386 LAND-BIRDS. 



Eagle. "Bird of Washington." In some parts of New 

 England not uncommon.* 



a. 30-40 inches long. Tarsus, naked. Dark brown. 

 Head, tail, and tail-coverts, white. Young, with little or no 

 white. 



b. The nest is much like that of the Fish Hawk in every 

 respect. It is often, however, "partly composed of sods, and 

 is commonly built in the top of a dead tree." The eggs, 

 most often two in number, are laid in the early part of spring, 

 or even in winter. They are nearly three inches long, or 

 more, and are impure white or yellowish. 



c. The " Bald " Eagles, unfortunately selected as emblems 

 of their country, are residents, at least in summer, from the 

 Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean. They are common in 

 many parts of northern New England, particularly along the 

 coast of Maine. In Massachusetts, they no longer breed, ex- 

 cept in a few places to the westward ; but they occasionally 

 appear along the shore, even in summer, when they undoubt- 

 edly often wander far in search of food. Wilson's picture of 

 this bird is in spirit one of his finest portrait-paintings from 

 nature; and as his biography is scarcely less admirable, I 

 shall quote several passages from it, adding a few observations 

 not there recorded. 



This bird " has been long known to naturalists, being com- 

 mon to both continents, and occasionally met with from a 

 very high northern latitude, to the borders of the torrid zone, 

 but chiefly in the vicinity of the sea, and along the shores 

 and cliffs of our lakes and large rivers. Formed by nature 

 for braving the severest cold ; feeding equally on the produce 

 of the sea, and of the land ; possessing powers of flight 

 capable of outstripping even the tempests themselves ; unawed 



* The Bald Eagle still breeds quite New England, but is rarely seen in 



commonly along the coast of Maine, winter north of Connecticut. Dur- 



and sparingly (it is said) about some ing the summer months it is common 



of the larger inland lakes and rivers of on Cape Cod and along the Sound in 



northern New England. It is always southern Connecticut, but it does not 



abundant in summer at Lake Umba- appear to have been found nesting 



gog, but I do not think that it now in this region within recent years, 



nests there. It is resident in southern W. B. 



