134 BIRDS OF PENNSYLVANIA. 



several years kept one in his yard. This bird, in consequence of a grin- 

 shot wound in the wing, was unable to fly off. All the yard situated to 

 the north and east of the house was known as Nero's (bird's name) do- 

 main. Along- the walk leading to my office was his perch, a dead tree 

 stump some eight feet high. When satiated with food he would sit 

 there for hours at a time. If at any time during the day a cat or do- 

 mestic fowl happened to enter his ground, it had to make a speedy 

 departure or be killed. The latter was mostly the case, for Nero seldom 

 " went for " anything without his capturing it. When I neglected to 

 give him his daily allowance (two pounds meat), as was sometimes the case, 

 he wandered about the yard uttering a ventriloquial, gutteral sound, 

 which had the effect of bringing around him birds and chickens. Occa- 

 sionally the former, and invariably the latter, would be killed. Towards 

 people other than myself he displayed great animosity, this being par- 

 ticularly the case with children and timorous individuals. One day 

 Joshua Hoopes, a school teacher at that time, brought a party of his 

 boys to see the bird, and I noticed one of their number, a puny and 

 delicate lad, the eagle continually eyed and several times endeavored to 

 make at him. Towards a female domestic, who had annoyed him by 

 throwing water on him and poking at him with a stick, he showed great 

 antipathy ; we were eventually obliged, for her personal safety and our 

 own convenience, to discharge the girl, as she could not go into the 

 yard without being attacked. An Irishman one day slyly entered the 

 yard, but in crossing Nero's province he was set upon by the bird. In 

 the fleshy part of the man's thigh he imbedded his talons, and it was 

 with considerable difficulty his hold was loosened. Erin's son declared 

 that " Niver before in his howl life had he seed sich a divil," and that 

 nothing short of the eagle's life could appease for his injuries. Exami- 

 nation showed that although there were ugly flesh wounds, nothing of a 

 serious nature would follow. This information being imparted, and a 

 two dollar bill tendered to the Irishman, his sufferings were much re- 

 lieved. He stated that although he looked upon the " critter" as a " bold, 

 bad burd," still he deemed him a fit subject to "kape frum " any intrusion 

 in the back yard, and that in the future, whenever he had any business 

 with Bridget, he would enter the front gate and make known his wants 

 at the front door. The strongest and largest torn cat he could manage 

 with ease. When anyone had a specially objectionable cat which they 

 wanted disposed of, they would bag it up and bring it to the eagle. As 

 soon as he saw the bag now the bird, which an instant before sat 

 moping, ruffed-feathered and seemingly half dead, suddenly, as if by 

 magic, changed, as it were, into a new being; body erect, feathers close 

 to the body, tail expanded, the sunken eyes with ten-fold increased lustre, 

 followed with argus gaze every motion of the bag and occupant ; soon 

 as grimalkin was liberated the eagle swooped down and grasped it. If 

 the cat was of ordinary size, Nero displayed little concern in dis- 



