THE BALD EAGL £. 175 
Bald Eagle, the rest of his plumage being quite sim- 
ilar to that of his less dignified companions, but from 
whom he may be readily distinguished by the greater 
ease of his motions, as well as his more majestic ap- 
pearance. While the Turkey Buzzard sails in con- 
tracted circles, or swims off in a wide curve, the 
Eagle, as if conscious of his superiority, floats upon 
his unmoving wing as though he would compass in 
one vast sweep the broad expanse of Heaven; or 
sometimes, when at his greatest altitude, hardly ap- 
pearing as more than a black speck in the dim dis- 
tance, he will fold his wings and descend with the 
velocity of thought toward the earth, when suddenly 
unfurling his broad pinions, he checks his downward 
course, and glides off like an arrow to a distant 
quarter. 
The Eagles often resort to stratagem to secure their 
prey, being well aware that ducks, and other water- 
fowl on which they feed, can readily elude their erasp 
by diving beneath the water and again appearing 
above the surface at some distance. To meet this 
difficulty, they will hunt in pairs; and having dis- 
covered the object of their search, will ascend into 
the air in opposite directions until they have reached 
a considerable height, when one of them immediately 
glides with great swiftness toward the place where 
the bird is engaged quietly seeking its food; the 
latter, observing his intentions, dives the moment 
before he reaches the spot, but upon again rising to 
the surface he is met by the second Eagle, whose 
keen vision may have traced his course under the 
