THE EAGLE. 133 



from a tuft of hair which grows below its beak. From wing to 

 wing, this bird measures eight feet, four inches: and from the tip 

 of his tail to the point of his beak, when dead, four feet, seven 

 inches. The weight of the one described by Mr. Bruce was twen- 

 ty-two pounds ; his middle elaw was about two inches and a half 

 in length. 



Of all known birds, the eagle not only flies the highest, but also 

 with the greatest rapidity. To this circumstance there are several 

 striking allusions in the sacred volume. Among the evils threat- 

 ened to the Israelites in case of their disobedience, the prophet 

 names one in the following terms : * The Lord shall bring a nation 

 against thee from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the ea- 

 gle flieth,' Deut. xxviii. 49. The march of Nebuchadnezzar against 

 Jerusalem, is predicted in the same terms : * Behold, he shall come 

 up as clouds, and his chariots as a whirlwind: his horses are swift- 

 er than eagles,' (Jer. iv. 13); as is, also, his invasion of Moab : 'For 

 thus saith the Lord, Behold, he shall fly as an eagle, and shall 

 spread his wings over Moab,' (chap, xlviii. 40) ; i. e. he shall settle 

 down on the devoted country, as an eagle over its prey. See also, 

 Lam. iv. 19 ; Hos. viii. 1 ; Hab. i. 8* 



Of all birds, the eagle has the quickest eye ; but his sense of 

 smelling is not so acute. He never pursues his prey, therefore, ex- 

 cept when in sight; but, having once obtained a view of it, such is 

 the rapidity of his movement, that certain destruction ensues. To 

 this Job alludes, in expressing the rapid flight of time: 'My days 

 are swifter than a post : they flee away, they see no good. They 

 are passed away as the swift ships ; as the eagle that hasteth to the 

 prey,' Job ix. 25, 26. 



In general, these birds are found in mountainous and ill-peopled 

 countries, and breed among the loftiest cliffs. Hence the sublime 

 language of the prophet, in allusion to the pride and degradation of 

 Moab : ' Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou 

 set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down saith 

 the Lord,' (Obad. ver. 4) ; and also of Jeremiah, with reference to 

 the neighboring country of Edom : ' Thy terribleness hath deceiv- 

 ed thee, and the pride of thine heart. O ! thou that dwellest in the 

 clefts of the rock, that boldest the height of the hill: though thou 

 shouldst make thy nest as high as the eagle, I will bring thee down 

 from thence, saith the Lord,' ch. xlix. 16." Instead of the cleft of the 

 rock, the eagle sometimes chooses the lofty cedar as the place of 

 his residence ; a circumstance not overlooked in the sacred volume : 

 'A great eagle with great wings, long- winged, full of feathers, 

 which had divers colors, came unto Lebanon, and took the highest 

 branch of the cedar,' Ezekiel xvii. 3. 



The eagle, it is said, lives to a great age : and, like other birds of 

 prey, sheds his feathers in the beginning of spring. After this sea- 

 son, he appears with fresh strength and vigor, and his old age as^ 

 sumes the appearance of youth. To this David alludes, when grate-, 

 fiilly reviewing the mercies of Jehovah ; 'Who satisfieth thy mouth 

 12 



