the two great masters of American ornithology, Audubon and Wilson; and as it is not easy to improve upon the language of those who were at the same time good observers and practised writers, their accounts will be given in their own words. The reader will perceive that the two histories are placed side by side, because the points that are omitted by one are supplied by the other.

I may mention that the term "bald-headed," as applied to this splendid bird, is by no means correct, because the head is feathered as densely as any other part of the body; but as the head of the adult bird is white, it produces an effect, when viewed at a distance, as if it were deprived altogether of feathers, and covered with a white skin. The following account is by Wilson :

"The White-headed Eagle is seldom seen alone, the mutual attachment which two individuals form when they first pair seeming to continue until one of them dies or is destroyed. They hunt for the support of each other, and seldom feed apart, but usually drive off other birds of the same species. They commence their amatory intercourse at an earlier period than any other land bird with which I am acquainted, generally in the month of December.

"At this time, along the Mississippi, or by the margin of some lake not far in the interior of the forest, the male and female birds are observed making a great bustle, flying about and circling in various ways, uttering a loud cackling noise, alighting on the dead branches of the tree on which their nest is already preparing, or in the act of being repaired, and caressing each other. In the beginning of January, incubation commences. I shot a female, on the 17th of that month, as she sat on her eggs, on which the chicks had made considerable progress.

"The nest, which in some instances is of great size, is usually placed on a very tall tree, destitute of branches to a considerable height, but by no means always a dead one. It is never seen on rocks. It is composed of sticks, from three to five feet in length, large pieces of turf, rank weeds, and Spanish moss in abundance, whenever that substance happens to be near. When finished, it measures from five to six feet in diameter; and so great is the accumulation of materials, that it sometimes measures the same in depth, it being occupied for a great number of years in suc

When

cession, and receiving some augmentation each season. placed in a naked tree, between the forks of the branches, it is conspicuously seen at a great distance.

"The eggs, which are from two to four, more commonly two or three, are of a dull white colour, and equally rounded at both ends, some of them being occasionally granulated. Incubation lasts for more than three weeks; but I have not been able to ascertain its precise duration, as I have observed the female, on different occasions, sit for a few days on the nest before laying the first egg. Of this I assured myself by climbing to the nest. every day in succession, during her temporary absence-a rather perilous undertaking when the bird is sitting.

I have seen the young birds not larger than middle-sized pullets. At this time, they are covered with a soft cottony kind of down, their bills and legs appearing disproportionately large. Their first plumage is of a greyish colour, tinted with brown of different depths of tint; and before the parents drive them off from the nest they are fully fledged.

"I once caught three young eagles of this species, when fully fledged, by having the tree on which their nest was cut down. It caused great trouble to secure them, as they could fly and scramble much faster than any of our party could run. They, however, gradually became fatigued, and, at length, were so exhausted, as to offer no resistance when we were securing them with cords. This happened on the border of the Lake Pontchartrain, in the month of April. The parents did not think fit to come within gunshot of the tree while the axe was at work."

We will now turn to the second of these celebrated ornithologists, and see what he has to say on the nesting of this splendid bird:

"The nest of this species is generally fixed on a very large. and lofty tree, often in a swamp or morass, and difficult to be ascended. On some noted tree of this description, often a pine or cypress, the Bald Eagle builds, year after year, for a long series of years. When both male and female have been shot from the nest, another pair has soon after taken possession. The nest is large, being added to and repaired every season, until it becomes a black prominent mass, observable at a considerable. distance. It is formed of large sticks, sods, earthy rubbish, hay, moss, &c.

"Many have stated to me, that the female lays first a single egg, and that after having sat on it for some time, she lays another; when the first is hatched, the warmth of that, it is pretended, hatched the other. Whether this be correct or not, I cannot determine; but a very respectable gentleman of Virginia assured me that he saw a large tree cut down, containing the nest of a Bald Eagle, in which were two young, one of which appeared nearly three times as large as the other.

"As a proof of their attachment to their young, a person near Norfolk informed me, that in clearing a piece of wood on his place, they met with a large dead pine-tree, on which was a Bald Eagle's nest and young. The tree being on fire more than half-way up, and the flames rapidly ascending, the parent eagle darted round and among the flames, until her plumage was so. much injured, that it was with difficulty she could make her escape; and even then she several times attempted to return, to relieve her offspring.'

THE bird next on our list is rather variable in its nesting.

The GOLDEN ORIOLE (Oriolus galbula) is seldom seen in England, and its nest even more seldom. Every year, however, a few stray nests are built in this country, as there are few years in which the journals devoted to natural history do not contain a notice of the bird being seen, and occasionally of its nest being found. In the warmer parts of the Continent it is plentiful, and in Italy is regularly exposed in the markets towards the middle of autumn, when it has indulged in fruit for some time and has become very plump and fat.

In this condition it is well known to epicures under the name of Becquafiga, corrupted into Beccafico. It is not easily procured, as it is a very wary bird, and does not like to venture far from covert. In the autumn, however, its love of fruit conquers its fear of man, and it haunts the orchards in numbers, making no small havoc among the fruit. Even under such circumstances it is not easy of approach, and the gunner will seldom manage to secure his prey except by imitating its peculiar and flute-like notes. He must, however, be very careful in his mimicry, for the bird has a critical ear, and if it detects the imitator, is sure to slip through the foliage and fly off to its forest stronghold.

The nest of the Golden Oriole is always placed near the

extremity of a branch, and in some cases is so constructed that it almost deserves to be ranked among the pensiles. It is always a pretty nest, and the accompanying illustration conveys a good idea of its general form. It is always more or less cup-like in shape, but the comparative depth of the cup is very variable, as in some cases it is scarcely deeper in proportion than that of the goldfinch, and rather saucer-shaped, while in others the depth

even exceeds the width. Perhaps the nest may be altered in shape after the female begins to deposit her eggs, as is known to be the case with many birds, the additions being always made to the margin.

It is a remarkable fact that this enlargement of the nest should be common both to birds and insects. The reader may

perhaps remember that the wasp, as well as other hymenoptera, lays an egg in the cell while it is yet shallow, and adds to the cell in proportion to the growth of the grub. The time of year, therefore, at which the nest of the Golden Oriole is found will have an influence on its shape, as the nest which is taken in the early spring, before the eggs are laid, will probably be shallower than that which is found in autumn, after the eggs have been hatched and the young reared.

The object for deepening the nest may probably be traced to the weather which happens to prevail. If the winds be light, the nest may remain in its flat and saucer-like form without endangering the safety of the eggs, but if the season should be inclement and tempestuous, a deeper nest is needed in order to prevent the eggs or young from being flung out of their home.

The body of the nest is formed chiefly of vegetable substances, usually the stems of different grasses, which are interwoven with wool, and thus made into a tolerably strong fabric. The female bird is said to be very affectionate, and to sit so closely on her nest that she will almost suffer the hand to be laid upon her before she will leave her post. In the illustration, the female bird is standing upright on the branch, and looking upwards, while the male is bending over the bough, and peering downwards, as if at some fancied foe. He can always be distinguished from his mate by the brighter gold of his plumage, the black spot between the eye and the beak, and the deeper black of his wings; whereas in the female, a tinge of blue invades the yellow, changing it to yellowish green, the wings are brown, edged with grey, and the black spot in front of the eye is altogether absent. Moreover, the breast and belly are marked with many longitudinal dashes of greyish brown.

ONE of the most variable of birds in its nesting is the wellknown RED-WINGED STARLING of Northern America (Icterus phoeniceus).

This beautiful bird derives its popular name from the fiery scarlet of the lesser wing-coverts, contrasting so boldly with the jet-black of the remaining plumage. It is known by several opprobrious names in its own country, such as Corn-thief, Maize. thief, &c. because it is popularly thought to live upon corn, whereas, like our starling, it is a most insatiable eater of the