226 lawson's history 



As the eagle is reckoned the king of birds, I 

 have begun with him. The first I shall speak of, 

 is the bald eagle ; so called, because his head to 

 the middle of his neck and his tail, is as white as 

 snow. These birds continually breed the year 

 3'ound; for when the young eagles are just down- 

 ed, with a sort of white woolly feathers, the hen 

 eagle lays again, which eggs are hatched by the 

 warmth of the young ones in the nest, so that the 

 flight of one brood makes room for the next, that 

 are but just hatched. They prey on any living 

 thing they can catch. They are heavy of flight 

 and cannot get their food by swiftness. To help 

 which there is a fishhawk that catches fishes and 

 suflers the eagle to take them from her, although 

 she is long winged and a swift flyer, and can make 

 far better way in her flight than the eagle can. 

 The bald eagle attends the gunners in winter, 

 with all the obsequiousness imaginable, and when 

 he shoots and kills any fowl, the eagle surely 

 comes in for his bird ; and besides those that are 

 wounded and escape the fowler, fall to the eagle's 

 share. He is an excellent artist at stealing young 

 pigs, which prey he carries alive to his nest, at 

 which time the poor pig makes such a noise over 

 head, that strangers that have heard them cry, and 

 not seen the bird and- his prey, have thought there 

 were flying sows and pigs in that country. The 

 eagles nest is made of twigs, sticks and rubbish. 

 It is big enough to fill a handsome cart body, and 

 commonly so full of nasty bones and carcasses 



