24 Travels in a Tree- top 



morning the male bird came to camp, as if 

 to inspect my nest, thinking I was not up, 

 and he expressed his favorable opinion in 

 most glowing terms. A pair of doves, too, 

 had a nest in sight, and their melancholy coo- 

 ing seemed out of tune here, where Nature 

 had done her work so well. Once, at least, 

 while I was there, the bald eagle came for a 

 few moments, and, big bird as he is, was not 

 conspicuous, and had not a flash of sunlight 

 fallen upon his yellow beak and white head, 

 I should not have been aware of his presence, 

 as he certainly was not of mine. What I 

 took to be a duck-hawk, a few days later, in- 

 terested me much more. He was a splendid 

 bird, and tarried but a short time. The 

 leaves so concealed him that I was not sure, 

 having no field-glass at the time, but do not 

 think I was mistaken. The eagle did not 

 appear to disturb the fish-hawk's temper in 

 the least, but the great hawk did, and he 

 was much excited until the bird disappeared 

 in the steam and smoke that as a great cloud 

 rested above Baltimore. 



The birds of this retired spot may be 

 divided into two classes, those of the oak 

 and of the sproutland growths about it, and 



