

WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 49 



from various persons of respectability, living on or near our sea- 

 coast; the substance of all these I shall endeavour to incorporate 

 with the present account. 



Mr. John L. Gardiner, who resides on an island of three 

 thousand acres, about three miles from the eastern point of Long 

 island, from which it is separated by Gardiner's bay, and who 

 has consequently many opportunities of observing the habits of 

 these birds, has favoured me with a number of interesting par- 

 ticulars on this subject; for which I beg leave thus publicly to 

 return my grateful acknowledgment. 



" The Bald Eagles," says this gentleman, " remain on this isl- 

 " and during the whole winter. They can be most easily disco v- 

 "ered on evenings by their loud snoring while asleep, on high 

 " oak trees; and when awake, their hearing seems to be nearly 

 " as good as their sight. I think I mentioned to you that I had 

 " myself seen one flying with a lamb ten days old, and which 

 " it dropped on the ground, from about ten or twelve feet high. 

 " The struggling of the lamb, more than its weight, prevented 

 " its carrying it away. My running, hallooing, and being very 

 " near, might prevent its completing its design. It had broke 

 " the back in the act of seizing it; and I was under the necessi- 

 " ty of killing it outright to prevent its misery. The lamb's 

 "dam seemed astonished to see its innocent offspring borne off 

 " into the air by a bird. 



" I was lately told," continues Mr. Gardiner, " by a man of 

 " truth, that he saw an Eagle rob a Hawk of its fish, and the 

 " Hawk seemed so enraged as to fly down at the Eagle, while the 

 " Eagle very deliberately, in the air, threw himself partly over 

 " on his back, and while he grasped with one foot the fish, ex- 

 " tended the other to threaten or seize the Hawk. I have 

 " known several Hawks unite to attack the Eagle; but never 

 " knew a single one to do it. The Eagle seems to regard the 

 " Hawks as the Hawks do the King-birds, only as teasing, 

 " troublesome fellows." 



From the same intelligent and obliging friend, I lately re- 

 ceived a well preserved skin of the Bald Eagle, which, from its 



VOL. i. i i 



