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
going down from the mouth of the Ohio to New Orleans, when it was not
at all difficult to shoot them. Now, however, their number is considerably
diminished, the game on which they were in the habit of feeding,
having been forced to seek refuge from the persecution of man farther in
the wilderness. Many, however, are still observed on these rivers, particularly
along the shores of the Mississippi.
In concluding this account of the White-headed Eagle, suffer me,
kind reader, to say how much I grieve that it should have been selected
as the Emblem of my Country. The opinion of our great Franklin on
this subject, as it perfectly coincides with my own, I shall here present to
you. " For my part," says he, in one of his letters, " I wish the Bald
Eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is
a bird of bad moral character ; he does not get his living honestly ; you
may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, too lazy to fish for
himself, he watches the labour of the Fishing-Hawk ; and when that diligent
bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the
support of his mate and young ones, the Bald Eagle pursues him, and
takes it from him. With all this injustice, he is never in good case, but,
like those among men who live by sharping and robbing, he is generally
poor, and often very lousy. Besides, he is a rank coward: the little
King Bird, not bigger than a Sparrow, attacks him boldly, and drives
him out of the district. He is, therefore, by no means a proper emblem
for the brave and honest Cincinnati of America, who have driven all the
King Birds from our country ; though exactly fit for that order of
knights which the French call Chevaliers oV Industrie"
It is only necessary for me to add, that the name by which this bird
is universally known in America is that of Bald Eagle, an erroneous de-
WHITE-HEADED EAGLE. 169
nomination, as its head is as densely feathered as that of any other species,
although its whiteness may have suggested the idea of its being bare.
F A L C O L E U C O C E P H A L U S , Linn. Syst. Nat. vol. i. p. 124,-Lath. Ind. Ornith. vol. L p. 11.
B A L D E A G L E , Lath. Synops. vol. i. p. 29—Wilson, Americ. Ornith. vol iv. p. 89.
PI. 36. Adult.
S E A E A G L E , F A L C O O S S I F H A G U S , Wils. Amer. Ornith. vol. vii. p. 16. PI. 55. fig. 2
Young.
Adult Male. Plate XXXI.
Bill shortish, very deep, compressed ; upper mandible with the dorsal
outline at first straight, curved towards the tip, rounded above, sloping
and flattish on the sides, nearly straight, with an obtuse process, in the
acute, overlapping edges; the tip deflected, trigonal, acute, at its lower
part nearly perpendicular to the gap line; lower mandible slightly convex
in its dorsal outline, with inflected acute edges, which are arched toward
the end, the tip broadly rounded. A naked cere, in the fore part
of which are the oblong, oblique, nearly dorsal, open nostrils, which have
a process from the anterior margin. Head rather large, flat above. Neck
robust, rather short. Body ovate. Feet with the leg long, the tarsus
short, feathered in its upper third, rounded, anteriorly covered with transverse
scutella, posteriorly with large, laterally with small tuberculous
scales; toes robust, free, scutellate above, papillar and scabrous beneath,
with large tubercles; claws curved, rounded, marginate beneath, very
acute.
Plumage compact, imbricated, glossy ; feathers of the head, neck and
breast, narrow and pointed; of the back and breast acute, of the other
parts broad and rounded. Space between the bill and eye barish,
being sparsely covered with bristly feathers. Eyebrow bare and projecting.
Wings long, second quill longest, first considerably shorter.
Tail of ordinary length, much rounded, extending considerably beyond
the tips of the wings ; of twelve, broad, rounded feathers.
Bill, cere, edge of eyebrow, iris, and feet, yellow ; claws bluish-black.
The general colour of the plumage is deep chocolate, the head, neck, tail,
abdomen, and upper and under tail-coverts, white.
Length 34 inches, extent of wings 7 feet; bill along the back 2|
inches, along the under mandible 2f, in depth ; tarsus 3, middle
toe 3£.