BRITISH BIRDS. 7 



leaves the fragments to other animals : except 

 when famishing with hunger, he disdains to feed 

 on carrion. The eyes of the Eagle have the glare 

 of those of the Lion, and are nearly of the same 

 colour ; the claws are of the same shape, and the 

 cry of both is powerful and terrible ; destined for 

 war and plunder, they are equally fierce, bold, and 

 untractable. Such, is the resemblance which that 

 ingenious and fanciful writer has pictured of these 

 two noble animals : the characters of both are 

 striking and prominent, and hence the Eagle is 

 said to extend his dominion over the birds, as the 

 Lion over the quadrupeds. 



The same writer also observes, that, in a state of 

 nature, the Eagle never engages in a solitary chase 

 but when the female is confined to her eggs or her 

 young : at this season the return of the smaller 

 birds affords plenty of prey, and he can \vith ease 

 provide for the sustenance of himself and his mate ; 

 at other times they unite their exertions, and are 

 always seen close together, or at a short distance 

 from each other. Those who have had an oppor- 

 tunity of observing their motions, say, that the 

 one beats the bushes, whilst the other, perched on 

 an eminence, w r atches the flight of the prey. They 

 often soar out of the reach of human sight : and 

 notwithstanding the immense distance, their cry is 

 still heard, and then resembles the yelping of a 

 dog. Though a voracious bird, the Eagle can en- 

 dure hunger for a long time. An Eagle, caught 

 in a fox-trap, is said to have passed five weeks 

 without the least food, and did not appear sensibly 

 weakened till to\vards the last week, when a period 

 was put to its existence. 



