THE EAGLE. 63 



They are equally remarkable, says Mr. Pennant, for their longevity, 

 and for their power of sustaining a long abstinence from food. One of 

 this species, which has now been nine years in the possession of Mr. 

 Oven Holland, of Conway, lived thirty-two years with the gentleman 

 who made him a present of it ; but what its age was when the lattei 

 received it from Ireland, is unknown. The same bird also furnishes 

 a proof of the truth of the other remark, having once, through the 

 neglect of servants, endured hunger for twenty-one days, without any 

 sustenance whatever. 



Those eagles which are kept tame, are fed with every kind of flesh, 

 whether fresh or corrupting ; and when there is a deficiency of that, 

 bread, or any other provision, will suffice. It is very dangerous ap- 

 proaching them if not quite tame ; and they sometimes send forth a 

 loud piercing lamentable cry, which renders them still more formidable. 

 The eagle drinks but seldom, and perhaps when at liberty, not at all, 

 as the blood of its prey serves to quench its thirst. The eagle's ex- 

 crements are always soft and moist, and tinged with that whitish sub- 

 stance which, as was said before, mixes in birds with the urine. 



Such are the general characteristics and habitudes of the eagle ; 

 however, in some these habitudes differ, as the Sea Eagle and the 

 Osprey live chiefly upon fish, and consequently build their nests on 

 the sea-shore, and by the sides of rivers on the ground among reeds ; 

 and often lay three or four eggs, rather less than those of a hen, of a 

 white elliptical form. They catch their prey, which is chiefly fish, by 

 darling down upon them from above. The Italians compare the vio- 

 lent descent of these birds on their prey, to the fall of lead into water; 

 and call them aquila piombina, or the Leaden Eagle. 



iNor is the Bald Eagle, which is an inhabitant of North Carolina, less 

 remarkable for habits peculiar to itself. These birds breed in that 

 country all the year round. When the eaglets are just covered with 

 down, and a sort of white woolly feathers, the female eagle lays 

 again. These eggs are left to be hatched by the warmth of the young 

 ones that continue in the nest, so that the flight of one brood makes 

 room for the next that are but just hatched. These birds fly very 

 heavily, so that they cannot overtake their prey, like others of the 

 same denomination. To remedy this, the}' often attend a sort of fish- 

 ing-nawk, which they pursue, and strip the plunderer of its prey. 

 This is the more remarkable, as this hawk flies swifter than they. 

 These eagles also generally attend upon fowlers in the winter, and 

 when any birds are wounded, they are sure to be seized by the eagle, 

 though they may fly from the fowler. This bird will often steal young 

 pigs, and carry them alive to the nest, which is composed of twigs, 

 sticks, and rubbish ; it is large enough to fill the body of a cart, and 

 is commonly full of bones half ealen, and putrid flesh, the stench of 

 which is intolerable. 



The distinctive marks of each species are as follow: 



The golden eagle : of a tawny, iron colour; the head and neck of 

 a reddish iron ; the tail feathers of a dirty white, marked with cross 

 bands of tawny iron ; the legs covered with tawny iron feathers. 



The common eagle: of a brown colour; the head and upper part 

 of the neck inclining to red ; the tail feathers white, blackening al the 



