R-U.S.H. 7/4 



of hard things said about the feeding hahits of American eagles. Art 

 lovors can rost assured, hov/ever, that the "bald eagles are not so bad as 

 thoy are some tines painted. 



Dr. Obcrholser sa^s that on the whole oagles do more good than they 

 do haim. The fact that they are sometimes scavengers should not be hold 

 against than. That they are very useful to man in this way is really a 

 point in their favor. 



But the American bald eagle seems to prefer his food fresh, Tl^is 

 bird of proy is the wild son of the wilds. He must ret his living by beak 

 and talons, as others of his kind do. He generally goes after it himself. 

 However, he is not above acting as £m aerial hi-jacker. He often lets the 

 Osprey catch fish and then swoops down on the Osprey and forces him to 

 let go his catch. 



Old Baldy even works a similar grme with human duck hunters. YJhen 

 the gucLier brings down a duck, the eagle may drop like a bolt from the 

 blue and carry it off before the sportsman can get to it. 



But the bald eagle doesn't have to have help in getting his ducks, 

 usually catching them when they have dived to escape. The eagle waits until 

 the duck comes up, then swoops again. He keeps that up, until the duck, 

 tired out, falls an easy prey. 



Besides having speed as a flyer, Dr^; Oberholser says that the eagle 

 can soar as well as tho turkey buzzard. There is hardly any greater 

 compliment on soaring ability than that. 



In addition, this charter member of our air service is remarkable 

 at zooming. He can shoot down from far aloft so fast that you can hardli?- 

 see hira, 



Fnon he comes up again he may be lifting considerable weight. An 

 American eagle has been known to carry a lamb weighing almost as much as 

 itself as far as five miles. 



Yes, he does somctimea attack dofnestic livestock, usually lambs or 

 young '.Digs, But his chief food is fish. Upland game birds are seldom bothered. 

 He doesn't trouble song birds. He does kill squirrels, rabbits, and rats. 

 He has been known to attack h"uinan beings. 



That's very seldom. He rarely does it unless provoked to it. Dr, 



Ooerholser points out that when not molested, our American eagle is sur^^risingly 



tame and unsuspicious. When it comes to the matter of defending the nest, 

 however, he shows considerable courag;e. 



That nest is quite a remarkable home, and the bald eagle is consider- 

 able of a home-body, YHien eagles mate, they apparently mate for life. They 

 usually- build their nest high in the top of a tall tree. If no suitable 

 tree is handy, they ordinarily build on a high cliff or bluff. 



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