EAGLES. 595 



victim is often borne by it to considerable distances, and that 

 the Eagle will thus cross the chain of the Alps ; if we also 

 reflect that the prey is not unfrequently a chamois or a sheep, 

 we shall be enabled to form some idea of its strength and mus- 

 cular power. 



The size of the Eagle varies according to the race, but all 

 attain imposing dimensions. The female of the Golden Eagle 



Fig. 279. Wing of an Eagle. 



measures three feet nine inches from the tip of the beak to the 

 points of the feet, and the spread of its wings is nearly ten feet. 

 In the Imperial Eagle the spread of the wings is only six feet, 

 and in the Small Marine Eagle four feet four inches. 



It has been stated that the Eagle can travel sixty- five feet in a 

 second, which would give a speed of forty- four miles an hour ; but 

 Naumann positively contradicts this assertion, on the ground that 

 the Eagle is incapable of overtaking a Pigeon. It is, at all events, 

 a matter of certainty that the flight of this bird is very rapid. An 

 Eagle has been noticed circling over a hare in a field, and hem- 

 ming it in, so that the victim was unable to escape on either side, 

 always finding its enemy in front. 



The Eagle builds its nest in the clefts of the most inaccessible 

 rocks, or on their edge, that its brood may be safe from danger 

 or surprise. This nest is nothing but a floor, made of sticks 

 placed carelessly side by side, bound together with some pliable 

 branches, and lined with leaves, reeds, and heather. However, 

 its solidity is sufficient to resist for years the decay caused by time, 



QQ2 



