THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 129 



the tarsi bare of feathers for the greater part of their length ; 

 and the one which preys indiscriminately on land and in the 

 water, has them bare to an intermediate height. 



THE GOLDEN EAGLE (FalcO 



On the frontispiece there is a figure of the female golden 

 eagle, in the attitude which it assumes when apparently 

 exulting over the prey which it has captured, and in the act 

 of clutching to death. The figure is about one-eighth of 

 the lineal dimensions of nature ; and it will give some idea 

 of the attitude, though it is not possible to give the expres- 

 sion on so small a scale, or indeed on any scale. The spirit 

 of an excited eagle can be felt only by those who are familar 

 with the birds (such familiarity as man can have with eagles) 

 in their native haunts ; and even then it must be imagined, 

 for it cannot be accurately seen, or satisfactorily described. 

 It is very difficult indeed to obtain even a tolerable portrait 

 of one of these birds ; for, in order to get the eagle in per- 

 fection into an aviary, we should require to bring the moun- 

 tain crag and the mountain glen along with her. The bird 

 lives, no doubt, for it is a bird not easily killed; but its 

 plumage is dull, and its spirit more so. The rich browns, 

 with their peculiar metallic lustre, and the pointed feathers 

 on the neck, shaded off till they arrive at the rich orange at 

 the points, and stand up when the bird is excited, as if they 

 were so many scales margined with gold, are not to be 

 obtained, unless where the bird has the free and unrestrained 

 range of all its powers, can climb the pure air till it touch 

 on the region of perpetual frost, and there dash along over 

 a wide extent of country. Their feathers are tinted and 

 tempered in the fury of the blast ; and they acquire not 

 their full depth and lustre till they have borne that for four 

 successive winters ; and so it would be vain to hope that we 

 could either obtain or preserve them in confinement. 



VOL. i. K 



