254 WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIKDS. 



But the Eagle has many other expressions beside this 

 " downward drag austere," and therefore is it necessary for 

 the Artist to study all its modes and habits, since it is through 

 such perfect familiarity he can best understand the Eagle- 

 man, and of course express him creatively. The Old Mother 

 makes him see that these resemblances between the higher 

 man and his antitype, are far from being limited to such mere 

 physical coincidences that there are a thousand other traits 

 of nature and of habit, which bring the bird nearer to the 

 spiritual. Thus it has wings, and like the imagination 

 triumphs over time and space. 



Then if the joy of elements, of wings, of sunshine, of waters 

 and of singing, be characteristic of all other birds, how much 

 more are they so of Eagles, except the singing and the swim- 

 ming : for verily the harsh clarion of the Eagle's scream can- 

 not be called dulcet singing ; and the supreme bird of the 

 empyrean holds in such aristocratic scorn the baser element, 

 that he never condescends to be aware of its existence, ex- 

 cept in an occasional foraging descent into its surface, from 

 which he struggles up as if from contagion, upon hurrying 

 wings, which spurn its drops from off their glistening fibres. 



Ah ! if the air-king had but " the gift of the " harmonious 

 " gab," how on his strong wings he might out-soar the lark, 

 and hold entrancing converse with the morning stars then, 

 indeed, earth and the univere would " sing together," even 

 to our " gross unpurged sense !" But withal, such a wish is 

 somewhat sentimental, for the bird of battle and of storms 

 would be rather a curious looking customer perched in " la- 

 dies' bower," to carry chorus, warbling sweet ditties with the 

 " love-lorn nightingale " Cupid, asleep with his cheek upon 

 the roses, would be very apt to dream i' faith that his " loved 

 philomel " had caught a dreadful cold. Though this idea of 

 a singing Eagle is not so far from probability as might be 

 by considerable. There is a singing Falcon, which is well 

 known to naturalists the habitat of which is in the more 

 elevated districts of the coast-borders of Africa. This curious 



