AQUILA CHRYSAETUS : GOLDEN EAGLE. I3I 



foot or more. North America, rather northerly, in winter south 

 ordinarily to about 35°. 



This great bird is celebrated on a principle well eluci- 

 dated by Mr. Minot, who says : "Size has always a 

 fascination for the world. The young collector prizes a 

 hawk's egg more than that of the rarest warbler. The 

 egg is big, the bird that lays it is big, the nest in which 

 it was laid is big, the tree in which the nest was built is 

 big, and the wood in which the tree grows is big." And 

 so were the exploits of Jack with the bean-stalk. But 

 the Golden Eagle is simply a hawk of unusual dimen- 

 sions, little distinguished from the Rough-legged Buzzard 

 except in size. It is of infrequent and irregular occur- 

 rence throughout New England, nesting anywhere that 

 offers suitable crags for the location of its eyrie, and for the 

 rest roaming about for food like any other bird of prey. 



In Mr. Allen's report of 1878, the cases recorded 

 from Massachusetts are Monson, November, 1864; 

 Deerfield, December 14, 1865 ; Westfield, three speci- 

 mens, 1866; and Fairhaven, November 21, 1873. "Dr. 

 Wm. Wood has seen them near Hartford, Connecticut ; 

 while in that same State specimens have been taken by 

 Mr. J. N. Clark, Saybrook ; and by Mr. Henry Flint, at 

 Deep River. Mr. Hiram Cutting informs us that it is 

 not a scarce bird in Vermont, where he has found its 

 nest, and several times secured the young. Dr. Coues 

 has given the following description of the eggs : — " Dr. 

 Brewer gives it as breeding in the mountainous portions 

 of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, and New York, 

 particularly instancing a nest at Franconia, New Hamp- 

 shire, which was resorted to for several successive years. 

 But its nidiiication is usually in such inaccessible 

 situations, even when not in the most remote and unin- 



