THE O. & O. SEMI-ANNUAL. 17 
THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 
Aguila Chrysaetos. 
BY GEO. F. BRENINGER, FORT COLLINS, COLORADO. 
Confining myself in the writing of this article exclusively to 
the distribution and nesting of the Golden Eagle (Aguila chry- 
saetos) and such notes that may seem proper in the article in con- 
nection with the bird, I shall endeavor to place before the reader 
as complete a history of this noble bird as is in my power. 
Larimer County contains 4000 square miles. The north-eastern 
portion is made up entirely of barren plains, with irregular out- 
croppings of sand stone that form what is known as ‘‘Chalk 
Bluffs,” ‘*Twin Buttes,” while smaller ones have no particular 
name at all. Here and there dry creeks are encountered that 
carry water only in times of heavy rainfall. At other seasons 
they are perfectly dry. The south-eastern portion is the fertile 
‘*Cache la poudre” valley, covered with farms, pastures, etc. The 
greatest part is mountainous, and by going up some little hill on 
the plains, one can see the Snowy Range and Long’s Peak, white 
with snow in mid-summer. Across this lofty range of mountains 
we find we still have a whole country by itself, nestled down be- 
tween the Medicine Bow and Rabbit Ear range of mountains. 
This also is a portion of Larimer County. This is North Park, 
gooo feet above sea level. 
Over this whole tract of country we meet with the eagle. 
Chalk Bluffs is a noted place for them and for many years eagles 
have lived there and reared their young in peace. I was pointed 
to a high rock that still bears the name of ‘‘Eagle Rock.” The 
eagle that inhabits the plains when the month of March ap- 
proaches, is forced to look up as good a nesting site as the coun- 
try will afford. Often an eagle will locate its nest upon a low 
strata of rocks, within reach of the ground. Those that inhabit 
the mountains find a place more difficult. 
From my present observations I can safely say that there is not 
‘less than 25 inhabited nests in this one county. I might cite a 
hundred cases of my encounters with them, one time in particular 
