June 1887.] 



AND OOLOGIST. 



87 



in her bill and depositing it on the old nest. I 

 visited tliis nest again on Marcli IGth, but it liad 

 apparently been forsalien. 



I hunted till March 11th, before I obtained 

 my first set of Golden Eagle's eggs. I had 

 been watching a pair of eagles all the morning 

 with my glass, and had walked till I felt tired. 

 While sitting under a tree I saw an eagle going 

 through the diving process ; which consists of 

 a series of downward pitches with the wings 

 closed, to be then suddenly opened and slioot 

 upward. This seems to be an act of joy, as 

 they frequently utter their musical cry just be- 

 fore or after this process. I have noticed that 

 this act is conmiitted just after the female leaves 

 the nest or just before she goes on. Going 

 over the next ridge I saw the female go through 

 the same operation, and then swoop down and 

 light in an oak tree. With the aid of my glass 

 I could see her on the nest. She flew oft" when 

 I got within a hundred yards, and left me to 

 mj' own investigations. After climbing to the 

 nest, which was very small, (not larger than 

 an old Red-tail Hawk's nest), I saw it contained 

 two nice eggs, which I lowered to the ground 

 in my handkerchief; and then measuring the 

 string I found the nest was forty-five feet in 

 height from the ground. It was composed of 

 large sticks, with a lining of dried grass, green 

 twigs and a few feathers. This was the most 

 shapely and compact nest I have ever seen that 

 was built by a Golden Eagle. The eggs were 

 of the usual shape, and the markings on each 

 were quite difterent. One egg is quite light, 

 having a white ground color covered with thick 

 lilac spots and blotches, with onlj^ a few blotch- 

 es of dull reddish brown near the smaller end. 

 The other is apparently free from any lilac 

 markings, but is thickly covered with reddish 

 brown spots, being confluent on the smaller end 

 in one mass of reddish brown. This set of eggs 

 was slightly incubated. 



On March loth, having been down the coun- 

 try a long distance, and finding nothing, I con- 

 cluded to return by waj^ of Tres Pinos and 

 take one more trip to Santa Anna foot hills and 

 vicinit}-. On the 16th I went for an all-day's 

 walk over the rough country near Santa Anna 

 Peak, and after walking till neaih' night I 

 noticed an eagle fly from a steep hill that had 

 a few live oak trees growing from its side. I 

 looked it over with my glass and found a bunch 

 that looked familiar; and while going to it, and 

 very near it, the eagle flew from the nest. 

 This was in a live oak tree and was much 

 larger than the first nest I found. The eggs of 

 this set were quite different from one another. 



one being lightly, and the other darkly marked. 

 This set was sliglitly incubated. 



With two sets of eggs I determined to go 

 home, and starting in the evening I walked 

 to an old barn and took possession, for I pre- 

 ferred to be under cover the way the weather 

 looked. 



Next moining l)y ci'ossing the San Benito 

 River I headed for the Gabilan Mountains. 

 After walking all the morning I was surprised 

 to hear an eagle cry, and 1 quickly got out my 

 glass. Resting it over a convenient post I lo- 

 cated him in the top of a live oak tree, where I 

 could see his head sticking out among the leaves. 

 After he had screamed once or twice he raised 

 his wings and flew away over the ridge. After 

 looking at all the principal trees I decided the 

 nest must be in a big live oak tree on the north 

 slope of the hill ; and after looking in most of 

 the other trees 1 came to the right one, and 

 saw the nest in a crotch by the side of the main 

 trunk of the tree. It was completely hidden 

 from outside view by the thick foliage of the 

 tree. Rapping on the tree with my hatchet the 

 female flew from the nest. Having climbed to 

 the nest I was astonished, for before me lay 

 two white eggs. Never having seen or heard 

 of a Golden Eagle laying white eggs, I thought 

 I had a great curiosity. This nest was forty- 

 two feet from the ground, and was of lai-ge size 

 and composed of sticks, dried grass and a few 

 feathers, but no green twigs. This set of eggs 

 was slightly more incubated than the others I 

 found. One ef!;g is pure white while the other 

 has a few reddish brown markings on the 

 smaller end. While sitting under the tree 

 blowing the eggs, the old bird returned and 

 lit over my head near the nest, and I had a fine 

 view of one of our noblest birds. No bird to 

 my mind can excel the Golden Eagle in dignity 

 while perching, or in graceful motions while on 

 the wing; now sweeping in graceful motions 

 round and round, higher and higher until lost 

 in the canopy of Heaven, and again with slow 

 and steady beat crossing from peak to peak, he 

 alights on some high crag and sweeps the val- 

 ley with his fearless eye. 



When I arose from the ground she flew away, 

 and I made my way to the old historic town 

 of San Juan, and went to the village black- 

 smith and at once set him at work on a rock 

 drill. 



Heie I met with fun. The day being cloudy 

 and foggy most of the Mexican and white pop- 

 ulation of the sleepy old town were in and near 

 the shop, and of course, I being a complete 

 stranger, and with nearlv all the tools of a 



