WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 
51 
and make way for their master, waiting his departure in sullen 
silence, and at a respectful distance, on the adjacent trees. 
In one of those partial migrations of tree squirrels, that some- 
times take place in our western forests, many thousands of them 
were drowned in attempting to cross the Ohio ; and at a certain 
place, not far from Wheeling, a prodigious number of their dead 
bodies were floated to the shore by an eddy. Here the Vul- 
tures assembled in great force, and had regaled themselves for 
some time, when a Bald Eagle made his appearance, and took 
sole possession of the premises, keeping the whole Vultures at 
their proper distance, for several days. He has also been seen 
navigating the same river on a floating carrion, though scarce- 
ly raised above the surface of the water, and tugging at the car- 
cass, regardless of snags, sawyers, planters or shallows. He 
sometimes carries his tyranny to great extremes against the 
Vultures. In hard times, when food happens to be scarce, 
should he accidentally meet with one of these who has its craw 
crammed with carrion, he attacks it fiercely in air; the coward- 
ly Vulture instantly disgorges, and the delicious contents are 
snatched up by the Eagle before they reach the ground. 
The nest of this species is generaily fixed on a very large 
and lofty tree, often in a swamp, or morass, and difficult to be 
ascended. On some noted tree of this description, often a pine 
or cypress, the Bald Eagle builds, year after year, for a long se- 
ries of years. When both male and female have been shot from 
the nest, another pair has soon after taken possession. The 
nest is large, being added to, and repaired, every season, until 
it becomes a black prominent mass, observable at a considera- 
ble distance. It is formed of large sticks, sods, earthy rubbish, 
hay, moss, &c. Many have stated to me that the female lays 
first a single egg, and that after having sat on it for some time, 
she lays another; when the first is hatched, the warmth of that, 
it is pretended, hatches the other. Whether this be correct or 
not I cannot determine; but a very respectable gentleman of 
Virginia assured me, that he saw a large tree cut down, con- 
taining the nest of a Bald Eagle, in which were two young, one 
