THE EALD-IIEADED AMERICAN EAGLE. 3 



of the great river Vv-as covered with large flocks of 

 waterfowl, who liad quitted the northern seas and the 

 great frozen lakes, to seek a milder refuge in the 

 temperate climates of our Southern States. On a 

 sudden, one of my men pointed to one of the top- 

 most branches of an oak, where a gigantic eagle was 

 perched, whose watchful eye appeared to look ai'ar, 

 and who seemed to hear every sound. A moment 

 afterwards, the otlier boatmen pointed out, on the 

 opposite bank of the Mississippi, the consort of this 

 eagle, perched as her spouse v*^as, and seeming as if 

 she were persuading him not to abandon his post, 

 by ever and anon uttering sharp, piercing screams, 

 which echoed along the banks of the stream. At 

 this signal, the male bird flapped his wings, and 

 answered by similar cries, which resembled the 

 laugh of a maniac more than anything else. 

 Resting upon their oars, my negroes allowed the 

 boat to float with the stream, whilst J. examined 

 the eagles attentively, and observed that they 

 allowed myriads of ducks and teal to swim by, as il' 

 they were food quite unworthy of tlieir stomachs, as 

 I very soon understood from what ensued. At length 

 my ears were aware of a piercing scream ; it was 

 that of the female ; and at the same moment I 

 heard, like the hoarse sound of a clarion, the cr\ 

 of a flock of swans, flying southward througl. 

 space. Looking towards the north, up the stream, I 

 soon perceived the snowy-plumed travellers, beatin^. 



E 2 



