26 cassell's book of birds. 



like scream of a yet distant but approaching swan is heard. A shriek from the female Eagle comes 

 across the stream, for she is fully as alert as her mate. The latter suddenly shakes himself, and with 

 a few touches of his beak arranges his plumage. The snow-white bird is now in sight, her long neck 

 is stretched forward, her eye is on the watch, vigilant as that of her enemy ; she approaches, however, 

 and the Eagle has marked her for his prey. As the Swan is passing the dreaded pair, the male Eagle 

 starts from his perch with an awful scream, that to the Swan's ear brings more terror than the report of 

 a gun. Now is the moment to witness the Eagle's powers : he glides through the air like a falling 

 star, and comes upon the timorous quarry, which, in an agony of despair, seeks by various manoeuvres 

 to elude the grasp of his cruel talons. It mounts, it doubles, and willingly would plunge into the 

 stream, were it not prevented by the Eagle, which — long possessed of the knowledge that by such a 

 stratagem the Swan might escape him — forces it to remain in the air, by attempting to strike it with 

 his talons from beneath. The poor Swan has now become much exhausted, and its strength fails it ; 

 it is almost at its last gasp, when its ferocious pursuer strikes with its claws the under side of its wing, 

 and, with irresistible power, forces the bird to fall in a slanting direction upon the nearest shore. And 

 now the Eagle presses down his powerful feet, and drives his talons deep into the heart of the dying 

 Swan ; he shrieks with delight as he feels the last convulsions of his prey, and the female, who has 

 watched every movement of her mate, now sails to the spot to participate in the gory banquet." 



Space will not allow us to quote Audubon's description at greater length, and we must, therefore, 

 endeavour to give particulars of the habits of the Sea Eagles in as few words as possible. All the various 

 species of these birds pass their entire lives upon or in the immediate vicinity of the sea-coast, only 

 ranging further inland during the time that elapses between leaving the nest and choosing a mate. As 

 far as we can ascertain it is an extremely rare occurrence to find a pair of Sea Eagles building upon 

 forest trees, even when the latter are situated in well-watered districts, if at any great distance from the 

 sea-coast. Except during the breeding time they are social, and pass the night together, selecting 

 trees, rocks, or, when the weather is warm, small islands as their resting-places. At the first dawn of 

 day the whole party is astir, and hastens at once in pursuit of food, usually preferring such prey as 

 Ducks, Auks, fish, or the smaller Cetaceans. Homeyer mentions having seen these bold and powerful 

 birds overcome a fox, in spite of the cunning usually displayed by the Wary quadruped in eluding 

 danger. Sheep and goats are frequently destroyed. The Sea Eagles dive deep into the water to 

 obtain fish, seize young dog-fishes as they swim close to the mother's side, and have been known even 

 to carry off children. In Kamschatka it is not uncommon for these tyrants of the coast to be drawn 

 under water and drowned, whilst contending with a dolphin or sturgeon ; Lenz mentions having seen 

 a Sea Eagle on one occasion seize One of the latter, which was too heavy to be raised from the water j 

 all endeavours of the sturgeon to drag its enemy beneath the waves proved fruitless ; the bird would 

 not relinquish its hold, and both floated along together, presenting the appearance of a skiff in full 

 sail. At last some men, who had been attracted by so strange a sight, came up to the struggling 

 combatants in a boat, and succeeded in capturing them both. 



In comparison with the flight of the True Eagle, the movements of the Haliaetos in the air are 

 slow and heavy; upon the ground, however, it moves with great facility, and can dive to a certain depth. 

 In the development of its senses it is not inferior to its more noble relatives, but, unlike them, 

 combines so much cruelty and rapacity with its courage as to deprive its disposition of that majesty 

 popularly attributed to the King of Birds. The breeding season commences about March, and though 

 each male has but one mate during its entire life, many and frequent are the battles that arise about 

 the possession of these often very hardly-earned partners. Count YVodzicki gives an interesting 

 account of the pertinacity and fury with which these disputes are sometimes carried on. Two male 

 Eagles, he tells us, that came under his own observation, fought almost incessantly, falling upon each 



