HARPY EAGLE 67 



The most striking thing about the Harpy Eagle 

 is the enormous size and strength of the feet and 

 claws, the latter being some three inches in length.. 

 The legs are as thick as the wrist of a man, and the 

 claws may be driven through the thick and tough hides 

 of sloths and monkeys, which are its principal prey. 

 Sailing over the dense forests of the Amazon country, 

 it drops lightly upon an unwary sloth or monkey that 

 approaches the tops of the trees. It is also said to 

 attack larger game, such as deer. The head of this 

 splendid bird is adorned by a crest of dark greyish- 

 brown feathers which it can raise and lower at will. 

 The eye is a beautiful deep grey, and the bill is of an 

 ashy hue. Its whole appearance is martial in the 

 extreme, and onelmight easily credit to this bird such 

 stories of strength and courage as are wrongly at- 

 tributed to the Bald Eagle. A magnificent specimen 

 of the Harpy Eagle is now in the Washington Zoo- 

 logical Garden. Brought by steamer from South 

 America to New York, it was carried through the 

 streets of the city in an open cage, but instead of bat- 

 tering itself to death from fright, as would have been 

 the case with most wild birds, it remained quietly 

 seated on its perch, gazing fearlessly at the throngs 

 of people passing. Since its confinement in Wash- 

 ington, it has exhibited the same indomitable char- 

 acter. It always seems greatly interested in visitors 

 that pass by, and seated upright on its perch will turn 

 its head quite upside down as it gazes at some particu- 

 larly interesting individual. At times the Harpy 

 Eagle utters a curious faint squeak, quite out of pro- 



