^°1908^^] Cameron, The Golden Eagle in Montana. 261 



site hillside. My wife immediately walked to the spot and suc- 

 ceeded in catching her by a wing after the eaglet had made several 

 abortive efforts to rise in the calm air. The male also flapped out 

 of the eyrie and landed bouyantly on the prairie but was captured 

 without trouble. Both eaglets were brought back to their nesting 

 tree; they showed no fight, but clung tenaciously with their talons 

 to whatever they could seize, according to the unfailing custom of 

 young eagles, hawks and owls. As was the case in my former 

 experience, there appeared to be a week's difference in age between 

 the eaglets although hatched at the same time. 



We have always found difficulty in photographing full-fledged 

 eaglets, a quick exposure in the sun being necessary, and the 

 subjects persistently flap into the shade. If forced to stay in the 

 sun they turn their backs upon it, and thus belie the poetic fancy 

 of "An eagle mewing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled 

 eyes at the full midday beam." ^ Although the old birds endure 

 heat better than their offspring, they collapse panting, with wide 

 open mouths and drooping wings, at 100° in the shade. Eagles 

 then present an imdignified appearance much at variance with 

 their ordinary noble aspect. The tendency of the eaglets to droop 

 their wings is apparent in all the photographs; in one view (of the 

 rock) the male has quite assumed the absurd pose of the over- 

 heated eagle. 



After photographing the eaglets we wasted much time and labor 

 in attempting to restore them to the higher branches. As soon as 

 we replaced them, they flew down again, preferring to sit about on 

 fallen pines until their perfected wings should emancipate them, 

 forever, from their surroundings. At this stage we saw little of 

 them, owing to the difficulty of finding them amidst the rocks and 

 forest debris of these wooded glens, but I ascertained that the 

 parents continued to watch over, and to feed them on prairie dogs 

 for another month. It is possible that the old birds attended to 

 their offspring after this time, but the fact remains that during 

 August, when the eaglets were constantly observed on rocks or 

 pines about the ranch, the parents were never seen with them. 

 Whether sitting inactive, or on the wing, the youngsters always 



1 Milton. Tractate of Education. 



