258 WILD SCENES AND SONG BIRDS. 



wings to conquest. He has found, too, that in choice of lo- 

 calities, its individualities are strongly expressed. 



Its home is among the mountains, and it loveth most "the 

 shadow of a great rock ;" not in the United States only, but 

 over nearly the whole world its occasional presence makes a 

 feature of the most savage desolations. It builds its great 

 nest of heaped-up boughs and brambles high upon the inac- 

 cessible crag-side, overlooking some wide valley, and perched 

 upon the pinnacle-rocks above, its wonderful eye glancing 

 over all beneath detects its prey at immense distances. This 

 keenness of vision compensates beautifully for the want of 

 sufficient power of flight to enable it, like the White-headed 

 Eagles, or even falcons, to overtake its prey on the wing by 

 sheer speed. It takes advantage of the momentum gained 

 by a descent through the air. 



Selecting habitually a lofty perch, or sailing slowly at a 

 great height among the clouds, this power of sight reveals to 

 it even the small objects below. When the lamb, the fawn, 

 the hare, or wild turkey appears, one of these, it pauses in 

 its flight, immediately over for an instant, seemingly to 

 steady its unerring aim, and then with wings half closed and 

 outspread tail, falls with the swiftness of a meteor upon the 

 victim. 



Now let us see in direct contrast with much of this, the 

 habits of the White-headed Eagle, which the naturalist has 

 found to be a low-land bird, in choice of localities, though 

 the loftiest-flighted hunter that wears wings. It loves rather 

 the valleys along the courses of our great rivers, the shores 

 of lakes, estuaries and the sea. Its nest is on some lofty tree, 

 instead of a mountain crag. It pursues its prey up and 

 through the air instead of descending upon it. In the daring 

 confidence of its unequalled flight, it asserts sole empire in 

 that element, overtaking all or any of its denizens with ease. 



A characteristic scene is thus described in the Biography 

 of Birds. Audubon, the Art-Naturalist, says: "Permit me 

 to place you on the Mississippi, on which you may float 



