60 BIRDS OF PREY 



titled to protection. A Duck Hawk has no red nor decided 

 brown upon it anywhere. In general effect it is a dull black 

 bird with a white breast and throat, and white abdomen cross- 

 barred with black. It inhabits all of America north of Chili. 



The time was when the BALD EAGLE/ or WHITE-HEADED 

 EAGLE, was known to every human being within the limits of 

 the United States. To-day there are probably two million 

 men in this country, speaking foreign languages only, but 

 voting regularly and persistently, who do not know an Eagle 

 from a parrot, nor the number of stripes there are in Old Glory. 

 It is related by a reliable eye-witness that when an escaped 

 parrot recently perched in one of the trees of City Hall Square, 

 New York City, a dispute as to its identity was ended satisfac- 

 torily by some who oracularly pronounced it an "eagle bird." 



But, no matter how many persons there are in this coun- 

 try who do not know our national bird, I will not humiliate 

 "Old Baldy" by formally introducing him. To every in- 

 telligent American, the perfect bird, with its snow-white head, 

 neck and tail, is recognizable at a distance of a mile or more. 

 To see one perching on the topmost branch of a dead tree, 

 overlooking a water prospect, with its snowy head shining 

 in the sunlight like frosted silver, is enough to thrill any be- 

 holder. Even when in flight an eagle can be distinguished 

 from all other birds by its slow and powerful wing-strokes, 

 and the great breadth of its wings, especially near their ex- 

 tremities. 



It is unfortunate that this Eagle does not acquire its white 



1 Hal-i-ae-e'tus leu-co-ceph'a-lus. Average length of male, about 34 inches; 

 female, 38 inches; spread of wings, from 7 to 8 feet. 



