THE EAGLE. 563 
standards ; and even in modern times we find a representation of this 
bird filling the same emblematic post in the armies of several 
European nations. Some, as Austria, instead of ove Eagle, adopt 
¢zvo as their allusive emblazonry. 
In consequence of the Eagle mounting up to such prodigious 
heights the ancients looked upon it as the bird of Jupiter and the 
messenger of the gods. When Jove, after the withdrawal of Hebe, 
came down to earth to seek for another cup-bearer, he changed 
himself into an Eagle, and it was under this shape he carried off 
Ganymede. 
But we must leave mythology and symbols, and turn our attention 
to a matter-of-fact description of the great bird of prey. 
In the Eagle the sense of vision is developed to its very highest 
excellence. Contemplate him hovering majestically among the clouds, 
and you will be struck with admiration. By an imperceptible motion 
of his wings he maintains this prodigious height without fatigue. 
Perceiving a Hazel Hen on the heath below, he folds his wings, and in 
a few seconds drops down to within a short distance of the ground ; 
then, with his legs stiffened, he swoops upon his prey, seizes his 
victim, and carries it away to some adjacent mountain. 
The great strength of the muscles which work the wings of this 
bird (Fig. 259) wiil explain the power and long duration of its flight. 
The Eagle is endowed with such an enormous amount of muscular 
force, that it contends successfully against the most powerful winds. 
Raymond, the naturalist, who has been styled ‘the painter of the 
Pyrenees,” relates that, having reached the summit of Mont Perdu, 
the loftiest peak of that range, he perceived an eagle pass over him 
at surprising speed, although it was flying against a gale of wind. 
If to the weight of the body of the Eagle we add that of the victim 
which it clutches in its talons ; if we consider that this victim is often 
borne by it to considerable distances, and that the Eagle will thus 
cross the chain of the Alps ; if we also reflect that the prey is not 
unfrequently a chamois or a sheep, we shall be enabled to form some 
idea of its strength and muscular power. 
The size of the Eagle varies according to the race, but all attain 
imposing dimensions. The female of the Golden Eagle measures 
three feet nine inches from the tip of the beak to the points of the 
feet, and the spread of its wings is nearly ten feet. In the Imperial 
Eagle the spread of the wings is only six feet, and in the small 
Marine Eagle four feet four inches. 
It has been stated that the Eagle can travel sixty-five feet in a. 
second, which would give a speed of forty-four miles an hour; but 
