EAPACIOUS BIRDS. 57 



great ; the flight of a hawk is calculated at a hun- 

 dred and fifty miles an hour ; and the anecdote of 

 the falcon belonging to Henry iv. of France, which 

 flew in one day from Fontainebleau to Malta, a 

 distance of 1350 miles, is well authenticated. 



The sight of the bird must be as steady as 

 acute; for he seldom misses his mark when on 

 the ground; although he often fails when he 

 attempts birds on the wing, being unable to 

 follow the short and rapid turnings of their flight. 



The strength of endurance in the eagle is sur- 

 prisingly great, enabling the bird to sustain exist- 

 ence under circumstances that would destroy 

 almost every other animal. In winter, when the 

 ground is covered with snow, he remains for days 

 without food, and bears the severity of the 

 cold and the wintry winds, clinging to the 

 pinnacle of the rock, as though part of the rock 

 itself; and braving the tempests that scatter ruin 

 around. 



An admirable picture of this bird is that drawn 

 by the late Bishop Stanley. He has thus de- 

 scribed what he was himself fortunate enough to 

 see. " While climbing some high precipices in 

 the volcanic district of Auvergne, in France, near 

 a great waterfall, which dashed downwards with 

 a thundering noise ; in the midst of the loud roar 

 of waters, a short shrill cry met our ears, coming, 



