CHAPTER XXVIII 



Birds of Prey 



THE great woods and mountains of Europe, Asia and Africa are 

 tlie home of the golden eagle. He is considered the noblest in 

 all the family of birds, both on account of his size and of his 

 proud upright bearing and the fiery light in his big, bright eyes. Even 

 when at rest he appears the king of birds, but his superior powers are 

 seen at their best when he is soaring in vast circles high up in the blue 

 sky. He spends hours there, apparently in idle sport, and with no 

 visible movement of his wings. The golden eagle is a handsome 

 bird, large, strong and remarkably sharp-sighted, and surpassed by 

 no other bird in his power of scenting out his prey. He can adjust 

 his eyes to any distance, the muscles about them allowing him to move 

 the lens forward and backward so that he can see with equal distinct- 

 ness objects near at hand as well as those at an incredible distance. 

 By this arrangement the "eagle eye" of this king of birds can spy out 

 the tiniest prey when he is circling through the air or perched on the 

 mountain tops. He shows his great strength in times of assault 

 when he is seemingly not frightened by any resistance. Nothing 

 from a fawn to a hare or a rabbit is secure from his claws. Bustard, 

 swan, and wild goose fall as his prey as well as much smaller birds. 

 At the very gate of the sheepfold he carries off goats and lambs, even 

 the biting marten as well as the sly fox is caught. Dogs, cats, tiny 

 rodents, rats and mice all fear him. Neither the fleetest among the 

 quadrupeds nor the swiftest winged among the birds can escape him, if 

 he has caught sight of them. The right of the strongest allows him 

 often to snatch away the hawk's latest prey, or tear away a dove from 

 the claws of a falcon. In March the golden eagle begins his courting. 

 He builds his eyrie on some unapproachable rock or crag in the moun- 

 tains or on the topmost branch of a tree. The foundation of the nest 

 is of branches, the inner walls are of hair, heather and grass. The 



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