88 THE BOOK OF BIRDS 



the Philippine Islands, several species of monkeys of ex- 

 ceptional size and strength, those claws and beak are 

 weapons that have to be vigorously used, no doubt, not 

 infrequently. And, as one writer suggestively says, "a 

 battle between the Great Forest Eagles and the great 

 forest apes must be one of the heroic events of life in the 

 jungle." 



The HARPY EAGLE of South America is very much 

 akin to the Great Forest Eagle, and has an even greater 

 strength of wrist and claws. Early in 1907 a good speci- 

 men was obtained for the Zoological Gardens, for the first 

 time after twenty-five years, so my readers may already 

 have seen this splendid bird. It does not appear to be 

 common anywhere, but it may be met with in the forest 

 regions from Paraguay and Bolivia right away up to 

 Mexico. It measures rather over three feet ; the plumage 

 of the upper parts is blackish grey, with darker bar- 

 markings, the crest is grey, and most of the under parts 

 are white — altogether a striking-looking bird. 



Low-lying forests not far from water are said to be its 

 favourite home, and here it builds in some tall tree. To 

 all but the formidable animals the Harpy Eagle must be 

 a veritable terror. Here is a list of creatures attacked 

 and partially eaten by this fierce bird of prey, as observed 

 in Mexico : " Fawns, sloths, full-grown foxes and badgers, 

 middle-sized pigs, and the black sapa-jou monkey whose 

 weight exceeds that of the Harpy three times over." 



The Harpy Eagle has been known to Europeans ever 

 since the Spaniards became the conquerors of the New 

 World. We learn from the Spanish historian, De Vega, 

 that the Mexican and Aztec nobles often kept trained 

 Harpy Eagles as falcons were kept in Old England, for use 

 in hunting. One of them, which was valued at the price of 



