GREAT EAGLE-OWL. 435 



raven, the adjutant, the golden eagle, or the eagle- 

 owl, you perceive something in their aspect and de- 

 meanour that inspires a certain kind of respect ; and 

 although you may not feel inclined to make obeisance 

 to these chiefs of their respective families, you acknow- 

 ledge that they are worthy of the homage of their own 

 kind. 



The bird of which I speak, when a stranger was in- 

 troduced to it, depressed its head, threw out its fea- 

 thers by inflating its skin, opened its bill, stared with 

 expanded pupils, and emitted at intervals a hissing 

 sound, strongly resembling that of an offended cat. 

 By these actions it no doubt expressed its dislike, ap- 

 prehension, alarm, or defiance. All that came were 

 received in the same manner, and certainly the bird 

 was right, for all were its enemies. In this mood it 

 would stand, inflated with anger, its wings partially 

 raised, its large brilliant eyes glaring from the midst 

 of the great mass of feathers, and following all your 

 motions. In attending to its supposed enemy, it al- 

 ways moved its head directly towards him, and did not 

 seem capable of casting a sidelong glance, or of being 

 satisfied with seeing on one side only ; in which respect 

 it differed from the eagles and other falconine birds. 

 If irritated still more, it snapped its bill at intervals, 

 sometimes twice or thrice in rapid succession, and 

 hissed vehemently. It then began to move its head 

 to either side, in a singular and somewhat ludicrous 

 manner, fixing its gaze on some particular spot, to 

 which it flew for safety. If touched with a stick, it 

 leaped aside with alacrity, and seized it in its bill. 

 When gently treated, however, it would allow a per - 



