THE COI1I1EGTOHS' JHOJlTflltY. 



Devoted to Ornitholoy, Oology and Natural History. 



[For the Collectors' Monthly.] 

 The lialri Euglc. 



{HaMa.et.us leueocepbalus.) 

 The habitat of the I'.ald Eagle is the 

 whole of North America, being generally 

 found alinig the eea-co^gt and at the 

 month of all our large rivers. 



The Bald Eagle receives his name from 

 the fact that its head and neck are cover- 

 ed with snowy white leathers, which at a 

 distance give 1 lie birds a very "bald" ap- 

 pearance. The remainder of the body is 

 a deep chocolate color, shading iuto a 

 beautiful black along the back. The tail 

 and upper tail coverts are of the same 

 beautiful hue as the head and neck. In 

 the immature bird the colors are of a 

 more sombre tint, and the Bald Eagle 

 does not obtain its beautifully whitehead 

 and tail until it is fully four or five years 

 of age. This is what at one time caused 

 so much dispute about the bird; some 

 thought that the young Bald Eagle was 

 an altoget her different Species from the 

 older bird, and it is not until within the 

 last live or six years that the question 

 has been undisputedly settled. 



The Bald Eagle is extremely fond of 

 fish, and being no very great fisher, takes 

 advantage of the line fishing talents of 

 the osprey, and very often robs him of 

 his hard earned prey. This predatory 

 propensity aroused the wrath of Benja- 

 min Franklin, who objected strongly to 

 the employment of the Bald Eagle as the 

 type of the American nation, urging as 

 his ground for opposition, that "it is a 

 bird of bad moral character, and does 

 not get his living honestly.'" lie is capa- 



ble of catching fish it is tine, hut he does 

 it in an extremely awkward in aimer, wad- 

 ing into the shallows 61 the seaorriver 



liken heron, and snatching suddenly at 

 any of the tinny tribe that may be pass- 

 ing in his direction. 



The nest of the Bald Eagle i> generally 

 placed in some loll \ tree from the top of 

 Which the Eagle can scan the sea and 

 watch for some osprey that has been so 

 lucky as to catch a large pike or salmon. 

 The nest in time becomes of a very gnat 

 size, for, instead of building a new aesl 

 each year, the Eagle places a new layer 

 of sticks and branches of the nesl of the 

 year before. The female Eagle com- 

 mences to breed at a \i-ix early period of 

 the year, depositing her eggs, which are 

 always two in number, in January, ami 

 hatching them about the middle of Febru- 

 ary. 



The Bald Eagle is quite noted for its 

 affectionate nature which absolutely 

 knows no bounds. It constantly tends 

 and watches its young so long as they 

 are in a helpness and untledged slate. So 

 great is the Eagle's affection for itsyouim. 

 •that it will not forsake them, even though 

 the tree on which they rest be enveloped 

 in (lames, ami it prefers to die with them 

 rather than have them meet their late 

 alone. 



The Bald Eagle is very accomodating 

 in his appetite, and will, in fact, eat any- 

 thing that has ever been posessed of 

 animal life. He is by no means averse 

 lo carrion, ami may now and then be 

 seen perched regally 11)1011 a dead horse. 

 keeping at a distance the hords of vul- 



