THE BALD EAGLE. 



NESTING SITES. 



This splendid bird, the emblem of this 

 Nation, inhabits nearly the whole of 

 North America. Itisnotnumerousinany 

 plaee, but perhaps more so in Florida 

 than any where else. They breed 

 throughout their entire range occupying 

 the same nest every year. 



The eaglets are cute little (?) creatures, 

 covered all over with white down, and 

 when feathered out, they are erroneously 

 called "Black Eagles." The second year 

 they are called "Gray Eagles," and the 

 third year they receive their full plumage 

 and are the genuine Bald Eagle. 



1 know where there is a nest that is 



occupied by a pair of Eagles every 



spring and: 



Would that I had wings of a dove. 



That I could ascend above, 

 And claim those treasures in that nest, 

 And leave the Eagles all the rest. 



But, when that will be,T cannot tell. 

 I do not think that I will undertake U, 

 climb that peerless pine, which towers 

 one hundred feet toward the heavens, 

 and which is fifteen feet in circumference 

 at the base. 



To an observer on the ground, the nest 

 looks to be about three feet in diameter, 

 and two feet in depth, and it rests right 

 in the top, where the pine branches into 

 several limbs which shields it from the 

 many storms that, must have i omesincc 

 it has been there. 



There is a belief among the negroes o1 

 this section that the nest contains a pice.< 

 of load stone which protects the Eaglet 

 from all dangers. 



The food of the Eagles consist mainly 

 of ducks, and such small animals a: 

 chance to fall in their way, but sometimes 

 they procure a goodly portion from the 

 industrious Fish Hawk. 



Some people have an idea that the 

 Eagle is a clumsy bird, but when they 

 see one strike a Fish Hawk, and catch 

 the fish before it strikes the water, they 

 will be convinced otherwise. 



J. W. P. Smithwick, Sans Souci, rs. t • 



A brief mention of. the following nest- 

 ing sites may perhaps interest at leasl 

 some of the AMERICAN Osprky's readers. 

 Though by no means extraordinary, they 

 are sufficiently so in this locality t i 

 merit notice. 



On the fourth of May last, a Robin's 

 nest was found on one of the horizontal 

 girders of an iron railroad bridge, which 

 spans a roadway and a small creek near 

 town. The nest was some three feet 

 below the rails, and directly under one 

 of them. It was of ordinary construction 

 and materials, containing at the time of 

 discovery, three egg's. Here, apparently 

 undisturbed by the proximity of the 

 frequently passing trains, the parent 

 bird in due time hatched her young; but 

 whether or not the brood was success- 

 fully reared I have no means of know- 

 ing. 



I discovered May 25th, a family of four 

 or five nearly Hedged Bluebirds, occupy- 

 ing a newly excavated nest in a small 

 decayed stump, the entrance being but 

 slightly more than a foot above the 

 ground. This nest was subsequently 

 ascertained to contain an addled egg, its 

 condition possibly attributable to the 

 damp nature of the situation. 



May 18th, while walking up a steep 

 grassy slope, which was thickly inter- 

 spersed with low bushes, a Mourning 

 Dove. flew up in front, and disappeared 

 over the hilltop. A hasty search reveal- 

 ed her nest, placed on the ground at the 

 base of a small bush. It was composed 

 of a very few leaves and weedstalks, 

 with- a barely noticeable depression, con- 

 taining one egg, and a young bird appar- 

 ently but a day or two old. Only a 

 short distance away, on the top of a low 

 stump another, an old, nest of the same 

 species, was observed it being simply a 

 few weedstalks laid in an irregular 

 circle. 



Later in the season, a Mourning 

 Dove's nest containing one fresh egg, 

 was noticed on the top rail of an old 

 snake fence. This nest, however, came 

 to grief, as it was soon afterwards de- 

 molished, possibty by the cattle that 

 pastured in the adjoining held. 



"MrsTKti.xrs," Wooster, O. 



