AVES— EAGLE. 



449 



himself, he retires more inland, in search of young pigs, of which he destroys 

 great numbers. In the lower parts of Virginia and North Carolina, where 

 the inhabitants raise vast herds of those animals, complaints of this kind 

 are very general against him. He also destroys young lambs in the early 

 part of spring ; and will sometimes attack old sickly sheep, aiming furiously 

 at their eyes. 



HARPY E A G L E .1 



:\'/Wf-^^Hh V 



This noble bird, the most magnificent of the eagle tribe, is distinguished 

 from the other eagles, by the shortness of its wings, the extreme robustness 

 of its legs, and the more than ordinary curvature of its beak and talons. 

 Its upper mandible is remarkably thick at the base, from whence it is con- 

 tinued for some distance in a straight line, but suddenly curves downwards, 

 with a strong arch toward the point, which is extremely sharp ; the lower 

 mandible is straight, short, and obtuse; the nostrils are transverse and oval ; 

 the wings do not reach when closed beyond the middle of the tail, which is 

 rounded at the extremity ; the legs are only partially feathered, on the upper 

 part of their anterior surface, the remaining portion being naked and reticu- 

 lated ; and the talons are excessively powerful, the internal and the posterior 

 in particular attaining an almost disproportionable length. 



' Harpyia destructor, Cuviee. 



57 



