56 THE WONDERS OF THE ANIMAL KINGDOM. 



third larger than the male, exactly the reverse to what presents itself to our view in the quadrupeds, 

 and even in other birds. In fishes and insects the female is, indeed, larger than the male, and this is 

 owing to the immense number of eggs, which swell their bodies, but this reason will not apply in the 

 case of birds. 



All the birds of rapine fly in a lofty course. Their legs and wings are strong ; their sight exceed- 

 ingly quick ; their head thick ; their tongue fleshy ; their stomach single and membraneous ; their in- 

 testines narrower and shorter than in other birds ; they prefer the solitary tracts, the desert mountains, 

 and they commonly breed in crags or in the tallest trees. Many species inhabit both continents, and 

 some appear to have no fixed abode. Their generic characters are, that their bill is hooked, and that 

 they have four toes on each foot, all of which are distinctly parted. The eagle's head is covered with 

 feathers, which distinguishes it from the vulture, and both these are again discriminated from the 

 hawks, buzzards, kites, and falcons, by an obvious property, for their bill continues straight to a 

 certain distance before it bends, but in the latter it assumes its curve at the origin. 



The longevity of the eagle is said to be very great, extending sometimes beyond a century, and 

 then its death is not so much occasioned by extreme age as by the inability to take food, the bill 

 growing so much curved as to become useless. However, it has been observed, that eagles kept in 

 confinement occasionally sharpen their bill, and that its increase is for several years imperceptible. It 

 has also been remarked, that they feed upon every kind of flesh, and even upon that of other eagles. 

 When they cannot procure flesh, they greedily devour bread, serpents, lizards, &c. If they be not 

 supplied regularly with food, they will attack dogs, cats, and even men who come within their reach. 

 At intervals they pour forth, in an equable strain, their shrill, loud, and lamentable notes. The 

 eagle drinks seldom, and perhaps not at all w-hen in perfect liberty, because the blood of his victims is 

 sufficient to quench his thirst. 



In the state of nature, the eagle never engages in a solitary chase, but when the female is confined 

 to her eggs or her young. This is the season when the return of the birds affords plenty of prey, 

 and he can with ease provide for the sustenance of himself and that of his mate. At other times, they 

 unite their exertions, and they are always seen close together, or at a short distance from each other. 

 The inhabitants of the mountains, who have an opportunity of observing their manoeuvres, pretend 

 that the one beats the bushes, while the other, perched on a tree or rock, watches the escape of the 

 pre}-. Often they soar beyond the reach of human sight, and, notwithstanding the immense distance, 

 their cry is still heard, and resembles the barking of a small dog. Though a voracious bird, the 

 eagle, especially in captivity and deprived of exercise, can endure for a long time the want of sus- 

 tenance. It is on record, that a common eagle, caught in a fox-trap, passed five whole weeks without 

 the least food, and that it did not appear sensibly weakened till towards the last week. 



Although the eagles in general prefer desert and mountainous tracts, they are seldom found in nar- 

 row peninsulas or in islands of small extent. They inhabit the interior country on both continents, 

 because islands are commonly not so well stocked with animals. It is true that eagles make their 

 incursions into islands, but they never fix their residence there, nor do they ever there lay their eggs. 



The nomenclators reckon fifteen species of the eagle, eleven of which are natives of Europe, one of 

 Africa, one of the East Indies, and two of South America. The subject of the present sketch belongs 

 to the latter, and is chiefly found on the highest range of the Andes. In its plumage it is distin- 

 guished from all the other species, by its wings being of a greyish dusky colour, and the remainder of 

 the body white : independently of which it has, on the crown of its head, a tuft of feathers, black 

 and white, which can be raised or depressed at pleasure. The quill feathers are of a deeper colour 

 than the others in the wing, but the outer edges of the feathers are light brown. It is in size not so 

 large as the European eagles, but in its habits and general characteristics no essential difference 

 appears to exist. 



