38 



VERTEBKATA. 



THE EAGLE MASTliUED. 



having been pierced entirely througfi the body by two arrows of the Indians, still fiercely attacked 

 the persons around hira, and was finally dispatched with difficulty. This formidable species in- 

 habits the edges of forests, and is particularly fond of seeking its prey along the banks of rivers ; 

 it seems not to fear man, but allows his approach with an air of defiance. 



Genus EAGLE : Aquila. — This includes the true eagles, of which there are about twenty spe- 

 cies, and which may be considered the kings among birds, as are the lions among quadrupeds. 

 Inferior, perhaps, to the true falcons in courage and enterprise, they are still the most powerftil 

 and formidable of the fecathered tribes. Every thing in their formation and constitution is admi- 

 rably fitted to maintain this master position which they hold among their class. The bill is 

 strongly hooked, and very acute at the tip ; the wings are long, and usually pointed, with the 

 third, fourth, and fifth quills longest; the tail is long, broad, and rounded; the toes are long and 

 powerful ; the talons are strong, curved, and acute. They feed not only on such birds and quad- 

 rupeds as are the prey of the larger falcons, but upon fawns, lambs, and pigs. They have been 

 known to carry oft' dogs and foxes, and well-authenticated accounts of their bearing off young 

 children are furnished. In general, they are their own hunters and butchers, but some of the 

 species feed readily on carrion, driving off" the vultures and robbing them of their legitimate feast. 

 They generally strike their prey upon the ground, and the stoop is almost instantly fatal to 

 any animal on which they pounce. The mere fall of a body of fifteen or eighteen pounds in 



