98 CURIOUS HOMES AND THEIR TENANTS. 



a taWe. One would think tlie little birds would fall 

 from such a nest, but they never seem to do so until 

 they are old enough to fly. 



The eggs are sometimes laid in extremely cold 

 weather, when the thermometer is many degrees be- 

 low zero, but neither the eggs nor the little birds 

 hatched from tliem ever freeze. The parent's warm 

 breast keep both from chilling, and the little birds 

 are soon hardy enough not to mind the cold at all ; 

 neitlier do they dread hot weather, but thrive as well 

 far south in Florida and Texas, and even under the 

 blazing sun in Mexico, as they do in the cold north. 



The nestlings of the common eagle, which is the 

 kind now mentioned, weigh about two pounds. This 

 is a pretty good weight for a baby bird, though they 

 are much heavier when the down of the little birds 

 has given place to feathers, and the mamma and 

 papa eagles begin to teach their little ones to fly. 



Sometimes there is but a single nestling in the 

 great nest, sometimes two, but seldom more than 

 two, so that the little birds have all the care and food 

 that are usually shared among other birds by a large 

 family. The parent birds seem to pay a great deal 

 of attention to the education of their children. Sir 

 Humphry Davy had an opportunity of seeing the 

 instructions given, and I shall give his account in 

 nearly his own words. He says : 



" I once saw a \-ery interesting sight above one of 

 the crags of Ben Nevis, Scotland, as I was going in 

 pursuit of black game (the blackcock, a game bird 

 in Scotland). Two parent eagles were teaching their 



