46 
VERTEBRATA. 
THE YOUNG BALD EAGLE. 
the surface, to escape the talons of this second assailant. The first eagle is now poising itself iri. 
the place where its mate formerly was, and rushes anew, to force the quarry to make another 
plunge. By thus alternately gliding, in rapid and often-repeated rushes, over the ill-fated bird, 
they soon fatigue it, when it stretches out its neck, swims deeply, and makes for the shore in the 
hope of concealing itself among the rank weeds. But this is of no avail; for the eagles follow it 
in all its motions; and the moment it approaches the margin, one of them darts upon it." 
It cannot be very gratifying to us Americans, after reading these pages, to reflect that this bird 
is inscribed on our national banner : we have only the poor satisfaction to know that Franklin early 
uttered his protest against it. His words were as follows : — " For ray part, I wish the bald eagle 
had not been chosen as the representative of our country. He is a bird of bad moral character ; 
he does not get his living honestly. You may have seen him perched on some dead tree, where, 
too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labors of the fishing-hawk ; and when that diligent 
bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to his nest for the support of his mate and young 
ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him. With all this injustice, he is never in 
