THE EAGLE AND THE CANARY 177 



of boundless energy, the divorce from nature is 

 immeasurably greater in one case than in the other* 

 The small bird, in relation to its free natural life, 

 is less confined in its cage than the large one* Its 

 smallness, perching structure, and restless habits 

 fit it for continual activity, and its flitting, active 

 life within the bars bears some resemblance, except 

 in the great matter of flight, to its life in a state of 

 nature* Again, its lively, curious, and extremely 

 impressible character is in many ways an advantage 

 in captivity ; every new sound and sight, and every 

 motion, however slight, in any object or body near 

 it, affording it, so to speak, something to think about* 

 It has the further advantage of a varied and highly 

 musical language ; the frequent exercise of the 

 faculty of singing, in birds, with largely developed 

 vocal organs, no doubt reacts on the system, and 

 contributes not a little to keep the prisoner healthy 

 and cheerful* 



On the other hand, the eagle, on account of its 

 structure and large size, is a prisoner indeed, and 

 must languish with all its splendid faculties and 

 importunate impulses unexercised* You may gorge 

 it with gobbets of flesh until its stomach cries 

 " Enough " ; but what of all the other organs fed 

 by the stomach, and their correlated faculties 4 

 Every bone and muscle and fibre, every feather and 

 scale, is instinct with an energy which you cannot 



