28 THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 



position upon a branch or perch even whilst sleeping, and that in many instances the slumber- 

 ing bird retains its hold of the perch by a single foot, the other limb being drawn up and buried 

 in the feathers. As this grasp of the perch is clearly an involuntary one, it is evidently inde- 

 pendent of the mere will of the bird, and due to some peculiar formation. On removing the 

 skin from the leg of any bird, and separating the muscles from each other, the structure in 

 question is easily seen. The muscles which move the leg and foot, and the tendons which 

 form the attachment of the muscles to the bones, are so arranged, that whenever the bird 

 bends its leg the foot is forcibly closed, and is relaxed as soon as the leg is straightened. A 

 bird is totally unable to keep its foot open when its leg is bent, as may be seen by watching a 

 common fowl as it walks along, closing its toes as it lifts the foot from the ground, and spread- 

 ing them as they come to the ground again. It will be seen, therefore, that when a bird falls 

 asleep upon a branch, the legs are not only bent but pressed dowards by the weight of the 

 body, so that the claws hold the perch with an involuntary grasp, which is necessarily tight- 

 ened according to the depth of the bird's slumbers. When, therefore, an Eagle desires to 

 drive his talons into the body of his prey, he needs only to sink downwards with his whole 

 weight, and the forcible bending of the legs will effect the purpose without the necessity for any 

 muscular exertion. Exertion, indeed, is never needlessly used by the Eagle, for it is very 

 chary of exercising its great muscular powers, and unless roused by the sight of prey, or 

 pressed to fly abroad in search of food, will sit upon a tree or a point of rock for hours 

 together, as motionless as a stuffed figure. 



Voracious though it be, and capable of gorging itself to the full like any vulture, the 

 Eagle can sustain a prolonged fast from meat or drink ; and on one occasion, when wounded, 

 made voluntary abstinence for a fortnight before it would touch the food with which it was 

 liberally provided. 



THE first, and one of the finest, of these grand birds is the^vell-known GOLDEN EAGLE. 

 This magnificent bird is spread over a large portion of the world, being found in various parts 

 of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The color of this bird is a rich blackish-brown on the 

 greater part of the body, the head and neck being covered with feathers of a rich golden red, 

 which have earned for the bird its popular name. The legs and sides of the thighs are gray- 

 brown, and the tail is a deep gray, diversified with several regular, dark -brown bars. The 

 cere and the feet are yellow. In its immature state the plumage of the Golden Eagle is 

 differently tinged, the whole of the feathers being reddish-brown, the legs and sides of the 

 thighs nearly white, and the tail white for the first three-quarters of its length. So different 

 an aspect does the immature bird present, that it has been often reckoned as a separate species, 

 and named accordingly. It is a truly magnificent bird in point of size, for an adult female 

 measures about three feet six inches in length, and the expanse of her wings is nine feet. The 

 male is less by nearly six inches. 



The Golden Eagle is observed to frequent certain favorite haunts, and to breed regularly 

 in the same spot for a long series of years. Their nest is always made upon some elevated 

 spot, generally upon a ledge of rock, and is most inartistically constructed of sticks, which are 

 thrown apparently at random, and rudely arranged for the purpose of containing the eggs and 

 young. A neighboring ledge of rock is generally reserved for a larder, where the parent 

 Eagles store up the food which they bring from the plains below. The contents of this larder 

 are generally of a most miscellaneous description, consisting of hares, partridges, and game of 

 all kinds, lambs, rabbits, young pigs, fish, and other similar articles of food. An Eagle's nest 

 might therefore be supposed to be an unpleasant neighbor to the farmers, but it is said that 

 the birds respect the laws of hospitality, and, provided that they are left unmolested, 

 will spare the flocks of their immediate neighbors, and forage for food at a considerable 

 distance. 



In hunting for their prey, the Eagle and his mate mutually assist each other. It may 

 here be mentioned, that the Eagles are all monogamous, keeping themselves to a single mate, 

 and living together in perfect harmony through their lives. Should, however, one of them 

 die or be killed, the survivor is not long left in a state of widowhood, but vanishes from the 



