FALCO^ilDJi — THE FALCONS. 333 



fiisteiied round his body, to a lieight where the l)rauohes of the tree rendered 

 the renminiler of the ascent coini)aratively easy. While he was asceniliug, 

 we observed several Eagles ilying over our lieads, but at a great heiglit. One 

 only ai)proached us ; but, as soon as we were noticed, the bird made a precip- 

 itate retreat. It was apparently conveying food to the nest, and was not at 

 first aware of our presence ; after which it hovered .'. distance, uttering 

 hoarse, disagreeable cries of disjdeasure, not uidike the imperfect barking of a 

 dog. No attempt was made to molest or interrujit the man as he ascended 

 to, or after he had reached, the nest. We found, when he had climbed to 

 the nest, that the female had been sitting upon it all the wiiile, and only left 

 when the unwelcome caller was near enough to have reached lier witii his 

 hands. She too Hew over the man's head in somewhat close ])ro.\imity, utter- 

 ing fretjuent cries of distress, but maile no eflbrt whatever to attack lam. 



Tiie nest was found to contain no egg, and but a single l)ird, apparently 

 about a fortnigiit old. It was some six or seven inches in length, its weight 

 between one and two ])ounds, and its head ami claws disproportionately 

 large. It was covered uniformly with a thick, clo.se, and soft downy ])lum- 

 age, whicli was of a clean dei;]) straw-c(jlor. There was not tlie least admix- 

 ture of gray or brown. Tiie y<Hing bird was completely heljjless, and uttered 

 almost constant cries for food. It ate readily whenever (ish or meat was 

 oll'ered it, but was unable to support itself upon its legs. It was taken to 

 my host's house, where it was well cared for, and for a while, with careful 

 attention, it did well and grew apace, manifesting a most inordinate and 

 insatial)le ai>i)etite. 



Tiie nest was described to me by my assistant as a platform between iive 

 and si.K feet in diameter, and at least four in thickness. It was constructed 

 of regular layers of large sticks, each several feet in length, gnd from an inch 

 to an inch and a half in thiclAiess. Its surface was jierfectly Hat, and was 

 " finished off," to use his expression, with tufts of grass, dry leaves, mosses, 

 lichens, small twigs, etc., etc. He found in it, by the side of the young 

 Kagle, four or five large eels, each of which was about two feet in length, 

 showing that the parent birds provide liberally for their own wants and 

 those of their young. 



Estimating the age of the young Eagle at ten days, and allowing four 

 weeks for incubation, and at least one week's interval between the deposition 

 and the commencement of the parent bird's sitting upon it, we have very 

 nearly the exact period at which the egg was laid, March 1?>. 



Tills occurred at the coldest ])eriod of the season, when the ground was 

 covered with snow to an unusual depth, and wlu'ii the thermometer indi- 

 cated a temperature at that time fre([uently as low as 1;"° below zero. 



The nest is usually of great size, composed of sticks from tliree to five feet 

 in length, pieces of turf, weeds, and moss. Its diameter is about five feet, 

 and its depth is not unfrequently as great. In tlie wanner localities, where 

 it breeds, the pair usually frequent the same nest throughout the year, and 



