48 



HABITS OF BIRDS. 



alluded to in the prophetical books of Scripture*. 

 Referring, for example, to the king of Babylon, 

 Hosea says, " he shall come as an eagle j-;" and 

 Ezekiel describes Nebuchadnezzar as u a great eagle, 

 with great wings, long-winged, full of feathers which 

 had divers colours ;" and the king of Egypt as 

 " another great eagle, with great wings and many 

 feathers J." It was, no doubt, on the same account 

 that the eagle was assigned in the ancient mytholo- 

 gies as the bird of Jove, a notion which Lucian 

 with his usual satire ridicules without mercy, making 

 Momus tell Jupiter he may think himself well off if 

 it do not take a fancy to build a nest on his head . 

 So far as size and appearance are concerned, as well 



Condor attacking a Puma. 



* Paxton, Illustr. of Script, ii. 13. f Hosea, viii. 1. 



J Ezek. xvii.3 7 ; and La Roque, Voyage. QMV ExxA^a, 



