THE BIRD OF WASHINGTON. 
2C3 
In high expectation, I seated myself about a hundred 
J'Rrds from the foot of the rock. Never did time pass 
Ve slowly. I could not help betraying the most 
"apatient curiosity, for my hopes whispered it was a 
-ea cable’s nest. Two long hours had elapsed before 
the old bird made his appearance, which was announced 
,0 us by the loud hissings of the two young ones, 
">iich crawled to the extremity of the hole to receive 
» fine f is h I had a perfect view of this noble bird as 
J>e held himself to the edging rock, hanging like the 
''Urn, bank, or social swallow, his tail spread, and Ins 
"ines partly so. 1 trembled lest a word should escape 
fr om my companions. The slightest murmur had been 
,r eason from them. They entered into my feelings, 
■>Ud, although little interested, gazed with me. In a 
minutes the other parent joined her mate, and, 
from the difference in size, (the female of rapacious 
''Rds being much larger,) we knew this to be the 
Mother bird. She also had brought a hsh ; but, more 
"autious than her mate, she glanced her quick and 
Arcing eye around, and instantly perceived that her 
■diode had been discovered. She dropped her prey, 
" ith a loud shriek communicated the alarm to tlie 
•dale and, hovering with him over our heads, kept up 
a growlinn- cry, to intimidate us from our suspected 
V 
■sign. 
mg' cry, to liiuiinuaw * , 
, t „. This 'watchful solicitude I have ever foun 
Peculiar to the female — must I be understood to 
speak only of birds ? , , . o _„, f 
“ The young having concealed themselves, we went 
a "d picked iq, the fish which the mother had let tan 
was a white perch, weighing about lb. the 
"pper part of the head was broken in, and the bade 
t°rn by the talons of the eagle. We had plainly seen 
«er bearing it in the manner of the fish hawk. 
“ This dav’s sport being at an end, as we journeye 
’“omewardsf we agreed to return tbe next morning, 
"’>th the view of obtaining both the old and young 
WdsTbut rainy and tempestuous weather setting in, 
\t became necessary to defer the expedition till the 
third day following, when, with guns and men all in 
