CRESTED, OR HARPY EAGLE. 



35 



fan-like crest when erect. As long as this crest lies flatly on the head and neck, the bird 

 might be taken for a common Eagle ; but as soon as the lierce temper is roused, the crest 

 is raised, and the bird assumes an indescribably bold and courageous aspect. The color of 

 this noble bird is very variable, differing greatly in the several epochs of an Eagle's life. 

 When adult, the general color is blackish-slate, the head is gray, and the chest and abdomen 

 white, with a band of a darker hue across the chest. The tops of the feathers which compose 

 the crest are black, and the tail is barred alternately with black and gray. The beak and 

 claws are black. 



CRESTED, OR HARPY EAGLE.— Thrascetus harpyia. 



This bird is a native of various parts of Southern America, and prefers the deepest forests 

 to the plains or the rocks as its place of residence. 



The Harpy Eagle is a most powerful bird, exceeding even the golden Eagle in the extent 

 of its muscular development. The bones of the Harpy are enormously thick in proportion to 

 the size of the bird, and the claws are nearly twice the size of those which belong to the golden 

 Eagle. The wings, however, are not largely developed, being rather short and rounded, so that 

 the bird is not fitted so much for a swift and active flight as for the power of grasping with con- 

 siderable force, and using its talons with the greatest effect. This formation is easily accounted 

 for by the fact that the Harpy Eagle is not intended as an aerial hunter, chasing its prey through 

 the air and overcoming it by means of superior activity and strength, but feeds mostly on vari- 

 ous mammalia, and is a sad enemy to the sloth. Young deer fall victims to tin's voracious bird, 

 which also destroys vast quantities of cavies, opossums, and other animals. Even the large 



