tcttanarj? of 3mmatcfr 



207 



mount above the other, displaying in the 

 rencontre the most elegant and sublime 

 aerial evolutions. The unincumbered Eagle 

 rapidly advances, and is just on the point of 

 reaching his opponent, when, with a sudden 

 scream, probably of despair and honest exe- 

 cration, the latter drops his fish : the Eagle, 

 poising himself for a moment, as if to take a 

 more certain aim, descends like a whirlwind, 

 snatches it in his grasp, ere it reaches the 

 water, and bears it silently away to the 

 woods." When this bird has fasted for some 

 time, its appetite is extremely voracious and 

 indiscriminate : even the most putrid carrion, 

 when nothing better can be had, is accept- 

 able. The nest of this species, formed of 

 large sticks, sods, moss, hay, &c., is usually 

 found in a lofty tree, in a swamp or morass ; 

 and as it is increased and repaired every 

 season, becomes of great size. Fish are daily 

 carried to the nest in such numbers, that they 

 sometimes lie scattered round the tree ; and 

 the odour is very offensive for a considerable 

 distance round it. 



EAGLE-OWL. (Bubo.) [See OWL.] 



EAR-SHELL. (Haliotis.) A genus of 

 univalve Mollusca, the shell being of a 

 flattened shape, perforated with small holes 

 on one side, and somewhat resembling the 

 human ear, its base being characterised by 

 a very wide mouth or aperture, the largest 

 in any shell except the Patella or Limpet. 

 This genus sometimes yields small pearls, 

 the rudiments of which are frequently seen 

 in those shells which have not brought them 

 to perfection. The outside is generally 

 rough, worn, or covered with marine sub- 

 stances ; the inside presents the same ena- 

 melled appearance as mother-of-pearl, and 

 exhibits the most beautiful colours. The 

 holes with which the shell is perforated are 

 for the passage of the lobes of the animal's 

 mantle, and are made at regular intervals 

 as it increases in size : when, however, a 

 new one is formed, the one nearest the spire 

 is closed up. The head of the animal is 



large, having two long round tentacula, with 

 eyes at the base on footstalks ; foot very 

 large, having the margin fringed all round. 

 In its state of rest, it is able to adhere with 

 such tenacity to the substance it is fixed 



upon as to be removed with great difficulty, 

 although it can detach itself with ease. It 

 is always found near the surface of the 

 water. There are several species of this 

 shell : the one termed the Great Ear-shell 

 is five inches long and nearly three wide ; 

 its shape is an irregular oval, the end 

 where the spiral turn is placed being the 

 largest. It is chiefly found in the East 



EARTHWORM. (Ziwn&ricM*.) An An- 

 nelide, of whioh there are doubtless many 

 species ; characterised by a long cylindrical 

 body, divided by transverse furrows into a 

 great number of rings, and by a mouth 

 without teeth : they have neither eyes, ten- 

 tacles, gills, nor cirrhi. The common well- 

 known species (Lumbricus terrestris) attains 

 nearly a foot in length, and is composed of 

 upwards of one hundred and twenty rings. 

 They are very abundant, piercing and tra- 

 versing the ground in every direction, subsist- 

 ing on roots, woody fibres, animal matter, 

 and other organized substances. It is well 

 known that they swallow earthy matter, and 

 that having separated the serviceable portion, 

 they eject at the mouth of their burrows the 

 remainder in little intestine-shaped heaps, 

 or worm-casts. 



Though a small and despised creature, the 

 Earthworm is a most important one in the 

 operations of nature. When it is boring, it 

 insinuates its pointed head between the 

 particles of the earth, amongst which it 

 penetrates like a wedge : and in this posi- 

 tion the anterior part of the body is fixed 

 by the spines, of which there are four pairs 

 on each segment : the hinder parts are then 

 drawn forwards by a shortening of the body ; 

 which swells out the anterior segments, and 

 forcibly dilates the passage into which the 

 head has been already thrust. By the frequent 

 repetition of this process, the little animal 

 more easily permeates hard substances than 

 could be possibly conceived ; and by the 

 united labours of myriads, the earth is 

 lightened, and vegetation thereby wonder- 

 fully assisted. Mr. Knapp, in his ' Journal of 

 a Naturalist,' thus speaks of the Earthworm: 

 "This animal, destined to be the natural 

 manurer of the soil, and the ready indicator 

 of an improved staple, consumes on the 

 surface of the ground, where they soon 

 would be injurious, the softer parts of de- 

 cayed vegetable matters, and conveys with 

 the soil the more woody fibres, where they 

 moulder, and become reduced to a simple 

 nutriment, fitting for living vegetation. The 

 parts consumed by them are soon returned 

 to the surface, whence, dissolved by frosts 

 and scattered by rains, they circulate again 

 in the plants of the soil 'death still pro- 

 ducing life.' Thus eminently serviceable as 

 the worm is, it yet becomes the prey of 

 various orders of the animal creation, and 

 perhaps is a solitary example of an individual 

 race being subjected to universal destruction. 

 The very emmet seizes it when disabled, 

 arid bears it away as its prize : it constitutes 

 throughout the year the food of many birds; 

 fishes devour it greedily ; the hedgehog eats 

 it ; the mole pursues it unceasingly in the 



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