26 
FALCO LEUCOCEPIIAI.US. 
iiislied to sec its innocent ofFspring borne off into th^ 
air by a bird. 
“ I was lately told,” continues Mr Gardiner, “ by ® 
man of truth, that he saw an eagle rob a hawk of '1** 
fish, and the hawk .seemed so enraged as to fly do'y*' 
at the eagle, while the eagle very deliberately, in the aifi 
threw himself partly over on his back, and, while he 
grasped with one foot the fish, extended the other t® 
threaten or seize the hawk. I have known several 
hawks unite to atta(;k the eagle ; but never knew * 
single one to do it. The eagle seems to regard th« 
hawks as the hawks do the king-birds, only as teasin?' 
troublesome fellows.” 
From the same intelligent and obliging friend, I lately 
received a well preserved .skin of the bald eagle, whirhi 
from its appearance, and the note that accompanied d’ 
seems to have belonged to a very formidable indiv>' 
dual. “ It was shot,” says Mr Gardiner, “ bust winteh 
on this island, and weighed thirteen pounds, measur*’® 
three feet in length, and seven from tip to tip of th® 
expanded wings ; was extremely fierce looking ; thou?® 
wounded, would turn his back to no one ; fastened 1"' 
claws into the lu'ad of a dog, and wns with difficulty 
disengaged. I have rode on horsehack within five 
six rods of one, who, by his bold demeanour, raising 
feathers, &c. seemed willing to dispute the ground wit® 
its owner. The, crop of the present u as full of muttoU* 
from my part blood Merinos ; and his intestines coU' 
tained feathers, which he probably devoured with ® 
duck, or winter gull, as I observed an entire foot au 
leg of some water fowl. I had two killed jirevious to tlut> 
which weighed ten pounds avoirdupois each.” 
The intrepidity of character, mentioned above, may h , 
farther illustrated by the followingr fact, which occurrf 
a few years .ago, near Great F.gg Harbour, New Jersey'- j 
woman, who happened to be weeding in the garden, ha^, 
set her child down near, to amuse itself while she was a 
work ; u hen a sudden and extraordinai-y rushing soup J 
and a scream from her child, alanned her, and, staid"'^ 
up, she beheld the infant thrown down, and drag?® 
