WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 167 



fore the parents drive them off from the nest, they are fully fledged. As 

 a figure of the Young White-headed Eagle will appear in the course of 

 the pubhcation of my Illustrations, I shall not here trouble you with a 

 description of its appearance. I once caught three young Eagles of this 

 species, when fully fledged, by having the tree on which their nest was, 

 cut down. It caused great trouble to secure them, as they could fly and 

 scramble much faster than any of our party could run. They, however, 

 gradually became fatigued, and at length were so exhausted as to ofi"er 

 no resistance, when we were securing them with cords. This happened 

 on the border of Lake Pontchartrain, in the month of April. The 

 parents did not think fit to come within gun-shot of the tree while the 

 axe was at work. 



The attachment of the parents to the young is very great, when the 

 latter are yet of a small size ; and to ascend to the nest at this time would 

 be dangerous. , But as the young advance, and, after being able to take 

 wing and provide for themselves, are not disposed to fly oW, the old birds 

 turn them out, and beat them away from them. They return to the nest, 

 however, to roost, or sleep on the branches immediately near it, for several 

 weeks after. They are fed most abundantly while under the care of the 

 parents, which procure for them ample supplies of fish, either accidentally 

 cast ashore, or taken from the Fish-Hawk, together with rabbits, squir- 

 rels, young lambs, pigs, oppossums, or raccoons. Every thing that 

 comes in the way is relished by the young family, as by the old birds. 



The young birds begin to breed the following spring, not always in pairs 

 of the same age, as I have several times observed one of these birds in brown 

 plumage mated with a fuU-coloured bird, which had the head and tail 

 pure white. I once shot a pair of this kind, Avhen the brown bird (the 

 young one) proved to be the female. 



This species requires at least four years before it attains the full 

 beauty of its plumage when kept in confinement. I have known two in- 

 stances in which the white of the head did not make its appearance until 

 the sixth spring. It is impossible for me to say how much sooner this 

 state of perfection is attained, when the bird is at full liberty, although I 

 should suppose it to be at least one year, as the bird is capable of breed- 

 ing the first spring after birth. 



The weight of Eagles of this species varies considerably. In the 

 males, it is from six to eight pounds, and in the females from eight to 

 twelve. These birds are so attached to particular districts, where they 



