62 
WHITE-HEADED OE BALD EAGLE. 
the month of April. The parents did not think fit to come within gun-shot 
of the tree while the axe was at work. 
The attachment of the parents to the young is very great, when the latter 
are yet of a small size ; and to ascend to the nest at this time would be 
dangerous. But as the young advance, and, after being able to take wing and 
provide for themselves, are not disposed to fiv off, the old birds turn them 
out, and beat them away from them. They return to the nest, however, to 
roost, or sleep on the branches immediately near it, for several weeks after. 
They are fed most abundantly while under the care of the parents, which 
procure for them ample supplies of fish, either accidentally cast ashore, or 
taken from the Fish Hawk, together with rabbits, squirrels, young lambs, 
pigs, opossums, or racoons. Every thing that comes in the way is relished 
by the young family, as by the old birds. 
The young birds begin to breed the following spring, not always in pairs 
of the same age, as I have several times observed one of these birds in brown 
plumage mated with a full-coloured bird, which had the head and tail pure 
white. I once shot a pair of this kind, when the brown bird (the young one) 
proved to be the female. 
This species requires at least four years before it attains the full beauty of 
its plumage when kept in confinement. I have known two instances in 
which the white of the head did not make its appearance until the sixth 
spring. It is impossible for me to say how much sooner this state of 
perfection is attained, when the bird is at full liberty, although I should 
suppose it to be at least one year, as the bird is capable of breeding the first 
spring after birth. 
The weight of Eagles of this species varies considerably. In the males, 
it is from six to eight pounds, and in the females from eight to twelve. 
These birds are so attached to particular districts, where they have first made 
their nest, that they seldom spend a night at any distance from the latter, 
and often resort to its immediate neighbourhood. Whilst asleep, they emit 
a loud hissing sort of snore, which is heard at the distance of a hundred 
yards, when the weather is perfectly calm. Yet, so light is their sleep, that 
the cracking of a stick under the foot of a person immediately wakens them. 
When it is attempted to smoke them while thus roosted and asleep, they 
start up and sail off without uttering any sound, but return next evening to 
the same spot. 
Before steam navigation commenced on our western rivers, these Eagles 
were extremely abundant there, particularly in the lower parts of the Ohio, 
the Mississippi, and the adjoining streams. I have seen hundreds while 
going down from the north of the Ohio to New Orleans, when it was not at 
all difficult to shoot them. Now, however, their number is considerably 
