EAGLES. 1S5 



abounded with all the fertility of genius, and evin- 

 ced uncommon reseorch and iitdefatigabie indus- 

 try. Our modern naturalists, with sorye distin- 

 guished exceptions, confine their attention almost 

 exclusively to the forma et descriptlo ; and natu- 

 ral science in their hands has become a study of 

 hard words, instead of the study of animal, vege- 

 table, and mineral nature. 



In the kw illustrations which I have given of 

 the zoology of this country, I have consulted ac- 

 curacy instead of wandering into the flowery fields 

 of fancy. My stock of information must necessa- 

 rily be very limited so far as it depends on my 

 own observation — and my opportunities for deri- 

 ving information from others have not been many» 

 The hints or intimations which I throw out may 

 serve sometimes as clues to more interesting inves- 

 tigations, and a wider fi^^ld of natural science was 

 never afforded than that which this country fur- 

 nishes. 



In various places I have seen the falco leuco- 

 cephalus, or bald eagle ; the falco ossifragus, or 

 grey eagle ; and the falco halisetus, or osprey„ 

 In Turtius Linnaeus the osprey is confounded with 

 the grey eagle, but this is an error of die editor, 

 not of the immortal author; and Wi!s n suppo- 

 ses that the grey eagle is a junior bald eai'rle, 

 which has not arrived to maturity. It is well 



