NORTH AMERICAN BIRD S. 



217 



color, in certain lights, is of a golden-brown. It 

 is known to breed in mountainous portions of 

 Northern New England and New York. In the 

 Anderson River region Mr. MacFarlane found the 

 Golden Eagle nesting as early as the last of 

 April, and eggs containing large embryos were 

 taken May 27. The bird is quite common in the 

 mountainous regions of California. The nests 

 are built usually on inaccessible rocks, and 

 sometimes in trees, and two or three eggs are 

 laid, generally two. Throughout California the 

 Golden Eagle seems to nest in trees by prefer- 

 ence. Mr. Samuel C. Evans found it breeding 

 in March, in the wild, rugged mountains of 

 Santa Clara county, in the vicinity of ML Day; 

 the nests were placed in sycamores, pines and 

 oaks one in a large pine tree which overhung a 

 deep and rocky canon. Mr. Norris has a set of 

 two eggs which was taken February 26, 1886, 

 hear Tres Pinos, California, from a nest built in 

 a solitary live oak standing in a wheat field, on 

 the side of a gulch. This nest was very large, 

 nearly four feet in depth and five feet in diam- 

 eter; it was composed of sticks and lined 

 with straw stubble, green grass and twigs 

 in leaf. The eggs are whitish, heavily 

 blotched with chestnut, and pale lavender 

 under-shell markings; sizes, 2.86x2.21, 2.89x 

 2.29. Mr. J. R. Chalker, in the seasons 



of 1886-7-8, collected ten sets of the eggs of this bird in San Benito county, California, 

 nearly all of which were taken from nests placed in trees. The first set was found 

 February 26, and the others at various dates in the month of March. Two eggs was 

 the usual number laid, and one set of three was taken. A nest in a lofty red-wood 

 tree, ninety-four feet from the ground, is described as being made of large sticks, 

 lined with red-wood twigs and straw-stubble. Nests were also found placed on al- 

 most inaccessible cliffs. The eggs in colors varied from white, unmarked, to faintly 

 and heavi-ly marked specimens. One set was found which was densely blotched with 

 reddish-brown all over. Maj. Bendire gives the average measurements of twenty- 

 eight specimens taken in California as 2.95x2.28. Mr. C. W. Crandall's oological col- 

 lection contains no less than a series of over sixty eggs of the Golden Eagle. Many 

 of these were taken by Mr. Chalker and among these is a set containing the number 

 of three. These are beautifully marked over a whitish ground with heavy blotches, 

 spots and specks of chestnut, lavender, grayish and purplish brown and sienna 

 varying in degrees of intensity in each egg, but these are always more abundant 

 and heaviest at the large ends. Their sizes are 2.97x2.37, 2.96x2.27, 2.95x2.40 inches. 

 They were collected March 4, 1889, in San Benito county, Cal. The nest was situated 

 t>n a cliff and had been used for years, this ,year being lined with a little straw. 

 Mr. Crandall states that all of his Golden Eagle eggs are heavily marked, which we 

 believe is not generally the rule with this species. He gives the measurement of 

 thirty-seven eggs as 2.91x2.32 inches. 



349. GOLDEN EAGLE (After Fisher). 



