It is because he is such a robber that 

 some of the people of America did not 

 like to have him chosen to be the bird 

 of our nation. They felt that we ought 

 to have a bird that is good towards all 

 the other birds. 



A poor family once lived for a long 

 time by robbing an eagle. The father 

 climbed to the nest and took away the 

 meat which the eagle brought for its 

 young. Every day he got food for his 

 family from the eagle. When the 

 young birds were almost ready to fly 

 he cut the feathers from their wings so 

 they could not leave the nest. Then 

 he tied them in to make sure of his 

 own meat every day. The young ones 

 cr.ed harder when tied and the old 

 ones thought they were hungry and 

 brought them more flesh. 



When the }^oung are old enough to 

 fly the old eagles fly above them as if 

 to show them how easily it is done. If 

 the young do not try to fly when the 

 old ones think it time, they are pushed 

 out of the nest as if to kill them. But 

 the young wings flutter so that the bird 

 does not fall hard, and the old bird flies 

 under her young one to prevent any 

 harm. 



The eye of this bird is so keen that 

 it can see a small animal much farther 

 than the animal can see the great bird. 

 When out of sight in the sky the eagle 

 can see a hare as it comes out of its 

 hole. It comes down so fast that it 

 sometimes catches the hare before it 

 can get back to a safe place. 



When the sky is clear the eagle flies 

 very high, but on cloudy days he keeps 

 nearer the ground. He likes to fly 

 over waterfalls because fish are to be 

 caught as they pass over the falls. At 

 Niagara Falls eagles are often seen 

 because animals are sometimes carried 

 over the falls by the rushing water, and 

 the birds can get them easily. 



The eagle likes to face the sun and 

 fly towards it as if he thought he could 

 reach it. For a long time people won- 

 dered how he could face the sun so 

 without being made blind. But we 

 know now that he has a covering for 

 his eyes that keeps them from all harm 

 from the strong light. If you watch a 

 chicken you may see it has two eyelids 



( Continued 



for each eye. So has the eagle. The 

 eagle has a sort of eyebrow of feathers 

 that may help protect his eyes from 

 the strong light. 



While the^eagle is graceful in flying 

 he is not at all so in walking. Few 

 birds are so awkward on their feet. 

 His great claws are made for catching 

 his prey rather than for walking. He 

 can tear things with them and use them 

 in fighting, but he has not much use for 

 them upon the ground. 



When they cannot get the food that 

 suits them best eagles will sometimes 

 steal farm animals. Lambs, or even full- 

 grown sheep are easily carried away. 

 They have been known to attack chil- 

 dren and carry them off. But they do 

 not often do this, and they have been 

 known to carry them a little way and 

 then set them down again as if the load 

 were too great or they did not wish to 

 eat them. 



A story is told of a man who lived a 

 long time ago, and who had but one 

 child, a little girl. He wished to adopt 

 a poor little baby boy, but his wife did 

 not wish to take care of the boy. He 

 had the baby carried to the top of a 

 tree in which was the nest of an eagle. 

 The baby was placed in the nest so he 

 could not fall, and the man and his 

 wife walked under the tree. The child 

 cried so that the lady heard him. She 

 supposed it had been carried there by 

 the bird. Great haste was made to get 

 the baby down, and the lady was so 

 pleased to think she had saved the 

 child from being eaten by the birds 

 that she kept the little one as her own 

 son. 



Eagles hunt in pairs. One flies 

 about near the ground to scare the 

 game from the bushes and trees, while 

 the other keeps watch from above to 

 swoop down on the first thing that 

 comes in sight. While their young 

 ones are in the nest the old birds are 

 very active. They are fierce if anyone 

 comes near the young. 



Sometimes they show as much cun- 

 ning in taking their prey as any of the 

 cat family. In flying down to catch 

 animals upon the ground they take 

 care to fly so that their shadow will 

 not frighten their prey. An eagle 



on page j6.) 



25 



