BAl.D, OR WHITE-HEADED EAGLB.—HaUaetus Leucociphalus. 



unfledged, and will not forsake tliem, even if the tree on which they rest be enveloped 

 in flames. 



How the Bald Eagle takes advantage of the fishing talents of the osprey has already 

 been duly related. The Eagle is, in truth, no very great fisher, but is very fond of fish, and 

 finds that the easiest mode of obtaining the desired dainty is to rob them who are better 

 qualified than himself for the sport. He is capable of catching fish, it is true, but he does 

 it in a very awkward manner, wading into the shallows like a heron, and snatching suddenly 

 at any of the finny tribe that may be passing in his direction. This predatory propensity 

 aroused the wrath of Benjamin Franklin, who objected strongly to the employment of 

 the Bald Eagle as the type of the American nation, urging, as his grounds for opposition, 

 that it is " a bird of bad moral character, and does not get his living honestly." 



The Bald Eagle is very accommodating in his appetite, and will eat almost anything that 

 has ever possessed animal life. He is by no means averse to carrion, and has been seen 

 seated regally upon a dead horse, keeping at a distance a horde of vultures which were 

 collected round >h^ carcass, and not permitting them to approach until he had gorged 

 himself to the full. Another individual was seen by Wilson in a similar state of thincrs. 



