NATURAL HISTORY. 



563 



fount! in most parts of the Rocky 

 mountains, as well as in the wes- 

 tern and south-western moun- 

 tains. He is about the size of 

 the lark woodpecker, or turtle- 

 dove, although his wing& are 

 longer than the wings of either 

 of those birds : the beak is one 

 inch in length, black, curved at 

 the base, and sharply pointed : 

 the chaps are the same in length ; 

 around the base of the beak, in- 

 cluding the eye and a small part 

 of the throat, there is a fine crim- 

 son red : the neck, as low down 

 as the crop in front, is of an iion 

 gray : the belly and breast j)re- 

 eent a curious n)ixtare of white 

 and blood-ied, which has much 

 tlie appearance of paint, wliere 

 the red predominates : the toj) of 

 the head, back, sides, and upper 

 surface of the wings and tail, ex- 

 hibit the appearance of a glossy 

 green, in a certain exposure to 

 the light : the under side of the 

 wings and tail, is of a sooty black : 

 the tail is equipped with ten fea- 

 thers, sharply jtointed, and those 

 in the centre the longest, being 

 about two and a hali^ inches in 

 length : the tongiie is barbed and 

 pointed, and of an elastic am! 

 cartilaginous substance : tlie eye 

 is rather large, the pu]iil black, 

 and the iris of a dark and yellow- 

 ish brown: the bird in it^. actions 

 when flying, lesenibles the small 

 red-lieaded woodpecker conmion 

 to the United i^tates, and likewi^e 

 in its notes : the pointed tail ren- 

 ders esse)\tial service when tiie 

 bird is sitting in rctiining his 

 resting position against (he per- 

 piMKticular sides of a tiec : the 

 legs and feci arc black, and co- 

 vered with wide inibricate<l scales : 

 he has four toes on each foot, 



two in the rear and two in front, 

 the nails of which arc much curved 

 and pointed remarkably sharp : 

 he feeds on bugs and a variety of 

 insects. 



20. The calumet eagle some- 

 times inliabits this side of the 

 Rocky mountains, 'j'his infor- 

 mation Captain Lewis derived 

 from the natives, in whose pos- 

 session he had seen their plumage. 

 Tiicse are of tlie same species with 

 those of the Missouri, and are the 

 most beautiful of all the family of 

 eagles in America. The colours 

 are black and white, and beau- 

 tifully variegated. The tail fea- 

 thei'S, so highly prized by t!;e na- 

 tives, are composed of twelve 

 broad feathers of imequal length, 

 which are white, except within 

 two inches of their extremities, 

 where they immediately change 

 to a, jetty i)lack : ti>e wings have 

 each a huge circular white spot 

 in ihe middle, which is only visi- 

 ble wlien tliey are extended : (he 

 body is variously marked witii 

 black and white : in form they 

 resemble the bald eagle, Ijut they 

 are rather smaller, and fly with 

 nuich more rapidity. This biid 

 is feaicd by all Ids carnivorous 

 conijR'titors, who, on his ap- 

 pioach, leave the carcass in- 

 stantly, on which they had been 

 feeding. Tlie female breeds in 

 the mo-t inaccessible parts of the 

 mountains, where she makes her 

 summer residence, and descends 

 to tiie plains only in the fall and 

 winter seasons, 'ihe natives are 

 at tliis season on tiic v.atcii, and 

 so highly is this ])lumage p.izcd 

 by the M^ndans, the Minncta- 

 recs, and the Kicn-;i-, that the 

 tail feathers of t^\-o of tiicse eagles 

 will be purcliased bv the exchange 



2 O ■^ ' of 



