252 
WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIRDS. 
mischief — while the vulture's, which is first recurved below 
and then in the vault only about comes up to that line, ex- 
presses subversive viciousness in the alarming ravin for gold 
exhibited by the Vulture-man. On the other hand, he sees 
that as this line is only faintly broken at the brow, and 
arched in the centre of the nose, as in the profile of the Eagle's 
head and beak, it expresses that highest combination of the 
intellectual and physical daring which we find in the mighty 
Conquerors — as in the head of Napoleon. 
While in the head of — ^it may be — a marshal, who was 
comparatively the mere executive soldier — the man of head- 
long action — we have the arch more decided — retaining all 
the dignity of the Eagle, but with something of the vulture's 
bloody thirst, indicated in the prolongation of the vault. 
Thus he sees that while the vaulting line indicates vault- 
ing energies, the purpose and direction of these energies is 
either ignoble, about in proportion as the line approximates 
that of the baser birds, or fierce as it approaches that of the 
Eagle. 
The rise of the arch in the Eagle's beak is very slight for 
some distance from the base, like that of Napoleon's nose — 
then the hook is remarkably sudden, almost square. As it 
is simply in the higher lines of profile — those indicating its 
approach to a square — that these resemblances can be indi- 
cated — that between Napoleon and the Eagle ceases at the 
plane of the nose, to re-commence in the mouth, which is 
brought out with a corresponding expression of strength in 
the chin, almost square to the line of the brow and nose. 
Thus we have the tower-like weight of brain lifted above the 
granite-seamed mouth, and moveless base of will in the pow- 
erful lower jaw. 
The marshal is the man to swoop in relentless fierceness 
down upon the prey the Eagle wing and eye has found ; there- 
fore the Eagle and the Vulture are combined in his profile. 
The Imperial Conqueror knew this well — and for this reason 
he was accustomed to say that for men of vast energies in 
