File:Birds of the world for young people (1909) (14562197959).jpg

Identifier: cu31924090293030 (find matches)
Title: Birds of the world for young people
Year: 1909 (1900s)
Authors: Knight, Charles Robert, 1874-1953 Hardcastle, Ella
Subjects: Birds
Publisher: New York, F.A. Stokes Company
Contributing Library: Cornell University Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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scales. Very old birdshave the head and neck almost white. The white tailis not acquired until the bird is several years old. This bird lives, for the most part, on fish and offalcast up by the sea. Occasionally it preys upon haresand rabbits, and when much pressed by hunger it hasbeen known to attack lambs. See Plate 3, Fig. 9. A somewhat smaller bird than the preceding, butresembling it in character and in appearance, is theBald Eagle of America, which figures as our nationalemblem. The female is larger than the male, but bothhave white heads and tails, the rest of the plimiagebeing a dark chocolate-brown. The white-featheredhead has probably led to the name bald. The bill is yel-lowish, the feet are a brighter golden yellow, the clawsblack. While extremely fond of fish, the Bald Eagleis not a particularly good fisherman, and does notscruple to take advantage of the Fish Hawks greaterskill. Watching its opportunity, the Eagle pouncesupon the Fish Hawk as it rises from the water with
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BALD EAGLE 65 the finny prey struggling in its claws, and worriesthe smaller bird until it drops the fish, whereupon theEagle, making a sudden downward dart, dexterouslycatches it, and carries it off to his nest to be eaten atleisure. In Florida one is treated to daily exhibitionsof these contests between Bald Eagles and FishHawks. See Frontispiece. The nest is usually placed in the top of some tallpine or other tree, in an exposed position, and consistsof a mass of twigs and sticks roughly interwoven.It is occupied by the same pair of birds for a numberof years; indeed, it is thought that Eagles mate butonce, a pair continuing to live together until the deathof one or the other of the birds. In Florida thesebirds are seen wheeling and screaming overhead atalmost any time of the day. Strange as it may seem,the immature bird is at one period larger than theadult of either sex, being more loosely jointed andbulkier, and becoming more compact in form as itreaches maturity. Audubon, in hi

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