Page:Rural Hours.djvu/470

Rh head-waters; but here, one of their nests is a rarity, while on the coast, Mr. Wilson once counted twenty within a mile.

The Bald Eagles build their nest in a tall tree, perhaps a pine, or farther south, it may be a cypress. They first lay a sort of floor of large sticks several feet in length; over this are placed sods of earth, hay, moss, sedge-grass, pine-tops, &c., &c. This eyry continues to be used as long as the tree lasts, and when their old homestead has been destroyed, they will often take possession of an adjoining tree, rather than abandon the neighborhood. They resort to their nest constantly as a dwelling, at all times, repairing it when necessary, until the pile rises to the height of five or six feet, with a breadth of four or five feet. The mother-bird begins to lay in February; and it is said that while the first brood is half fledged, she lays other eggs, which the young birds help to hatch by their warmth. Whether this is really true or not, one cannot say. Besides fish, these Eagles prey upon ducks, geese, gulls, and all kinds of water-fowls; at times, they feed upon lambs, pigs, fawns, and even deer. Mr. Audubon gives a very spirited account of their hunting the wild swan, the male and female in company. Two instances are recorded in which infants have been seized by these powerful birds, one occurring in Georgia, and given by Mr. Nuttall, the other happening in New Jersey, and related by Mr. Wilson. In the first instance, the child is said to have been carried five miles, to the eyry of the bird; it was immediately followed, but the poor creature was already dead. In the last case, the child was seized as it was playing by its mother's side, while she was weeding in her garden; a sudden rushing sound, and a scream from the child, alarmed the woman: she