THE CELESTIAL BIRD. 



The ancients called the eagle the celes- 

 tial bird because it flies high with its 

 eye fixed on the sun. 



According to the myths of the birds 

 they are older than the gods and to them 

 mankind is deeply indebted ; for the 

 hawk created man, the wren, and not 

 Prom.etheus, brought down fire for his 

 use, the crow taught him marital laws, 

 while the eagle gave him the brew from 

 the fountain of song. Just why the eagle 

 — who is no musician — should have in- 

 terested himself in this way, legend does 

 not explain, but, as he is of majestic ap- 

 pearance, aiid imperial in character!, 

 there can be no possible objection to his 

 acting as cup-bearer to the poets ! They 

 all like him — or, at least, like to describe 

 him. Tennyson says — 



He clasps the crag with crooked hands 

 Close to the sun ,in lonely lands 

 Ring'd with the azure world he stands. 

 The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls, 

 He watches from his northern walls, 

 And like a thunderbolt he falls. 



But the eagle takes part in the affairs 

 of birds and beasts, as well as in those of 

 men, for, according to an oriental legend, 

 in ancient times beasts and birds were 

 at war with each other. While vic- 

 tory was still uncertain the owl with- 

 drew from the winged army quite pre- 

 pared to go over to the enemy. But the 

 eagle fought with such valorous prowess 

 that the birds were finally victorious. 

 The owl, seeing this, flew back to join 

 them. But the eage observed his move- 

 ments, and forbade him ever asrain to 

 mix with his subjects or show his face 

 to the sun. 



Although the eagle is a bird of prev he 

 is used as a national emblem on Persian, 

 Roman and United States coins. In- 



deed, the eagle is often used for heraldic 

 emblems, standards and various em- 

 blematic devices. The eagle is cosmop- 

 olitan. The so-called bald-eagle takes 

 three years to complete its plumage ; it 

 is called the ''black" eagle the first year, 

 the ''gray" the second and the ''bald" the 

 third year, when the white plumage on 

 neck and head, which gives it the name, 

 is complete. After shedding its feathers 

 in the spring, even the old birds assume 

 the appearance of youth, hence David 

 speaks of the "youth which is renewed 

 like the eagle's." An unusual fact in 

 reference to this bird is that the female 

 is said to be larger and braver than the 

 male. 



A story is told of a pair of eagles in 

 the New York Zoological Park who 

 made a nest in the root of a tree, in a 

 cavity of the ground and lined it with 

 moss. As no eggs were yet ready the 

 birds brought a smooth round stone to 

 the nest on which they sat, male and fe- 

 male, on alternate days. Some such 

 habit as this may. account for the idea 

 of the ancients that the eagle carried 

 stones to her nest to facilitate the laying 

 of her eggs. 



The eagle lives to be very old. It is 

 not especially difficult to tame. A young 

 one caught in the Territory could not be 

 bought. The Indian woman who was 

 taming it refused all offers. She said, 

 "Ah-cha-fa-tona wants young eagle, she 

 not want w^iite man's money !" 



"Old Abe" — named for Lincoln — was 

 caught and tamed by soldiers during the 

 civil war. He went through the war 

 delighted with battles. One of his feath- 

 ers, dropped on the battlefield, was 

 framed and now hangs in Washington. 

 Belle Paxson Drury. 



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