| Show about ea le s ire I 1 k W W v ak A I 1 0 y I 1 0 at t 4 ai Z av s lethal talons of the american bald eagle prepared by Nat national lonal G So clotY washington D Q service U AGLES usually nest in out of EAGLES the way places but recently E two american eagles were discovered housekeeping only 80 30 miles from baltimore accustomed to living in the vicinity of water they selected a tall pine tree near the SIa gothy river as the site bite for an immense in nest building a huge structure of sticks at considerable height from the ground several large white eggs were laid and the two birds took turns turna remaining on the nest for the months period of incubation an enthusiastic ornithologist who scaled the tree numerous times was fortunate enough to observe the two young eaglets from the time they were hatched until they flew away eleven weeks later eagles and their many relatives among the hawks and vultures are distributed tri buted throughout the world except over the open seas the barren antarctic continent and the smallest and most isolated of oceanic islands wherever found they appeal even to the novice in knowledge of things outdoors because of their manner of life and predatory habits robust of form and strong in flight they are remarked at every appearance the emblem of the Su merlan city of hagash in the third millennium before the christian era was an eagle which was engraved on the tablets and seals of the leaders and was carried as a military standard by the army arm Y an eagle also appeared on the sea seal of the king of ur and continued in double headed form in hittite art on certain coins of the edans on the flags of princes and so on into modern times the eagle symbol Is probably derived from forms similar to our golden eagles or closely allied to that species as several species of that type are found in the regions mentioned messenger of zeus to early greeks the eagle was the messenger of zeus and the only bird that dwelt in heaven a fancy based perhaps on the highflying high flying powers of these birds A silver eagle standing on a spear was placed on the military standards of the legions of rome and this emblem has been used widely as a conventional badge of military power today it Is a common decoration on flagstaffs flag staffs in many countries an american species of this group the bald eagle Is found in the design of the coat of arms of the united states appears on the great seal A representation of it la Is blazoned on many of our coins and decorations it also appears on the presidents flag and on the presidents seal real in the bronze plate on the floor of the vestibule of the white house tho the fierce harpy eagle a bird of dauntless courage called by the azteca aztecs the winged wolf olf Is engraved on tile the official coat of arms and seal of mexico and appears on the flag of that country it li Is distinguishable from our species by its prominently crested head the eagles and their kin form the group of birds of the order of pat fal formes ormes which includes about distinct species with many additional geographic races so that in all there are recognized somewhat more than living forms the order Is divided into four principal families the eagles hawks kites and their relatives forming the family dae include the largest number of forms they are mainly birds of medium to large size with broad wings strong legs feet armed with sharp claws and strongly hooked bills many possess light colored eyes which with their active interest in any movement that might indicate possible prey give them a fierce and aggressive gres sive appearance their methods of flight flight in vie lie haNkI Ike birds varies considerably according to the kind eagles the large hawks haaks and the vultures both of the new and old worlds have broad wings which they flap slowly frequently they soar boar with set wings utilizing air currents rising irom rom the heated surface of the earth ir r currents generated by winds these frequently soar for hours with ic arcely a wing beat turning and wheeling in the sky often at such altitudes that they appear as mere decks against the blue the turkey vulture Is a well known species that Is particularly adept in this art in fact it finds this method of progression so adapted to its needs that frequently it remains in its lt roost through the day when the air Is heavy and still the falcons have longer more pointed wings that enable them to fly with great speed and though they may enjoy soaring they do not practice this so constantly as the other hawks the larger species can capture the swiftest flying sandpipers sand pipers and ducks on the wing without the slightest difficulty the food of birds of the hawk group Is highly varied though it la Is taken entirely from tho 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 hawks and falconett fal conets eat lIz blizzards grasshoppers and other insects and mice the bearded vultures of 0 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 they break open so that the bird can eat the marrow some species of hawks particularly certain forms that range in tho the tropics eat snakes as their principal food there Is one group of species found in india and adjacent regions in which this habit babit Is so constant that vie birds are known as serpent eagles the osprey and some of the sea eagles confine their attention mainly to fish which they capture alive by plunging after them as they approach the surface of the water wafer the powerful harpy eagle feeds regularly on monkeys the golden eagle one of the most powerful of american birds of prey has a varied menu where prairie dogs are present in large numbers these are favored food a pair of eagles will destroy several hundred in the course of a season at times they turn to sharp tailed grouse when these tire are abundant proving a scourge to the flocks jack rabbits cottontails cotton tails mar and ground squirrels are killed in large numbers in winter when other food Is sc scarce alree they may come to dead carcasses being sometimes hard put irk in severe weather when the meat Is frozen even with the great streng strength that they possess in bill and feet they also attack lambs and fawns on occasion and one observer records that three golden eagles working together pulled down and killed a pronghorn antelope during severe winter weather when other food was scarce they will kill and eat coyotes caught in traps and will also steal the bait when wolf traps are baited with meat snakes and wild ducks and an occasional goose also may figure in their diet hawk tribe always alway hunted the hand of civilized man has been raised universally against the hawk tribe and birds of this group are shot or otherwise destroyed at every opportunity port unity it Is rare indeed for han hawks ks to come within gun range of a hunter without receiving a charge of shot and they are killed in many localities by setting steel traps on the tops of posts or poles that the birds utilize as perches the majestic bald eagle our national bird has bag fallen under the displeasure of some farmers and has been rather relentlessly hunted bird lovers have taken up the fight on behalf of this great bird of freedom declaring that he be has been misrepresented and that big occasional thefts of poultry are more than offset by services in keeping our beaches clean of 0 dead fish the flight and appearance of hawks and other birds and certain of their anatomical features were used by the tha augurs of ancient rome in their prophecies of the future A more practical use of these birds was found among the north american Ind indians lans particularly of the plains and pueblo groups when beautiful he addresses were made from the large feathers of the golden eagle and other ornaments and decorations were fashioned from the smaller feathers of this ibis bird and from the feathers of hawks tho the downy bases of the eagle feathers sometimes were twisted in strands that were vero woven into feather blankets of a peculiar and interesting type haks haw kg ind and eagle claws were used to make necklaces and other decorations decoration |
