276 HISTORY OF THE 



rivers within the United States, and northward. In build and 

 habits it is closely allied to the Buteo family, and has none of 

 the daring dash of the Accipiter or Falcon tribes, and lacks the 

 courage of the Golden Eagle, If the founders of our nation 

 had known the habits of this scavenger and piratical bird, they 

 would never have selected it as a symbol, but, rather, the bold, 

 self-reliant Golden Eagle. In the air, it is indeed a graceful and 

 magnificent bird, and with its powerful build and proud appear- 

 ance, the}^ were naturally led to look upon it as the embodiment 

 of courage and perfection. Kespecting the habits of the Bald 

 Eagle, Dr. Brewer says: 



"The Bald Eagle appears to be equally well adapted by 

 nature for the endurance of heat or cold, and is apparently in- 

 different to either. Its residence is influenced only by its abund- 

 ance of food, especially that of fish; and seems to matter very 

 little whether that plenty is procurable within the Arctic circle, 

 or on the coast and rivers of Florida and Texas. In places like 

 the falls of Niagara, where the stream is ever liable to contrib- 

 ute the remains of animals destroyed by the descent of the tor- 

 rent, this Eagle is especially abundant. Unscrupulous, greedy, 

 voracious, not select in its choice of food, and capable of pro- 

 viding for itself when necessity compels, we find this not alto- 

 gether unsuitable emblem of our country now enacting the tyrant 

 and robber, and plundering the Fish Hawk of the fruits of its 

 industry, now sharing with the Raven and the Yulture the dead 

 salmon of the Columbia, and in other places diving for and 

 catching its own fish. The impetuosity and skill with which it 

 pursues, overtakes and robs the Fish Hawk, bearing off a fish it 

 has just taken, must be witnessed to be appreciated; and the 

 swiftness with which the Eagle can dart down upon and seize 

 the booty, which the Hawk has been compelled to let fall, be- 

 fore it reaches the water, is not the least wonderful feature of 

 this striking performance. On the banks of the Columbia, 

 where there are no Fish Hawks to depend upon, this bird finds 

 an easy subsistence on the vast numbers of dead and dying sal- 

 mon which abound." 



While these birds are rather indolent, and prefer to be rob- 



