THE EAGLE. 241 



more. Sometimes, however, they are brought to have an 

 attachment for their' feeder ; they are then highly serviceable, 

 and liberally provide for his pleasures and support. When 

 the falconer lets them go from his hand, they play about and 

 hover round him till their game presents, which they see at 

 an immense distance, and pursue with certain destruction. 



Of all animals the Eagle flies highest ; and from thence 

 the ancients have given him the epithet of the bird of heaven. 

 Of all others also, he has the quickest eye ; but his sense of 

 smelling is far inferior to that of the vulture. He never pur- 

 sues, therefore, but in sight ; and when he has seized his 

 prey, he stoops from his height, as if to examine its weight, 

 always laying it on the ground before he carries it off. As 

 his wing is very powerful, yet, as he has but little suppleness 

 in the joints of the leg, he finds it^ifficult to rise when down ; 

 however, if not instantly pursued, he finds no difficulty in 

 carrying off geese and cranes. He also carries away hares, 

 lambs, and kids ; and often destroys fawns and calves, to 

 drink their bloody and carries a part of their flesh to his re- 

 treat. Infants themselves, when left unattended, have been 

 destroyed by these rapacious creatures ; which probably gave 

 rise to the fable of Ganymede's being snatched up by an 

 Eagle to heaven. 



An instance is recorded in Scotland of two children being 

 carried off by Eagles ; but fortunately they received no hurt 

 by the way ; and, the Eagles being pursued, the children 

 were restored unhurt out of the nests to the affrighted parents. 



The Eagle is thus at all times a formidable neighbor ; but 

 peculiarly when bringing up its young. It is then that the 

 female, as well as the male, exert all their force and industry 

 to supply their young. Smith, in his history of Kerry, re- 

 lates, that a poor man in that country got a comfortable sub- 

 sistence for his family, during a summer of famine, out of an 

 Eagle's nest, by robbing the eaglets of food, which was plen- 

 tifully supplied by the old ones. He protracted their assiduity 

 beyond the usual time, by clipping their wings, and retarding 

 the flight of the young : and very probably also, as I have 



