Chap, o.] EAGLES. 485 



young. The ossifrage, however, a kindred species, takes charge 

 of the young ones thus rejected, and rears them with its own ; 

 but the parent bird still pursues them with hostility, even 

 when grown up, and drives them away, as being its rivals in 

 rapine. And indeed, under any circumstances, one pair of 

 eagles requires a very considerable space of ground to forage 

 over, in order to find sufficient sustenance ; for which reason 

 it is that they mark out by boundaries their respective allot- 

 ments, and seek their prey in succession to one another. They 

 do not immediately carry off their prey, but first deposit it on 

 the ground, and it is only after they have tested its weight 

 that they fly away with it. 



They die, not of old age, nor yet of sickness, or of hunger ; 

 but the upper part of the beak grows to such an extent, and 

 becomes so curved, that they are unable to open it. They 

 take the wing, and begin upon the labours of the chase at 

 mid-day ; sitting in idleness during the hours of the morning, 

 until such time as the places 30 of public resort are filled with 

 people. The feathers of the eagle, if mixed with those of 

 other birds, will consume them. 31 It is said that this is the 

 only bird that has never been killed by lightning ; hence it is, 

 that usage has pronounced it to be the armour-bearer of Jove. 



CHAP. 5. (4.) WHEN THE EAGLE WAS FIRST USED AS THE 

 STANDABD OF THE EOMAN LEGIONS. 



Caius Marius, in his second consulship, assigned the eagle 

 exclusively to the Roman legions. Before that period it had 

 only held the first rank, there being four others as well, the 

 wolf, the minotaur, the horse, and the wild boar, each of which 

 preceded a single division. 33 Some few years before his time 

 it had begun to be the custom to carry the eagle only into 

 battle, the other standards being left behind in camp ; Marius, 

 however, abolished the rest of them entirely. Since then, it 

 has been remarked that hardly ever has a Roman legion 

 encamped for the winter, without a pair of eagles making 

 their appearance at the spot. 



The first and second species of eagle, not only prey upon 



30 Fora. 



31 Albertus Magnus says that he knows this by actual experience : " credat 

 Jucheus." 



32 Ordiuem. 



