166 NORTH AMERICAN BIRDS EGGS. 



tarsus. They build their 

 nests in the tops of the tallest 

 trees in the wild, mountainous 

 country of the west, and more 

 rarely upon ledges of the 

 cliffs. The nests are made of 

 large sticks, lined with small- 

 er ones and leaves and weeds. 

 Their eggs are the most hand- 

 some of the Raptores, being 

 white in color, and blotched, 

 splashed, spotted and specked 

 with light brown and clouded 

 with gray or lilac, of course 

 varying endlessly in pattern 

 and intensity. Size 2.90x2.50. 

 Data. Monterey Co., Cal., 

 May 3, 1888. Three eggs., 

 Nest of sticks, lined with pine 

 needles, in a pine tree, 50 

 feet up. Collector, A. Wil- 

 liams. [ Buff y white. 



[350.] Harpy Eagle. Thras&tos harpyia. 



Range. Tropical America; north casually to the Lower Rio Grande Valley in 

 Texas. This accidental straggler to our borders is the largest and most power- 

 ful bird of prey found in America, often reaching a length of nearly four feet. 

 They nest in the highest trees of the largest forests. 

 [35 I ]. Gray Sea Eagle. Haliseetus albicilla. 



A common species on the sea coasts of Europe; straggling to southern Green- 

 land, where it nests upon the rocky cliffs. 

 352. Bald Eagle. Halixetus leucocephalus. 



Range. Whole of North America; most abundant on the Atlantic coast; 



breeds throughout its range. 

 This large white headed and 

 white tailed species is abun- 

 dant in sufficiently wild lo- 

 calities along the Atlantic 

 coast. It only attains the 

 white head and tail when 

 three years old, the first two 

 years, being blackish. It is 

 about 34 inches in length and 

 expands about seven feet, 

 never over eight feet, and only 

 birds of the second year (when 

 they are larger than the 

 adults) ever approach this 

 expanse. Their food consists 

 offish, (which they sometimes 

 capture themselves, but more 

 often take from the Osprey,) 



[White] carrion, and Ducks which 



they catch in flight. Their 



nests are massive structures of sticks, in the tops of tall trees. They very rarely 

 lay more than two eggs, which are white. Size 2.75 x 2.10. Data. Mt. Pleas- 

 ant, S. C., nest in top of a pine, 105 feet from the ground; made of large sticks 

 and lined with Spanish moss. Two eggs. Collector, Arthur T. Wayne. 

 352a. Alaska Bald Eagle. Hali&etus leucocephalus alascanus. 



Range. Alaska. This sub-species averages slightly larger than the Bald 

 Eagle but never exceeds the largest dimensions of that species. Its nesting 

 habits and eggs are the same, except that it more often builds its nests on rocky 

 cliffs than does the Bald Eagle. The eggs are laid in February and March. 



