THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 267 



Their nest was not much over 300 yards from the house and was a large 

 structure built on a horizontal limb about 40 feet from the ground." 



Mr. W. Steinbeck, of Hollister, California, wrote me in April, 1885, as 

 follows: "All the Golden Eagles' nests I found about here have always been 

 placed in trees, and there were plenty of cliffs within 10 miles of these nests. 

 I have taken eight sets of eggs, found two nests with young, and also exam- 

 ined nine old nests, which I am certain belonged to this species. With one 

 exception I found all these nests on hillsides, and one of them within 200 

 yards of a large cliff; there were, however, a number of nests some distance 

 back in the mountains among the rocks which I have not been able to take. 

 The nests, with the single exception of one which was placed in the bottom 

 of a small ravine, usually commanded a good view of the entire valley before 

 them, and they were generally placed in oak trees from 20 to 50 feet from 

 the ground. Some of the nests were quite large, measuring 5 \ feet in diam- 

 eter, and all were nearly flat on top, with just enough depression to bring the 

 top of the egg on a level with the sides. Some were lined with grass and 

 straw, others with the hair-like tops of the Spanish soap root, one was finished 

 off with Spanish moss, and in another I found quite a number of feathers, 

 evidently from the breast of the parent. 



"These Eagles nest where they can most easily procure food. Each pair 

 has its range, and will drive any outsider away from it. These ranges are usu- 

 ally from 2 to 6 miles wide, and the birds become so attached to them that it 

 seems impossible to drive them away. In one case, where I took three sets of 

 eggs in successive years and killed the female, the male procured another mate 

 and occupied the same nest again next season. In no case was I molested by 

 one of these birds when taking their eggs. Sometimes I sat for hours in the 

 nest waiting for one of the birds to come within gunshot, but with only one or 

 two exceptions the birds left the vicinity, and I did not even obtain a second 

 sight of them. Generally on approaching a nest the male will fly over, as if he 

 had been watching, and come within 300 or 400 yards of it, he will then 

 sail slowly out of sight. When about half a mile from the nest the female 

 will also leave, come a little- closer to the intruder than her mate, and then 

 disappear. 



"On two occasions I have flushed the bird from the nest and in both 

 cases found the eggs well incubated. The last nest I took was from a bird 

 which did not leave the nest until I almost put my hand on it. I think she 

 was in the act of laying, at least the egg had that appearance. A nest found 

 on March 1, 1885, contained a single egg, and on a second visit, March 4, I 

 found the set complete. Of course the first egg may have been laid a day 

 or two before I found it, Both were perfectly fresh. I am satisfied that incu- 

 bation does not begin till the set is complete, and I know that both young 

 leave the nest at the same time, and all the eggs taken by me which had 

 been sat on were both in the same stage of incubation. 



