Evening star., 1944-08-19
This and That
By Charles E. Truce1Deu.

The adventure Of finding a bald eagle
egg intact in the woods Is an unusual
one, but was experienced the other dav
by resident of a rural route near
Vienna, Va
Mrs. E. S. L. of RID found one large
off-Whlte egg, and Immediately called
us to find out what 1t was.
The egg, she reported, measured 81l
inches clear around the long way, and
73s inches around the middle. It
weighed ounces.
Our guess, sight unseen, was either a
duck egg, a goose egg or an eagle egg,
but we advised her to take it to the New
National Museum.
This she did, during the lunch hour,
and had the satisfaction of matching it
up, with the aid OF the ornithologists
there.
1t was undoubtedly the egg of the bald
eagle, symbol of our Nations freedom.
There have been few bald eagles
around Washington in recent years, and
those few along and close to the Poto-
mac, since these birds feed largely on
fish
AT one time some of the baldies neSted
near Great Falls, and every day would
fly over to the Zoo and perch atop the
cage OF eagles, and there appeared to
be talking to the penned specimens.
The bald eagle was adopted as the
national symbol by act of Congress of
June 20, 1882
Benjamin Franklin was in favor OF
the wild turkey, and many favored it
h1rf ha Io1
selected, because of it's noble appearance
and mastery of the air
How prophetic that was, that such a
wonderful flyer should have been
adopted so long ago!
Mastery of the air is now ours, and
it still keeps our freedom safe.
Though the bald eagle will eat carrion,
1t feeds largely on fish, and some water
birds. The latter it often pursues SO
relentlessly that it causes them to dive
repeatedly, until the bird is able to dive
no more, and is captured through sheer
exhaustion.
The eagle is a mighty fighter. Ac-
counts OF a bald eagle caught in bear
trap revealed that the great bird stood
on one leg, and fought off all efforts to
release it, so that there was nothing for
Its captors to do except kill it.
1hey had no gun, and were forced
to club 1t to death. Every time it was
Knocked down, it came back up again
on Its leg which had not been caught
by the trap, and struck valiantlv with
its great bill.
TO the end" goes the account, che
was f1ercely defiant. Such picture as
be made OF indomitable courage, per
slstent to the last, I never saw"
That Is Americas bald eagle, worthy
symbol through the ages.
The nest is often very elaborate. as
much as feet across, and some l2 feet
in height. Usually two eggs are laid.
occasionally three, and sometimes one
Sometimes cliff sides are used for nest
ing, and now and then the eggs will be
laid on the ground, but not often.
1t is said that when two eggs are laid,
one is always larger than the other. A
month is required for incubation. Both
parents share in it. Two and a half
months is necessary to put the baby
eagles on their own, and during this
time both parents take the best care
of them.
During the first year the young eagles
are larger than their parents. They do
not assume the adult plumage for three
years.
The male is 80 to IS inches long, the
female "a to 43 inches. The wing spread
Is from 61a feet to nearly feet, making
1t one OF our most majestic birds. The
plumage. is dark brown, but the imma-
ture forms are very dark, almost black.
These immature forms are so different
In coloring thai. they have been mistaken
for other species, and have at various
times been called black eagles, gray
eagles and Washington eagles. 1t was a
young one which fooled Audubon, so
that he named it Bird of Washington, "