THE EAGLE. 



473 



are five kinds. The eagle kind, the hawk 

 kind, the vulture kind, the horned and the 

 screech owl kind. The distinctive marks of 

 this class are taken from their claws and beak: 

 their toes are separated : their legs are feather- 

 ed to the heel : their toes are four in number; 

 three before, one behind : their beak is short, 

 thick, and crooked. 



The eagle kind is distinguished from the 

 rest by his beak, which is straight till to- 

 wards the end, when it begins to hook down- 

 wards. 



The vulture kind is distinguished by the 

 head and neck ; which are without feathers. 



The hawk kind by the beak ; being hooked 

 from the very root. 



The horned owl by the feathers at the base 

 of the bill standing forwards ; and by some 

 feathers on the head that stand out, resembling 

 horns. 



The screech-owl by the feathers at the base 

 of the bill standing forward, and being with- 

 out horns. A description of one in each kind, 

 will serve for all the rest. 



CHAPTER LXXXII. 



THE EAGLE AND ITS AFFINITIES. 



THE Golden Eagle is the largest and the 

 noblest of all those birds that have received the 

 name of eagle. It weighs above twelve pounds. 

 Its length is three feet ; the extent of its wings, 

 seven feet four inches; the bill is three inches 

 long, and of a deep blue colour ; and die eye 

 of a hazel colour. The sight and sense of 

 smelling are very acute. The head and neck 

 are clothed with narrow sharp-pointed feathers, 

 and of a deep brown colour, bordered with 

 tawny ; but those on the crown of the head, 

 in very old birds, turn gray. The whole body, 

 above as well as beneath, is of a dark brown ; 

 and the feathers of the back are finely clouded 

 with a deeper shade of the same. The wings, 

 when clothed, reach to the end of the tail. 

 The quill-feathers are of a chocolate colour, 

 the shafts white. The tail is of a deep brown, 

 irregularly barred and blotched with an ob- 

 scure ash-colour, and usually white at the 

 roots of the feathers. The legs are yellow, 

 short, and very strong, being three inches in 

 circumference, and feathered to the very feet. 

 The toes are covered with large scales, and 

 armed with the most formidable claws, the 

 middle of which are two inches long 



In the rear of this terrible bird follow the 

 ring-tailed eagle, the common eagle, the bald 

 eagle, the white eagle, the kough footed eagle, 

 the erne, the black eagle, the osprey, the sea 

 eagle, and the crowned eagle. These, and 

 others that might be added, form different 



shades in this fierce family ; but have all the 

 same rapacity, the same general form, the 

 same habits, and the same manner of bringing 

 up their young. 



In general, these birds are found in moun- 

 tainous and ill-peopled countries, and breed 

 among the loftiest cliffs. They choose those 

 places which are remotest from man, upon 

 whose possessions they but seldom make 

 their depredations, being contented rather to 

 follow the wild game in the fdrest, than to 

 risk their safety to satisfy their hunger. 



This fierce animal may be considered 

 among birds as the lion among quadrupeds ; 

 and in many respects they have a strong 

 similitude to each other. They are both pos- 

 sessed of force, and an empire over their fellows 

 of the forest. Equally magnanimous, they 

 disdain smaller plunder ; and only pursue ani- 

 mals worthy the conquest. It is not till after 

 having been long provoked, by the cries of the 

 rook or the magpie, that this generous bird 

 thinks fit to punish them with death : the 

 eagle also disdains to share th plunder of 

 another bird ; and will take up with no other 

 prey but that which he has acquired by his 

 own pursuits. How hungry soever he may 

 be, he never stoops to carrion ; and when 

 satiated, he never returns to the same carcass, 

 but leaves it for other animals, more rapacious 

 and less delicate than he. Solitary, like the lion, 

 he keeps the desert to himself alone ; it is as 



