BIRDS. 



513 



one can tell it, had his long, curved talons driven clear through the unfor- 

 tunate pussy, while the strong, hooked beak was almost instantly employed 

 in tearing off the head. The cat had only time to give one screech, and 

 she was dead. Had he been at liberty he could not have displayed more 

 of himself, while, of course, I could have had no such opportunity of obser- 

 vation. "When the cat appeared, the cage was forgotten ; all that he 

 thought of was game. 



El 



Fig. 426. — Guiana eagle (Morphnus grdanensis). 



Two eagles from tropical America need mention. They are provided 

 with a crest of erectile feathers on the top of the head, and when this 

 crown is expanded, the naturally fierce appearance of the bird is greatly 

 increased. The Guiana eagle of the tropical forests of the Amazon and 

 the Orinoco, is the smaller bird of the two. The harpy eagle, which ranges 

 from southern Mexico, and even southern California, south to southern 



