FALCO OSSIFRAGUS. 
36 
constant and universal habits of the whole feathered 
race, in their state of nature. 
The sea eagle is said, by Salerne, to build, on the 
loftiest oaks, a very broad in^st, into which it drops tn'O 
large eggs, that ai» quite round, exceeding-ly heavy, and 
of a dirty white colour. Of the precise time of building 
ne have no account; hut something may be deduced 
from the following circumstance: — In the mouth e> 
May, while on a shooting excursion along the sea coash 
not far from Great Egg Harbour, accomi)auied by wy 
friend Mr Ord, we were conducted about a mile iidd 
the woods to see an csigle’s nest. On approachii'r 
within a shoi-t distance of the ])lace, the bird was pet' 
ceived slowly retreating from the nest, which, rve fouudi 
oc(aipied the centre of the top of a very large yello"' 
pine. The woods were cut down, and cleared oft', Idt 
several rods m-onnd the spot, which, from this circlin'' 
stance, and the stately, erect trunk, and large crookcb 
wriggling- branches of the tree, surmounted by a black 
mass of sticks and brush, had a very singular and 
picturesque (‘ft'ect. Our conductor had brought an aX" 
with him, to cut down the tree ; but my companion) 
anxious to save the eggs, or young, insisted on ascending 
to the nest, n hich he fearlessly perfonued, while 
stationi'd ourselves lielow, ready to defend him, in cas*- 
of an attack from the old eagles. No opposition, ho"' 
ever, was offered ; and, on reaching the nest, it 
found, to our disappoint ment, empty. It was built 
large sticks, some of them several feet in length ; with'' 
Avhich lay sods of earth, sedge, grass, dry reeds, 
piled to the height of five or six feet, by more than fn"^ 
in breadth. It tvns well lined n-ith fresh pine tops, a"'^ 
had little or no concavity. Under this lining lay t''|^ 
recent exuvim of the young of the present year, su* 
as scales of the quill feathers, down, &c. Our g'}' ^ 
had jiassed this ])lace late in February, at which ti"' , 
both male .and female n'cre making a g-reat noise 
the nest ; and, from what we afterwards learnt, ‘ 
highly probable it contained young, even at that cat i 
time of the season. 
j 
