BOOK X. IV. 15-V1. 18 



market-places fill with a gathering of people." If 

 eagles' feathers have the feathei's of any other birds 

 mixed with them, they swallow them up. It is 

 stated that this is the only bird that is never killed by 

 a thunderbolt ; this is why custom has deemed the 

 eagle to be Jupiters armour-bearer. 



V. The eagle was assigned to the Roman legions Tiieeagieas 

 as their special badge by Gaius Marius in his second l^le. "^ 

 consulship.* Even previously it had been their first 

 badge, with four others, wolves, minotaurs, horses 



and boars going in front of the respective ranks ; 

 but a few years before the custom had come in of 

 carrying the eagles alone into action, the rest being 

 left behind in camp. Marius discarded them alto- 

 gether. Thenceforward it was noticed that there 

 was scarcely ever a legion's winter camp without a 

 pair of eagles being in the neighbourhood. 



The first and second kinds not onlv carrv off the ^''?'<^^ ^- 



-. 11 111 stags and 



smaller iom'-iooted anmiais but actually do battle snakes. 

 with stags. The eagle collects a quantity of dust 

 by rolHng in it, and perching on the stag's horns 

 shakes it off into its eyes, sti-iking its head with its 

 wings, until it brings it down on to the rocks. Nor is 

 it content with one foe : it has a fiercer battle with a 

 great sei-pent, and one that is of much more doubtful 

 issue, even though it is in the air. The serpent with 

 mischievous greed tries to get the eagle's eggs ; con- 

 sequently the eagle carries it off wherever seen. The 

 serpent fetters its wings by twining itself round them 

 in manifold coils so closely that it falls to the ground 

 itself with the snake. 



VI. At the city of Sestos the fame of an eagle is TheeagUoj 

 celebrated, the story being that it was reared by a "^^'"^' 

 maiden and that it repaid its gratitude by bringing 



