THE EAGLE. 77 



Nor is the Bald Eagle, which is an inhabitant 

 of North Carolina, less remarkable for habits pe- 

 culiar to itself. These birds breed in that coun- 

 try all the year round. When the eaglets are 

 just covered with down, and a sort of white woolly 

 feathers, the female eagle lays again. These eggs 

 are left to be hatched by the warmth of the young 

 ones that continue in the nest ; so that the flight 

 of one brood makes room for the next, that are 

 but just hatched. These birds fly very heavily ; 

 so that they cannot overtake their prey, like 

 others of the same denomination. To remedy 

 this, they often attend a sort of fishing-hawk, 

 which they pursue, and strip the plunderer of its 

 prey. This is the more remarkable, as this hawk 

 flies swifter than they. These eagles also gene- 

 rally attend upon fowlers in the winter; and 

 when any birds are wounded, they are sure to be 

 seized by the eagle, though they may fly from 

 the fowler. This bird will often also steal young 

 pigs, and carry them alive to the nest, which is 

 composed of twigs, sticks, and rubbish : it is large 

 enough to fill the body of a cart ; and is com- 

 monly full of bones half eaten, and putrid flesh, 

 the stench of which is intolerable. 



The distinctive marks of each species are as 

 follow. 



The golden eagle : of a tawny iron colour ; the 

 head and neck of a reddish iron ; the tail feathers 

 of a dirty white, marked with cross bands of 

 tawny iron; the legs covered with tawny iron 

 feathers. 



