ROYAL OR GOLDEN EAGLE. 63 



ed Vulture in his cadaverous repast. After this gorg- 

 ing meal the Eagle can, if necessary, fast for several 

 days. The precarious nature of his subsistence, and 

 the violence by which it is constantly obtained, seems 

 to produce a moral effect on the disposition of this rapa- 

 cious bird ; though in pairs, they are never seen associ- 

 ated with their young ; their offspring are driven forth 

 to lead the same unsocial, wandering life, as their un- 

 feeling progenitors. This harsh and tyrannical disposi- 

 tion is strongly displayed, even when they lead a life of 

 restraint and confinement. The weaker bird is never 

 willingly suffered to eat a single morsel ; and though he 

 may cower and quail under the blow, with the most ab- 

 ject submission, the same savage deportment continues 

 towards him as long as he exists. Those which I have 

 seen in confinement frequently uttered hoarse and stridu- 

 lous cries, sometimes almost barkings, accompanied by 

 vaporous breathings, strongly expressive of their ardent, 

 unquenchable, and savage appetites. Their fire-dart- 

 ing eyes, lowering brows, flat foreheads, restless disposi- 

 tion, and terrific plaints, together with their powerful nat- 

 ural weapons, seem to assimilate them to the tiger rather 

 than the timorous bird. Yet it would appear that they may 

 be rendered docile, as the Tartars (according to Marco 

 Paulo in 1269) were said to train this species to the 

 chase of hares, foxes, wolves, antelopes, and other kinds 

 of large game, in which it displayed all the docility of the 

 Falcon. The longevity t)f the Eagle is as remarkable 

 as its strength ; it is believed to subsist for a century, 

 and is about 3 years in gaining its complete growth and 

 fixed plumage. This bird was held in high estimation 

 by the ancients on account of its extraordinary magni- 

 tude, courage, and sanguinary habits. The Romans 

 chose it as an emblem for their imperial standard ; and 



