin of the bird's throat, and the feathers 

 near this place were much confused and broken. 



The Eagle had probably caught the weasel on the ground, and 

 rising with his prize, a struggle had ensued in the air, during which 

 the weasel had caught the bird by the throat and hung there till he 

 was squeezed and clawed to pieces. 



Bald Eagles are, during some winters, common at Hamilton Beach, 

 where they pick up any dead fish and " cowheens " that are shaken 

 out of the fishermen's nets. Knowing the habits of the bii'ds, the 

 fishermen often capture them by placing a poisoned carcase near the 

 edge of the ice. The bait is sure to be taken by the first Eagle 

 that comes along, and usually the bird dies before leaving the spot. 



They still rear their young in suitable places throughout Ontario, 

 but as the country becomes more thickly settled, the birds seek for 

 greater retirement elsewhere. I learn from Dr. Macallum that a 

 few pairs still breed along the north shore of Lake Erie. " Quite 

 recently," he says, " I had a set of eggs taken from a nest which was 

 placed in an oak 100 feet up. It is known to have been there foi- 

 sixteen years, and from annual patching had got to be eight feet 

 deep and five feet across, and so firm that a sailor named Fox, who 

 took the eggs, was able to dance on the top, and kneel down on the 

 edge to lower the eggs to those below. The eggs were placed in the 

 middle of the platform, which was composed of sticks and clay, they 

 were three in number, pure white, and were quite fresh when taken, 

 April 3rd. I once saw an Eagle swoop down on a Herring Gull, 

 which it carried off in its claws to a large tree, where it was 

 devoured. It had done the same thing in the same place the day 

 before." 



The food of this species consists entirely of fish, where they can 

 be obtained, and the bird is then harmless, and should be protected, 

 but where fish are scarce, and the birds begin to interfere M'ith the 

 domestic animals, they should be kept within proper limits. They 

 have thus been placed in Class c, along with others whose good 

 deeds are supposed to balance the evil they do. 



They are very abundant in Alaska and throughout the Aleutian 

 Chain, where they are resident. In summer they feed upon fish and 

 the numerous wild fowl that breed among these islands. In winter 

 they feed on Ptarmigan and the sea-fowl which reside there during 

 that season. When at Salmon Neck, in Sanborn Harbor, Mr. Dall 

 saw seventeen eagles all within 100 yards. There, as elsewhere, they 



