BIRDS OF KANSAS 105 



bushes, grapevines, and on the lower branches of trees, 

 from five to fifteen feet from the ground. The males as- 

 sist in hatching and rearing the young, and are fully as 

 attentive as the females. They are said to occasionally lay 

 eggs in the nests of other birds, but I think such cases 

 exceptional, for they are too devoted parents to leave 

 unless by accident the rearing of their young to others. 

 In this respect they differ from their cousins the European 

 Cuckoos, that are polygamous, and exhibit no paternal 

 affection for their young. 



The birds occasionally lay and sit at the same time, and 

 it is not an unusual occurrence to find eggs and young 

 birds of different ages in the same nest ; but as a rule they 

 lay, and hatch at one sitting, from three to five eggs, 

 1.25x.90; light bluish green; in form, rather elliptical. 



XXXI. BALD EAGLE. 



Haliaeetus leucocephalus (LiNN.). 



Kesident ; rare ; not uncommon in winter. Begin lay- 

 ing about the middle of March. 



HABITAT. The whole of North America ; north to 

 Greenland, and west across the Aleutian chain to Com- 

 mander Islands, Kamtchatka. 



Iris grayish white, tinged with yellow ; bill and cere 

 light yellow; legs and feet brownish to lemon yellow. 



This national bird is quite common along the seacoast 

 and rivers within the United States, and northward. In 

 build and habits it is closely allied to the Buteo family, 

 and has none of the daring dash of the Accipiter or Falcon 

 tribes, and lacks the courage of the Golden Eagle. If the 

 founders of our nation had known the habits of this scav- 



