Show a f us 1 J ls c r c 6 Lethal Talons of the American Bald Eagle Prepares hy by aUn 1 Geographic D C C NU usually u nest st in out of- of the say ay places But recently t two 0 AmerIcan eagles were d CO COel co el ed housekeeping only 30 miles from e Accustomed to 11 hung In the of water they selected a t till pine 11 tree ee near the Mu h othy 11 riser er as the site for an im immense mense nest Building a huge structure of sticks at considerable height from the ground se several ern I large white hIte eggs were laid and the two bIrds took turns re- re remaining remaining on the nest for the months month's perIod ot of incubation An enthusiastiC ornithologist ho scaled the tho tl tree ee numerous times was as fortunate enough to observe the t two 0 young oung eaglets from the time they were ere hatched until they flew fiew away av ay eleven eleen weeks later Eagles and theIr many relatives among the hawks and cultures are dis distributed throughout the world except e 0 er the open seas the barren Ant Antarctic Antarctic arctic continent and the smallest and most Isolated of oceanic Islands Where Where er er found they appeal appell even een to the novice nonce lu n knowledge of things out outdoors outdoors doors because of their manner of life and predatory habIts Robust ot of form and strong In they are remarked at eYer every appearance he emblem of the n city of Laga h m in the third millennium be- be before before fore the Christian Eta I a was as an eagle which was as ed on the tablets and seals of the leaders and was as carried as a stan standard ud by the army An eagle also appeared on the seal of the King of Ur and contInued In double headed form In art on certaIn coins of the on the flags of princes an and so soon soon on Into n times The eagle s symbol Is pt probably derIt de- de rIt rh ed cd from forms it to our golden goMen eagles or closel closely allied to that species as was several species of that type ate are found In the regIons mentIOned Messenger of Zeus To early Greeks the eagle 15 tile the Messenger of Zeus and the only bird that dwelt In hen heaven n a fanc fancy based on the high flying power of at these bIrds A silt er eagle eale standing on a spear was placed on the military standards s of the legions of Rome and thIs em emblem lem has been used widely as ae asa a com conventional badge of military pow PO er today It Is a common on flagstaffs In many countrIes An American species ot of this group time the bald eagle Is found In the design of the coat of arms of the UnIted States appears on the Great Seal A I representation of It Is s on many of our coIns and decorations decor It also appears on the Presidents President's fag and on time the President's dents dent's sell seal In the bronze plate on the floor of the vestibule of the WhIte WhIteHouse House lie he fierce harpy eagle cagle a bIrd ot of dauntless 3 courage called by b time the winged olf Is engraved engl on the official I coat cont of arm arms and seal of Mex- Mex leo Ico and appears on the fag of that l countr country It Is distinguishable ble from our species b by Its prominently crested held head The eagles e and theIr kin form the group of bh blinds de of the ordet ordel of Ill Fal Includes about distinct rI species edes Ith many additional geographic races race so that In all there are recognized somewhat ome more than forms lie order Is dl dl- dl sided Into four principal families Rime eagles hawks h kites Ites and their relatives forming the family die e Include the largest number ot of forms are mainly bIrds ot of to large size with Ith broad in wings s strong legs feet armed with sharp harp cIa claws VB and tt hooked bIlls Many possess pose s light colored eyes ens n with their active interest In any movement that mIght Indicate pos possible possible sible 1 prey re dive bh e them n fierce and ug- ug aggressive e appearance Their Methods of Flight I ht In the birds caries arIes considerable accordIng to the kind Bagles the large hawks haIt ha It and the tUles both of the New Kew and Old Worlds lase hac broad wIngs which they flap I ly Frequently the soar with art s t wings Ins air currents rl ln from the heated SUI surface face ot of the earth or currents generated by winds birds frequently soar for hours with Ith scarcely ly a wing beat turning and wheeling in the sky often at sU such h altitudes that they appear as lD mere e r e specks against the blue The turkey vulture Is a well known species Is particularly adept In inthis this art In f fact It finds this method of progression so adapted to Its needs that It remains In it its roost through the day when the air Is and still The falcons h lime n e longer more point point- pointed pointed ed wings that enable them to fly fl with gl great at speed and antl though they may enjoy soaring the they do not practice this so constantly as the other hawks The lal bet species can capture e tho thos s swiftest fi flying Ing- Ing sandpipers s and ducks duckson duckson on the wIng without the slIghtest dill difficulty culty The food of birds of the hawk group Is hIghly varied Val though It Is taken entirely from the animal kingdom The larger species of falcons subsist mainly on various kinds of birds and small mammals but the smaller kinds such as sparrow hanks ha ks and eat grasshoppers and other Insects and mice the he bearded Sul ul tares tures of the Old World are said to carry turtles and large bones from the carcasses of dead anImals to a great heIght in order to drop them on rocks where here they break open so that the bird can eat the marrow Some species of hawks particularly certain forms that th range In the tho Tropics eat snakes as their principal food There is one group group of species found In India and adjacent regIOns In which this habit Is so constant that the birds are known n as serpent eagles The osprey and some of the sea el eagles confine theIr attention mainly to fish which they c aliee e by plungIng after them as they approach the surface of the water The po powerful harpy hupy eagle feeds regu regu- regularly on monkeys s The golden eagle one of the most PO powerful of American birds s of prey has a varied varle menu Wh Where re prairIe dos dogs are in large numbers these are aro fa food n a pair pur of eagles will ll destro destroy sevel several al hundred In Inthe Inthe the course of a season At times they turn to sharp tilled grou grouse e when these are abundant proving a scourge to the flocks floch Jack rabbits cottontails mar mar- marmots and ground squirrels me ate killed In large numbers In wInter when other food Is scarce they may conic come to dead Cl ses being sometimes hard bard put in n severe weather alien hen the meat is frozen c seen en wIth the great strength that they possess In bill and feet They also alco attack lambs and fawns on occasion and one er records that th three golden eagles workIng to- to together together gether pulled down an and killed a horn antelope during se severe seere ere wInter weather when other food was as scarce l he sill III kill 1111 ln and eat coyotes caught In trape and will also steal stell the bait when wolf haps flaps are halted baited with meat es and wild ducks duch and an occa occa- occa occasional goose also may figure In their diet Hawk Tribe Always Hunted TIle The hand of civilized man has been raised universally sally against the hawk wk tribe and birds of this gt gi al ate e shot shotor shotor or otherwIse destro destroyed ed at e et op op- op opportunity It Is rare Indeed for hawks to come within gun range of a hunter wIthout receiving a charge of shot and the they are killed to In many localities loc by setting steel traps on the tops of posts or poles that the birds utilIze as perches I The majestic bald eagle our national bird has fallen under the displeasure of some farmers and has s been rather relentlessly hunted Bird losers ers have taken up the fight on behalf of thIs great bird of free free- freedom dom declarIng that he has been mis- mis misrepresented represented and that hIs occasIOnal thefts of poultry me ate more than offset by sere Ices In keeping our beaches clean of de Id fish The and appearance of hawks and other birds and cel tain of theIr anatomical features were ere use used by the tho augurs of ancient Rome nome in their prophecIes of the future A more practical use of these bit birds Is was found among the North American Indians pm Pat of the PlaIns and aDd Pueblo groups when hen beautiful bc headdresses were ere made from flom the large feathers of the golden eagle an and other orna- orna ornaments meats ments and decorations were fashioned from time the smaller feathers feather of this bird and from the feathers of hawks ha The Tho downy bases of the eagle feathers sometimes were 1 twisted Ister In strands that were woven oven into feather blankets of a peculiar and interesting type Hawks Hawk and eagle claws were used to make necklaces and other decorations |