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 Sept., 1916 NOTES ON THE GOLDEN EAGLE IN ARIZONA 201 Mr. Win. Lutley had a somewhat similar experience. The eagle rose from the carcass it was feeding upon, flapping laboriously to get under way. Mr. Lutley galloped his horse up close to it and shot at it with his six-shooter, a .45 Colt, when it plunged to the ground and turned on its back to defend itself. He captured it with difficulty, and tied it on behind his saddle. Glanc- ing around later, as he rode toward home, he found the skirt of the saddle was swarming with lice. He immediately dispatched the bird and threw it onto the ground. He cut off the wings, head and feet, and also examined the body to see where he had hit it when he shot. To his surprise he could find no sign of a wound. He believes it was frightened by being overtaken by his horse and the noise of his shot, and purposely dropped to the ground to get into its customary position of defence. On this occasion, also, there was no wind to assist the bird in taking flight. Recently two cowboys in the employ of Mr. Lutley came upon three eagles feeding upon the body of a calf about seven months old. The birds were very sluggish and allowed the cowboys to approach close enough to kill one with a six-shooter. The other two flew away and at last report had not been seen again in that vicinity which was twelve miles or more from the near- est available nesting site. This carcass, too, had begun to decay. Traps were set, but were not sprung at any time. Coyotes had made tracks all around, but the sight and smell of the traps kept these wary animals away. The back of this calf gave every evidence that it had been killed by the eagles. Evi- dently Golden Eagles do some damage to live stock. Also the above incidents show that the Golden Eagle will, on occasion, eat carrion. It isn't out of the way to mention here that a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) was seen on numerous occasions perched upon or flying among the topmost pinnacles of the Chiricahua Mountains during the open season for deer last fall. It was very shy and would not permit any close approach. It was supposed to have fed upon wounded deer, or offal from such as were killed by hunters. Tombstone Arizona April 5, 1916. FROM FIELD AND STUDY Black-beaded Grosbeaks Eating Butter.--At Idyllwild, in the San Jaclnto Mountains, August 2, 1907, I was told by Mrs. Atwood of Riverside that the Grosbeaks came to her tent for butter, hunting for it so perslstently that she put it in a covered hanging box, after which they flew against the box again and again. She said that the birds also ate bacon drippings when these were to be had.--FLoRrcr MrSRI Brrr, Washington, D.C. A Nestfull.--On April 17, 1916, I found a nest of the Spurred Towhee (Pipilo m. meganonyx) in a dense blackberry thicket in the Los Angeles River bottom. It was placed in a depression in the ground at the base of the berry bush, made of leaves and grass as is usual, and measured about 2 inches across on the inside. The contents were nine fresh eggs, quite a nest full, so full in fact that some of the eggs protruded above the edge of the sheltering structure, so that the mother towhee could sit on the nest but not in it. Four of the eggs were laid by the towbee, and five of them, rather the larger half, by a Valley Quail (LOlhortyx c. vatlicola)! When discovered, the tow- hee was assiduously trying to hatch out this large and unevenly divided family. I have not found such an occurrence cited in any books of bird lore. When I discovered the