120 IN THE DAYS OP AUDUBON 



this without causing the bird pain shows the growing ten- 

 derness of his nature toward the winged world: 



" The eagle," he tells us, " was immediately conveyed 

 to my place of residence, covered by a blanket, to save him 

 in his adversity from the gaze of the people. I placed the 

 cage so as to afford me a good view of the captive, and I 

 must acknowledge that as I watched his looks of proud dis- 

 dain I did not feel toward him so generously as I ought to 

 have done. At times I was half inclined to restore him to 

 his freedom, that he might return to his native mountains; 

 nay, I several times thought how pleasant it would be to see 

 him spread out his broad wings and sail away toward the 

 rocks of his wild haunts; but then some one seemed to 

 whisper that I ought to take the portrait of this magnificent 

 bird, and I abandoned the more generous design of setting 

 him at liberty, for the express purpose of showing you his 

 semblance. 



" I occupied myself a whole day in watching his move- 

 ments; on the next day I came to a determination as to 

 the position in which I might best represent him; and, on 

 the third, thought of how I could take away, his life with 

 the least pain to him. I consulted several persons on the 

 subject, and among others my most worthy and generous 

 friend Dr. George Parkman, who kindly visited my family 

 every day. He spoke of suffocating him by means of burn- 

 ing charcoal, of killing him by electricity, etc., and we 

 both concluded that the first method would be probably the 



