28 THE BIRD OF JOVE. 



bable that from them the Romans adopted it ; while the 

 Persians themselves may have borrowed the symbol from 

 the ancient Assyrians, on whose banners it waved until 

 Babylon was conquered by Cyrus. 



As a bird of good omen, the eagle is often mentioned 

 by Shakespeare : — 



" I chose an eagle, and did avoid a puttock." 



Cymbeline, Act i. Sc. 2. 



The name " Puttock " has been applied both to the 

 Kite and the Common Buzzard, and both were considered 

 birds of ill omen. 



In Act iv. Sc. 2, of the same play, we read, — 



" I saw Jove's bird, the Roman eagle, wing'd 

 From the spungy south to this part of the west, 

 There vanish'd in the sunbeams." 



This was said to portend success to the Roman host. 

 In Izaak Walton's " Compleat Angler," we are furnished 

 with a reason for styling the eagle "Jove's bird." The 

 falconer, in discoursing on the merits of his recreation with 

 a brother angler, says, — " In the air my troops of hawks 

 soar upon high, and when they are lost in the sight of 

 men, then they attend upon and converse with the gods ; 

 therefore I think my eagle is so justly styled Jove's 

 servant in ordinary." 



" For the Roman eagle, 

 From south to west on wing soaring aloft, 



