At the Water's Edge 



viz., that he often displays both a lazy and 

 a tyrannical disposition ; inasmuch as he will 

 quietly sit upon a tree, and watch the osprey 

 capture its fish, whereupon the eagle dashes 

 down upon him, and compels him to relinquish 

 his booty, which is then seized and borne off 

 by our glorious emblem. For this ignoble 

 trick there is no adequate apology to offer. It 

 is a clear case of unpardonable despotism. If 

 we wait, however, for some creature to arise 

 that shall be beyond all criticism as a mere 

 animal type of our country, we shall have to 

 get along without any symbol. Unquestiona- 

 bly, as between the bald and the golden eagles, 

 the former is the worthier on the score of 

 beauty ; and his adoption, to be emblazoned 

 on our national escutcheon, was probably a 

 compromise, such as the world often makes, 

 between character and good looks. 



We must notice one more attack upon the 

 worthiness of this emblematic bird. His brav- 

 ery has been impugned, on the ground that he 

 is sometimes put to flight by the contemptible 

 little king-bird (Tyrannus tyrannus), which is 

 a good deal smaller than a robin. This argu- 

 ment looks very plausible, but in reality it is the 

 weakest of all. The enormous galleons which 



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