CLASS II. AVES: ORDEE 1. EAPTORES. 
43 
current, and precipitated down that tremendous gulf, where, among the rocks that bound the 
rapids below, they furnish a rich repast for the vulture, the raven, and bald eagle, the subject of the 
present account. Formed by nature for brav- 
ing the severest cold ; feeding equally on the 
produce of the sea and of the land ; possess- 
ing powers of flight capable of outstripping 
even the tempests themselves; unawed by any 
thing but man ; and, from the ethereal heights 
to which he soars, looking abroad, at one 
glance, on an immeasurable expanse of for- 
ests, fields, lakes, and ocean, deep below him, 
he appears indifierent to localities and to 
change of seasons ; as, in a few minutes, he 
can pass from • summer to winter, from the 
lower to the higher regions of the atmosphere, 
the abode of eternal cold, and thence descend, 
at will, to the torrid, or the arctic regions of 
the earth. He is, therefore, found at all sea- 
sons in the countries he inhabits ; but prefers 
such places as have been mentioned above, 
from the great partiality he has for fish. 
" In procuring these, he displays, in a very 
singular manner, the genius and energy of his 
character,, which is fierce, contemplative, dar- 
ing, and tyrannical — attributes not exerted 
but on particular occasions, but, when put 
forth, overpowering all opposition. Elevated 
on the high dead limb of some gigantic tree 
that commands a wide view of the neighbor- 
ing shore and ocean, he seems calmly to con- 
template the motions of the various feathered 
tribes that pursue their busy avocations below 
— the snow-white gulls slowly winnowing the 
air; the busy tringce coursing along the sands; 
trains* of ducks streaming over the surface; 
silent- and watchful cranes, intent and wading; 
clamorous crows ; and all the winged multi- 
tudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid magazine of nature. High over all these 
hovers one, whose action instantly arrests his whole attention. By his wide curvature of wing, 
and sudden suspension in air, he knows him to be the fish-hawk, settling over some devoted vic- 
tim of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight, and balancing himself, with half-opened wings, on 
the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant 
object of his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making 
the surges foam around. At this moment, the eager looks of the eagle are all ardor ; and level- 
ing his neck for flight, he sees the fish-hawk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and 
mounting in the air with screams of exultation. These are the signal for our hero, who, launch- 
ing into the air, instantly gives chase, and soon gains on the fish-hawk ; each exerts his utmost 
to mount above the other, displaying in these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial 
evolutions. The unencumbered eagle rapidly advances, and is just on the point of reaching his 
opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest execration, the latter 
drops his fish ; the eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends 
like a whirlwind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears his ill-gotten booty 
silently away to the woods. 
HEAD AND FOOT OF BALD EAGLE. 
