22 cassell's book of birds. 



inferior to their congeners in courage, for the Prince von Wied mentions that the specimen he 

 obtained, though it had been shot through the neck by a large arrow, resisted boldly, both with beak 

 and claws, when he attempted to take possession of it. 



THE HARPY EAGLE. 



The Harpy Eagle {Harpyia destructor) is the most formidable of all the Eagles found in South 

 America. The body of this bird is powerful, its head large, its tail robust and of considerable length ; 

 the wings, on the contrary, are short and blunt ; the beak is unusually high and strong, very decidedly 

 rounded at its summit, and sharp at the edges, which bulge outwards below the nostrils, and form a 

 tooth-like appendage ; the feet are stronger than those of any other Bird of Prey, the toes are long, and 

 armed with very long, thick, hooked talons ; the tarsi are partially covered in front with feathers, the 

 bare places being protected by large horny plates. The plumage, which is soft and rich, is prolonged 

 into a large, broad crest at the back of the neck ; the head and nape are grey, the crest, and entire 

 back, wings, tail, upper part of the breast and sides of the rump, dark slate colour ; the tail is orna- 

 mented with three white stripes ; the lower portion of the breast and rump are white, the belly and 

 legs are also white, the former spotted and the latter streaked with black. The beak and claws are 

 black, the legs yellow, and the eyes reddish yellow. In the young bird all these markings are indis- 

 tinct ; the feathers on the back are striped with grey, and those upon the breast and belly spotted with 

 black. Tschudi gives the length of this species as being three feet two inches, that of the tail being 

 one foot one inch, whilst according to Burmeister its size exceeds this measurement. The middle 

 toe is three inches, the hinder toe one inch and a half long, and both are furnished with claws an 

 inch and a half in length. 



All the large forests of South America, from Mexico to the interior of Brazil, are inhabited by 

 this large and formidable Eagle, which, although it occasionally visits the warm valleys interspersed 

 among the mountain ranges, never leaves them to take shelter on the rocky heights by which they are 

 surrounded. Such old writers as have treated of the Natural History of the American continent never 

 fail to mention so destructive a bird, and about its life and habits many strange fables have been 

 invented. Fernandez describes the Harpy as being as large as a sheep, and constantly attacking 

 men ; but tells us that notwithstanding its great fierceness it can be tamed and employed in the chase. 

 Mauduyt repeats the above statements, and adds thereto that a Harpy with one blow of its beak, 

 is able to split open a man's skull j stating, moreover, that these birds are much addicted to this 

 exercise of their powers. Modern naturalists have refuted these notions, and we will give, in a small 

 compass, the facts which such men as D'Orbigny and Tschudi have been able to ascertain by their own 

 observations. According to these authorities, the Harpy dwells in the moist, well-watered forests of 

 South America, within the boundaries already indicated, rarely, however, appearing in the depths of 

 these leafy wildernesses, but frequenting the banks of rivers, where an abundance of animal life is 

 always to be met with. In no part of the continent are these birds to be found in great numbers, 

 doubtless owing to the fact that from time immemorial they have been hunted by the natives for the 

 sake of their feathers. Like the Hawk, they are seldom seen on the summits of trees, but sit upon the 

 branches, whence they rise with short, irregular strokes, and fly with arrow-like rapidity when in 

 pursuit of prey, swooping upon it with great force, after describing a few preparatory evolutions. 



According to D'Orbigny, these Eagles are of solitary habits, except during the breeding season. 

 From Tschudi we learn that the Harpy is much dreaded by the Indians, owing to its devastating 

 attacks upon their property ; indeed, in some woodland districts the inhabitants find it impossible to 

 keep poultry or small dogs, for so bold and audacious are these feathered poachers that they have 

 been known to seize a fine fat hen whilst its owner was standing not a yard from the spot. All such 



