WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 323 



prospect, I attempted to descend but, to my astonishment, this was not an easy task as I 

 coujd not see the limb by which I had ascended, for it was a mere stub and did not pro- 

 ject above the edge of the nest which was, at least, four feet thick. I was alone, my men 

 having gone to the yacht which was riding at anchor some two miles away, and I began 

 to think that I was effectually caged and that I should be obliged to throw down a greater 

 part of the nest in order to reach the limb, and indeed, had began to do this, when I unex- 

 pectedly came across it, swung myself over the edge, and was soon on the solid ground. 

 This last nest which I have described, was not over thirty feet in air and I have seen them 

 built even lower on the isolated keys of which I have been speaking. 



These Eagles teed largely upon fish which they sometimes procure by robbing the 

 Osprey but they often capture it for themselves by diving into the water. They will take 

 wounded Ducks, and I once saw one swoop down and carry away a Buffle Head which I 

 had just shot and which was lying on the water only a few yards distant. 



While encamped on a small island in the Gulf of Mexico, near the mouth of the Su- 

 wannee River, I heard, one morning, aloud squealing among the half-wild hogs, of which 

 there was an abundance in the place and, taking my rifle, went out to ascertain the cause 

 of the commotion. I found that three Eagles were attacking the newly born progeny of 

 an old sow and she was endeavoring to defend them. The little grunters, of which there 

 were several, had taken refuge under the top of a fallen tree which, however, only afforded 

 them partial protection; thus the Eagles could see them and, tempted by the dainty titbits, 

 would swoop downward and endeavor to grasp the little black and white pigs in their tal- 

 ons but were constantly repulsed by the anxious mother who bravely defended her offspring, 

 at the same time giving vent to some of the most ear-splitting squeals that ever a distressed 

 hog uttered. I do not know how the strife would have ended, had I not interfered with 

 my ritle so effectually that two Eagles lay dead upon the ground and the third flew away 

 badly frightened. The Bald-headed Eagles, as they are sometimes called, breed in the 

 North late in February and on Grand Menan, where they sometimes nest on rocky cliffs, 

 during the first two weeks in March. 



FAMILY VII. PANDIONID^;. THE OSPREYS. 



Sternum, about twice as long as wide, but not exceeding in width the length of the coracoids, 

 and the scapular process of the latter does not meet the furcula. Marginal indentations, two, 

 not inclosed. 



This family, in our section, is represented by a single genus. The lower anterior sur- 

 face is densely covered with feathers. The nianubrium is small, abruptly truncated, and 

 not forked. The furcula is stout, much flattened by lateral expansion near the base which 

 is moderately wide and produced downward into a very long point, but toward the middle, 

 the bone becomes rounded and the terminal expansion is quite prominent; while the fur- 

 cula near it is slightly contracted but not furrowed above and is bent downward until it 

 closely approximates the manubrium. The bill is stong, well-curved, with the cutting 

 edge of upper mandible nearly straight. The tarsus is short, thick, only slightly feathered 



