THE EUROPEAN JOURNALS 



271 



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Marquis de Chastellcu:. " in our country, which contains 

 very valuable and correct facts. 



December 10. Mr. Atherton, a relation of friend Selby's, 

 took breakfast with me, and then conducted me to see a 

 very beautiful bird (alive) of the Eagle kind, from the 

 Andes.* It is quite unknown to me; abojt the size of the 

 Bird of Washington, much shorter in the wings, larger 

 talons and longer claws, with erected feathers, in the form 

 of a fan, on the head. The bill was dark blue, the crest 

 yellow, upper part of the body dark brown ; so was the 

 whole head and neck, as well as the tail and vent, but the 

 belly and breast were white. I soon perceived that it was a 

 young bird ; its cry resembled that of almost every Eagle, 

 but was weaker in sound on account of its tender age, 

 not exceeding ten months. Were I to give it a name, it 

 would be the Imperial Crowned Eagle. It was fed on raw 

 beef, and occasionally a live fowl by way of a treat to the 

 by-standers, who, it seems, always take much pleasure 

 in cruel acts. The moment I saw this magnificent bird I 

 wished to own it, to send it as a present to the Zoological 

 Gardens. I received a letter from Thomas Sully telling 

 me in the most frank and generous manner that I have 

 been severely handled in one of the Philadelphia news- 

 papers. The editor calls all I said in my papers read 

 before the different societies in Edinburgh " a pack of 

 lies." Friend Sully is most heartily indignant, but with 

 me my motto is : " Le temps decouvrira la v^rit^." It is, 

 however, hard that a poor man like me, who has been so 

 devotedly intent on bringing forth facts of curious force, 

 should be brought before the world as a liar by a man 

 who doubtless knows little of the inhabitants of the forests 

 on the Schuylkill, much less of those elsewhere. It is 

 both unjust and ungenerous, but I forgive him. I shall 

 keep up a good heart, trust to my God, attend to my work 

 with industry and care, and in time outlive these trifles. 



^ The Andean Eagle is undoubtedly the Harpy, Thrasaetos harpyia. — E. C. 



