THE EAGLE, KING OF BIRDS, AND HIS KIN 



By Alexander Wetmore 



Assistant Secretary, Smithsonian Institution 



With Paintings from Life by Maj. Allan Brooks 



The Geographic presents in this issue the fifth of a series of paintings descrip- 

 tive of all important families of birds of North America. The first (Humming Birds, 

 Swifts, and Goatsuckers) appeared in July, igs^! the second (Ibises, Herons, and 

 Flamingos) in October, 1932; the third (Crows, Magpies, and Jays) in January, 1933, 

 and the fourth (Woodpeckers) in April, 1933. The sixth of this series will be 

 published in an early number of the National Geographic Magazine. — Editor. 



THE eagle, symbol of bold strength 

 and courageous character, has been 

 used so widely as an emblem of 

 power that, by name and by effigy, birds of 

 the group to which it belongs are known 

 familiarly to many who have little experi- 

 ence or conception of them in life. 



Eagles and their many relatives among 

 the hawks and vultures are distributed 

 throughout the world, except over the open 

 seas, the barren Antarctic Continent, and 

 the smallest and most isolated of oceanic 

 islands. Wherever found, they appeal 

 even to the novice in knowledge of things 

 outdoors because of their manner of life 

 and predatory habits. Robust of form 

 and strong in flight, they are remarked at 

 every appearance. 



The emblem of the Sumerian city of 

 Lagash, in the third millennium before the 

 Christian Era, was an eagle, which was 

 engraved on the tablets and seals of the 

 leaders and was carried as a military stand- 

 ard by the army. An eagle also appeared 

 on the seal of the King of Ur, and con- 

 tinued in double-headed form in Hittite 

 art, on certain coins of the Mohammedans, 

 on the flags of Turkoman princes, and so 

 on into modern times. 



The eagle symbol is probably derived 

 from forms similar to our golden eagle 

 or closely allied to that species, as several 

 species of that type are found in the re- 

 gions mentioned. 



To early Greeks the eagle was the mes- 

 senger of Zeus and the only bird that 

 dwelt in heaven — a fancy based, perhaps, 

 on the high-flying powers of these birds. 

 A silver eagle standing on a spear was 

 placed on the military standards of the 

 legions of Rome, and this emblem has 

 been used widely as a conventional badge 

 of military power. To-day it is a common 

 decoration on flagstafifs in many countries. 



An American species of this group, the 

 bald eagle, is found in the design of the 

 coat of arms of the United States, which 

 appears on the Great Seal. A representa- 

 tion of it is blazoned on many of our 

 coins and decorations. It also appears 

 on the President's flag, and on the Presi- 

 dent's seal in the bronze plate on the 

 floor of the vestibule of the White House. 



The fierce harpy eagle (Harpia har- 

 py ja), a bird of dauntless courage, called 

 by the Aztecs "the winged wolf," is en- 

 graved on the official coat of arms and 

 seal of Mexico and appears on the flag 

 of that country. *It is distinguishable 

 from our species by its prominently 

 crested head. 



CONDOR appears ON COATS OE ARMS 



The great condor of South America 

 figures in the coats of arms of Colombia, 

 Bolivia, Ecuador, and Chile. 



The eagles and their kin form the group 

 of birds of the order Falconiformes, which 

 includes about 288 distinct species, with 

 many additional geographic races, so that 

 in all there are recognized somewhat more 

 than 700 living forms. The order is di- 

 vided into four principal families. 



The eagles, hawks, kites, and their 

 relatives, forming the family Accipitridae 

 (Plates HI through XHI), include the 

 largest number of forms. They are 

 mainly birds of medium to large size, 

 with broad wings, strong legs, feet armed 

 with sharp claws, and strongly hooked 

 bills. Many possess light-colored eyes, 

 which, with their active interest in any 

 movement that might indicate possible 

 prey, give them a fierce and aggressive 

 appearance. 



Although many have rapid flight, others 

 are slower and more sluggish in habit. 

 Most of them delight in soaring in great 



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