DOWNS — -ON LAND BIRDS OF NOVA SCOTIA. 41 



Some years ago, when I lived in town, I kept a pair of these eagles 

 tame in my yard. One day Capt. Sir Richard Grant, E. N., came 

 rushing in, in a great hurry, calling out — "Downs, your eagles 

 are on the house and will get away," as he didn't know it was a 

 common resting place for them. I afterwards gave these eagles to 

 Capt. Dickson, the son of Sir Jeremiah Dickson, who many of you 

 will recollect, and he took them to England with him. The female 

 is extremely savage, for one in my collection when first taken at 

 Tangier seized a child, and had killed several cats belonging to the 

 miners. There is a dispute among naturalists as to whether there 

 be two distinct varieties of this bird. The fact is, that the young 

 birds do not assume the perfect plumage of Avhite head and tail 

 until the third year, and this immature state has no doubt given 

 rise to the supposition. I am quite certain of the fact of the 

 plumage requiring three years to mature, having one in my posses- 

 sion at the present time, which is just assuming the white head. 

 In the month of June, some years ago, when that ardent naturalist 

 the Rev. Mr. Torre, Secretary to Lord Falkland, was here, in com- 

 pany with him I visited the Shubenacadie, collecting specimens. 

 We came upon the nesting place of these birds, situate on the 

 precipitous cliffs beyond the Grand Lake. The young were sitting 

 on the ledges of the rock high up, and screammg vociferously for 

 food, which rendered the solitude of the place doubly felt. 

 Thousands of night hawks were dashing over the river in chase of 

 their insect prey as the sun was setting behind the dense mass of 

 forest in the west, and as the wild notes of the birds echoed from 

 the surrounding rocks, we stayed our paddles to rest for a while, 

 and listen to this charming music of the wilderness. 



OsPREY — (Pandion haliaetus). — This bird is very common on 

 our Atlantic coast, breeding in the vicinity of most harbours. I do 

 not think that he ever troubles the settlers by making raids upon 

 the poultry yards, as he appears to be a worthy inhabitant of 

 Nova Scotia — a pure fisherman. Poising himself for a Avhile in 

 mid-air, he is suddenly seen to dash headlong to the water, and 

 rise immediately with a large fish in his talons. This he carries to 

 his eyrie, generally situated on the topmost branches of a storm- 

 bleached rampike. If I were to state the quantity of sticks of 

 which the nests of this bird is composed, you would surely think 

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