EAGLE. 



363 



in numbers, so that they sometimes lie scattered round 

 the tree, and the putrid smell of the nest may be dis- 

 tinguished at the distance of several hundred yards. 

 The young- are at first covered with a thick whitish 

 or cream-coloured cottony down ; they gradually 

 become of a grey colour as their plumage developes 

 itself, continue of the brown grey until the third year, 

 when the white begins to make its appearance on the 

 head, neck, tail-coverts, and tail,; these by the end 

 of the fourth year are completely white, or very 

 slightly tinged with cream ; the eye, also, is at first 

 hazel, but gradually brightens into a brilliant straw 

 colour, with the white plumage of the head. Such, 

 indeed, was the gradual progress of this change, wit- 

 nessed by myself on a very fine specimen brought up 

 by a gentleman, a friend of mine, who, for a conside- 

 rable time, believed it to be what is usually called 

 the grey eagle, and was much surprised at the gradual 

 metamorphosis. This will account for the circum- 

 stance, so frequently observed, of the grey and white- 

 headed eagle being see a together, both being, in fact, 

 ihe same species, in different stages of colour, accord- 

 ing to their difference of age. 



" The flight of the bald eagle, when taken into 

 consideration with the ardour and energy of his cha- 

 racter, is noble and interesting. Sometimes the 

 human eye can just discern him, like a minute*speck, 

 moving in slow curvatures along the face of the 

 heavens, as if reconnoitering the earth at that immense 

 distance. Sometimes he glides along in a direct hori- 

 zontal line, at a vast height, with expanded and 

 unrnoving wings, till he gradually disappears in the 

 distant blue ether. Seen gliding in easy circles over 

 the high shores and mountainous cliffs that tower 

 above the Hudson and Susquehannah, he attracts the 

 eye of the intelligent voyager, and adds great interest 

 to the scenery. At the great cataract of Niagara, 

 already mentioned, there rises from the gulf into 

 which the Falls of the Horse-shoe descends, a stupen- 

 dous column of smoke, or spray, reaching to the 

 heavens, and moving off in large black clouds, accord- 

 ing to the direction of the wind, forming a very strik- 

 ing and majestic appearance. The eagles are here 

 seen sailing about, sometimes losing themselves in 

 this thick column, and again reappearing in another 

 place, with such ease and elegance of motion, as 

 renders the whole truly sublime. 



High o'er the watery uproar, silent seen, 

 Sailing sedate in majesty serene, 

 Now 'midst the pillar'd spray sublimely lost, 

 And DOW, emerging, down the Rapids tost, 

 Glides the bald eagle, gazing, calm and slow, 

 O'er all the horrors of the scene below ; 

 Intent alone to sate himself with blood, 

 Prom the torn victims of the raging flood. 



" The white-headed eagle is three feet long, and 

 seven feet in extent ; the bill is of a rich yellow 

 cere the same, slightly tinged with green ; mouth 

 flesh-coloured, tip of the tongue, bluish black ; the 

 head, chief part of the neck, vent, tail-coverts, anc 

 tail, are white in the perfect or old birds of both 

 sexes, in those under three years of age, these parts 

 are of a grey brown ; the rest of the plumage is deef 

 dark brown, each feather tipt with pale brown, lightest 

 on the shoulder of the wing, and darkest towards its 

 extremities. The conformation of the wing is admi- 

 rably adapted for the support of so large a bird ; i 

 measures two feet in breadth on the greater quills, anc 

 sixteen inches on the lesser ; the longest primaries 

 are twenty inches in length, and upwards of one inct 



n circumference where they enter the skin ; the 

 broadest secondaries are three'inchcs in breadth across 

 he vane ; the scapulars are very large and broad, 

 ipreading from the back to the wing, to prevent the 

 air from passing through ; another range of broad flat 

 eathers, from three to ten inches in length, also 

 extend from the lower part of the breast to the wing 

 >elow, for the same purpose ; between these lies a 

 deep triangular cavity ; the thighs are remarkably 

 ;hick, strong and muscular, covered with long feathers 

 lointing backwards, usually called the femoral feathers ; 

 :he legs, which are covered half way below the knee, 

 aefore, with dark brown downy feathers, are of a rich 

 yellow, the colour of ripe Indian corn ; feet the same ; 

 claws blue black, very large and strong, particularly 

 the inner ones, which are considerably the largest ; 

 soles, very rough and warty ; the eye is sunk under 

 a bony, or cartilaginous projection, of a pale yellow 

 colour, and is turned considerably fotwards, not stand- 

 ing parallel with the cheeks ; the iris is of a bright 

 straw colour, pupil black. 



" The male is generally two or three inches shorter 

 than the female ; the white on the head, neck, and 

 tail being more tinged with yellowish, and its whole 

 appearance less formidable ; the brown plumage is 

 also lighter, and the bird itself less daring than the 

 female, a circumstance common to almost all birds 

 of prey. 



" The bird from which the foregoing description 

 was taken, was shot near Great Egg Harbour, in the 

 month of January. It was in excellent order, and 

 weighed about eleven pounds. Dr. Samuel B. Smith, 

 of this city, obliged me with a minute arid careful dis- 

 section of it ; from whose copious and very interest- 

 ing notes on the subject, I shall extract such remarks 

 as are suited to the general reader. 



" The eagle you sent me for dissection was a beau- 

 tiful female. It had two expansions of the gullet. 

 The first principally composed of longitudinal bundles 

 of fibre, in which (as the bird is ravenous and without 

 teeth) large portions of unmasticated meats are suffered 

 to dissolve before they pass to the lower or proper 

 stomach, which is membranous. I did not receive 

 the bird time enough to ascertain whether any chyle- 

 faction was effected by the juices from the vessels ot 

 this enlargement of the esophagus. I think it proba- 

 ble that it also has a regurgitating, or vomiting power, 

 as the bird constantly swallows large quantities of 

 indigestible substances, such as quills, hairs, &c. In 

 this sac of the eagle, I found the quill-feathers of the 

 small white gull ; and in the true stomach the tail and 

 some of the breast feathers of the same bird, and the 

 dorsal vertebrae of a large fish. This excited some 

 surprise, until you made me acquainted with the fact 

 of its watching the fish-hawks, and robbing them of 

 their prey. Thus we see, throughout the whole 

 empire of animal life, power is almost always in a 

 state of hostility to justice ; and of the Deity only 

 can it be truly said that justice is commensurate with 

 power ! 



" The eagle has the several auxiliaries to digestion 

 and assimilation in common with man. The liver was 

 unusually large in your specimen. It secretes bile, 

 which stimulates the intestines, prepares the chyle 

 for blood, and by this very secretion of bile (as it is a 

 deeply respiring animal), separates or removes some 

 obnoxious principles from the blood. (See Dr. Rush's 

 admirable lecture on this important viscus in the 

 human subject.) The intestines were also large, 



