64 



BIRDS OF PREY. 



from its aspiring flight and majestic soaring, it was fabled 

 to hold communion with heaven, and to be the favorite 

 messenger of Jove. The Tartars have a particular esteem 

 for the feathers of the tail, with which they supersti- 

 tiously think to plume invincible arrows. It is no less 

 the venerated War-Eagle of our northern and western 

 aborigines ; and the caudal feathers are extremely valu- 

 ed for talismanic head-dresses, and as sacred decora- 

 tions for the Pipe of Peace. 



The Eagle appears to be more abundant around Hud- 

 son's Bay than in the United States ; but they are not 

 unfrequent in the great plains of the Mississippi and 

 Missouri, as appears from the frequent use of the feath- 

 ers by the natives. The wilderness seems their favorite 

 resort, and they neither crave nor obtain any advantage 

 from the society of man. Attached to the mountains in 

 which they are bred, it is a rare occurrence to see the 

 iEagle in this vicinity ; and, as with some other birds, 

 it would appear that the young only are found in the 

 United States, while the old remain in Labrador and 

 the northern regions. The lofty mountains of New 

 Hampshire afford suitable situations for the eyry of the 

 Eagle, over whose snow-clad summits he is seen majes- 

 tically soaring in solitude and grandeur. A young bird 

 from this region, which I have seen in a state of domesti- 

 cation, showed considerable docility. He had, however, 

 been brought up from the nest, in which he was found 

 in the month of August ; he appeared even playful, turn- 

 ing his head about in a very antic manner as if desirous 

 to attract attention ; still his glance was quick and fiery. 

 When birds were given to him, he plumed them very 

 clean before he began his meal, and picked the subject 

 to a perfect skeleton. 



