120 THE BIRDS 
birds should visit the beaches in the vicinity of the large 
fish nets, both on the bay and ocean beaches. Here one 
may sometimes see six or eight at once, either perched 
along the long rows of net stakes, watching the passing 
schools of fish, or fighting with the buzzards over the 
refuse fish thrown on the beach by the fishermen on their 
return from visiting their nets. Formerly nests were quite 
easily located, but since the lumber craze has struck our 
section, all the eagles’ home tracts and large live pine 
trees have nearly all been cut off, and they are rapidly 
being driven further and further inland on this account. 
Their principal diet is fish, caught from the fish stakes, 
and taken from the Osprey. During the winter they chase 
and kill ducks and other wild fowl, often a full-grown 
Canada Goose, being as much as they can get to shore with, 
weighing about 10 lbs. Some farmers in our section still 
tell the usual story of their carrying off young pigs and 
lambs, but I have yet to substantiate such stories. 
Occasionally I have in the summer time come across these 
birds devouring carrion washed up by the waves of the 
beaches: eels, croakers, dogfish and bunkers being 
abundantly represented. The nest is a huge affair of 
sticks, placed in the top crotch of a live or dead pine tree, 
and used by the same pair of birds year after year. On 
the inner surface as a lining, seaweed is generally used. 
Fresh eggs February 15th to March 1st. Two to three 
egos are a complete set, pure white, unmarked. Size, 
2.75x2.10. Incubation takes thirty-one days, and it is 
about sixty-five days before the young are in condition to 
fly. The bird is easily raised in captivity but never 
becomes very tame. The birds remain paired for life, the 
young not attaining the white head and tail until the 
third season. They should be protected, not only because 
