THE WHITE-HEADED SEA-EAGLE. 41 



four-footed beasts, which unwarily venturing into the 

 stream above, are borne away by the torrent and preci- 

 pitated down those tremendous falls. The number of 

 birds of prey of various kinds which assemble at the 

 foot of the rocks to glut themselves upon the banquet 

 thus provided for them is said to be incredibly great ; 

 but they are all compelled to give place to the Eagle 

 when he deigns to feed on carrion, and the Crow and 

 the Vulture submit without a struggle to the exercise 

 of that tyranny which they know it would be in vain 

 to resist. " We have ourselves," says Wilson, " seen 

 the Bald Eagle, while seated on the dead carcase of a 

 horse, keep a whole flock of Vultures at a respectful 

 distance, until he had fully sated his own appetite." 

 And he adds another instance, in which many thou- 

 sands of Tree Squirrels having been drowned, in one of 

 their migrations, in attempting to pass the Ohio, and 

 having furnished for some length of time a rich banquet 

 to the Vultures, the sudden appearance among them of 

 a Bald Eagle at once put a stop to their festivities and 

 drove them to a distance from their prey, of which the 

 Eagle kept sole possession for several successive days. 

 So strong a propensity for carrion is unquestionably 

 quite at variance with the received opinion that Eagles 

 never make their attacks on any but living animals ; 

 but it should be recollected that the Sea-Eagles have 

 an organization peculiarly fitted for feeding on fish, and 

 are consequently better adapted for digesting putrescent 

 and even putrid food than any other group of the tribe 

 to which they belong. To such an extent is their 

 disgusting voracity occasionally carried, that we are 

 assured on the authority just quoted, that '' in hard 

 times, when food appears to be scarce, should he [the 

 Bald Eaole] accidentally meet with one of these [Vul- 

 tures], who has its craw crammed with carrion, he 



