ON ORNITHOLOGY. 449 
I never had an opportunity of observing a sitting female. 
The hen bird passes the night in her nest and the male rests 
on an adjacent tree. Early in the morning both fly off in 
search of plunder, either alternately or together, and generally 
return to give the young their first meal about seven o’clock. 
They then stay near the nest for some time, and afterwards 
regularly set out on their hunting-expeditions, remaining 
away for several hours, provided the young have attained a 
certain age. About the beginning of the afternoon there 
comes a time of repose, when they are generally to be found 
near their nest. Towards evening they resume their hunting 
with renewed vigour, and carry it on until the setting of the 
sun warns them that it is time toroost. On cold rainy days the 
female remains several hours longer in the nest during the 
morning, in order to keep her young warm; and before the 
bursting of a storm the careful mother hurries back and sits 
closely in the nest. This I have myself observed near Apatin, 
before the commencement of a downpour that was like a 
waterspout. We only found females at six of the nests, and 
always under the above conditions. Most of them sat lightly, 
and were either frightened away by the noise of our approach 
or by a gentle tapping on the stem of the tree. In but one 
nest did I find the female sitting so hard that she could only 
be frightened off by a constant hammering at the tree and a 
throwing up of branches, and that was on a rainy disagree- 
able morning. 
If the Sea-Hagle thinks itself perfectly safe, it relaxes, in a 
marked degree, the great and peculiar caution which it 
otherwise displays, and when it returns from hunting, laden 
with booty, flies straight to its dwelling, within which it 
at once disappears. After placing the food before its young, 
it again leaves the nest, and often either plays about low 
over the trees, near the spot where the observer is stationed, 
or settles on a dead branch to preen its feathers. There is, at 
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