Ie 
eagle, because the eagle is the rarest 
of all birds. Indeed so seldom is the 
eagle seen that its presence always 
seems accidental. It appears as if 
merely pausing on the way, while 
bound for some distant, unknown re- 
gion. One September, while a youth, I 
saw the ring-tailed eagle, an immense, 
dusky bird, the sight of which filled me 
with awe. It lingered about the hills 
for two days. Some young cattle, a two 
year old colt, and half a dozen sheep 
were at pasture on a high ridge that 
led up to the mountain, and in plain 
view of the house. On the second day 
this dusky monarch was seen flying 
about above them. Presently he be- 
gan to hover over them, after the man- 
ner of a hawk watching for mice. He 
then, with extended legs let himself 
slowly down upon them, actually grap- 
pling the backs of the young cattle, and 
frightening the creatures so that they 
rushed about the field in great conster- 
nation; and finally, as he grew bolder 
and more frequent in his descents, the 
whole herd broke over the fence and 
came tearing down to the house “ like 
mad.” It did not seem to be an assault 
with intent to kill, but was perhaps 
a strategem resorted to in order to sep- 
arate the herd and expose the lambs, 
which hugged the cattle very closely. 
When he occasionally alighted upon 
the oaks that stood near, the branch 
could be seen to sway and bend be- 
neath him. Finally, as a rifleman start- 
ed out in pursuit of him, he launched 
into the air, set his wings, and sailed 
away southward. A few years after- 
ward, in January, another eagle passed 
through the same locality, alighting in 
a field near some dead animal, but 
tarried briefly. 
So much by way of identification. 
The bird is common to the northern 
parts of both hemispheres, and places 
its eyrie on high precipitous rocks. A 
pair built on an inaccessible shelf of 
rock along the Hudson for eight succes- 
Sive years. A squad of Revolutionary 
soldiers, also, found a nest along this 
river, and had an adventure with the 
bird that eame near costing one of their 
Bird’s-Nests. 
[June, 
number his life. His comrades let him 
down by a rope to secure the eggs or 
young, when he was attacked by the 
female eagle with such fury that he 
was obliged to defend himself with his 
knife. In doing so, by a misstroke, he 
nearly severed the rope that held him, 
and was drawn up by a single strand 
from his perilous position. Audubon, 
from whom this anecdote is taken, fig- 
ures and describes this bird as the 
‘golden eagle, though I have little 
doubt that Wilson was right, and that 
the golden eagle is a distinct species. 
The sea eagle, also, builds on high 
rocks, according to Audubon, though 
Wilson describes the nest of one which 
he saw near Great Egg Harbor, in the 
-top of a large yellow pine. It was a 
vast pile of sticks, sods, sedge, grass, 
reeds, &c., &c., five or six feet high by 
four broad, and with little or no con- 
cavity. It had been used for many 
years, and he was told that the eagles 
made it a sort of home or lodging- 
place in all seasons. This agrees with 
the description which Audubon gives 
of the nest of the bald eagle. There 
is evidently a little confusion on both 
sides. 
The eagle, in all cases, uses one 
nest, with more or less repair, for sev- 
eral years. Many of our common birds 
do the same. ,The birds may be di- 
vided, with respect to this and kindred 
points, into five general classes. First, 
those that repair or appropriate the 
last year’s nest, as the wren, swal- 
low, bluebird, great-crested flycatcher, 
owls, eagles, fish-hawk, and a few oth- 
ers. Secondly, those that build anew 
each season, though frequently rearing 
more than one brood in the same nest. 
Of these the phcebe-bird is a well- 
known example. Thirdly, those that 
build a new nest for each brood, which 
include by far the greatest number of 
species. Fourthly, a limited number 
that make no nest of their own, but ap- 
propriate the abandoned nests of other 
birds. Finally, those who use no nest 
at all, but deposit their eggs in the 
sand, which is the case with a large 
number of aquatic fowls. Thus the 
