WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 51 



and make way for their master, waiting his departure in sullen 

 silence, and at a respectful distance, on the adjacent trees. 



In one of those partial migrations of tree squirrels, that some- 

 times take place in our western forests, many thousands of them 

 were drowned in attempting to cross the Ohio; and at a certain 

 place, not far from Wheeling, a prodigious number of their dead 

 bodies were floated to the shore by an eddy. Here the Vul- 

 tures assembled in great force, and had regaled themselves for 

 some time, when a Bald Eagle made his appearance, and took 

 sole possession of the premises, keeping the whole Vultures at 

 their proper distance, for several days. He has also been seen 

 navigating the same river on a floating carrion, though scarce- 

 ly raised above the surface of the water, and tugging at the car- 

 cass, regardless of snags, sawyers, planters or shallows. He 

 sometimes carries his tyranny to great extremes against the 

 Vultures. In hard times, when food happens to be scarce, 

 should he accidentally meet with one of these who has its craw 

 crammed with carrion, he attacks it fiercely in air; the coward- 

 ly Vulture instantly disgorges, and the delicious contents are 

 snatched up by the Eagle before they reach the ground. 



The nest of this species is generaily fixed on a very large 

 and lofty tree, often in a swamp, or morass, and difficult to be 

 ascended. On some noted tree of this description, often a pine 

 or cypress, the Bald Eagle builds, year after year, for a long se- 

 ries of years. When both male and female have been shot from 

 the nest, another pair has soon after taken possession. The 

 nest is large, being added to, and repaired, every season, Until 

 it becomes a black prominent mass, observable at a considera- 

 ble distance. It is formed of large sticks, sods, earthy rubbish, 

 hay, moss, &c. Many have stated to me that the female lays 

 first a single egg, and that after having sat on it for some time, 

 she lays another; when the first is hatched, the warmth of that, 

 it is pretended, hatches the other. Whether this be correct or 

 not I cannot determine; but a very respectable gentleman of 

 Virginia assured me, that he saw a large tree cut down, con- 

 taining the nest of a Bald Eagle, in which were two young, one 



