EAG 
ned off by Eagles: but providentially diey fu- 
ftained no material injury ; for the creatures, when 
purfuedj depofited the babes in their nefts, from 
whence they were recovered. 
Thus Eagles prove at all times very formida- 
ble neighbours; but more particularly fowhen nou- 
rifhing their young; for on fuch occafions both the 
male and female exert all their force and induftry 
to fupply ,the wants of their progeny. Smith, in 
his Hiftory of Kerry, informs us, that a certain 
peafant in that county procured a comfortable fub- 
fiftence for himfelf and family, during a fummer 
of famine, by plundering Eaglets of vaft quan- 
tities of food which the old ones inceflantly brought 
them. In order to protraft the attendance of the 
parent birds beyond the natural time, he clipped 
the wings of the young; and, by thus retarding 
their flight, fecured the advantage of participating 
in their fpoils : it was, however, fortunate for this 
peafant, that he was not furprized by the old Ea- 
gles in committing thefe depredations; their re- 
fentments at times proving fatal, as will appear by 
the following account. 
Some years ago, a countryman formed an inten- 
tion of robbing an Eagle's neft, which was fituated 
in a fmall ifland in the beautiful lake of Kiilar- 
ney in Ireland. Having ftripped off his cloaths, 
he fwam towards the place while the old birds 
were abfent; and, after robbing the neft of the 
young, was preparing to return with the Eaglets 
tied together by a ftring; but, after being im- 
merfed in the water as high as his chin, the old 
Eagles returned to their neft, and miffing their 
brood, darted inftantly on the plunderer, who, in 
fpite of all the refiftance in his power, fell a facri- 
fice to their revenge. 
In order to the extirpation of thefe pernicious 
birds, there is a law in force in the Orkney iflands, 
where they are very numerous, which entitles any 
perfon who kills an Eagle to a hen out of every 
houfe in the parifti where fuch bird is deftroyed. 
The Eagle has always been regarded as the king 
of birds, either on account of his great ftrength, 
the terror which he infpires, his natural fiercenefs, 
or the rapidity and elevation of his flight. Bo- 
chart tells us, that he lives a whole century, gradu- 
ally increafmg in bulk till his death; and, if fo, 
we may the more eafily credit Athensus, who 
fays, that Eagles, having wings twenty cubits long, 
were exhibited, by way of ornament, at the triumph 
of Ptolemy. Such is the voracity of this bird, 
that a large extent of country is fcarcely fufficient 
to furnifta him v/ith prey neceffary for his fupport ; 
on which account, as before obferved, two pair of 
Eagles are never to be found in one and the fame 
quarter. Ariftotle and Pliny affert, that thefe ani- 
mals chace their young, not only out of their nefts, 
but even the country they inhabit, as foon as they 
are able to fly. As the Eagle fubflfts folely on the 
flefh of llich creatures as he deftroys, fo he alfo 
quenches his thirft with their blood, never drink- 
ing water when in health. The fwan, it is faid, 
is the only bird that is capable of oppofing this 
formidable enemy of the winged tribe; all other 
birds dreading him to an inconceivable degree, as 
well as trembling at his cry. Nor are the inhabi- 
tants of the liquid element exempted from his vo- 
racity ; he perceives them, even at the very bot- 
tom, as he flcims over feas and lakes; darts down- 
ward on them with the rapidity of an arrow ; and, 
dragging them to the fliore, devours them in an 
inftant. 
The Eagle's aftoniftiing fliarpnefs of fight gives 
EAG 
him a decided fuperiority over every other birci; 
and of this advantage he feems fo very fenHble, 
that, in order to preferve it in the fpecies, as foon 
as the young begin to acquire ftrength, the parent 
turns them towards the fun, obliging them to fix 
their eyes on this dazzling luminary; and, if any 
one of them is found to be incapable of fupport- 
ing the heat and force of his rays, it is fpeedily 
chafed from the neft, as unworthy of protection and 
affiftance: while, on the other hand, fuch of them 
as acquit themielvcs with reputation in this ordeal, 
are cherifticd with remarkable affeftion, fed with 
the utmoft attention, and taught to fly and purfue 
with aftonifliing affiduity. The parent bird af- 
terwards bears them on his wings, in fuch a poll- ' 
tion as to be in no danger from the aim of the 
fowler ; quits them in the middle of the courfe, in 
order to prove their powers ; and, if he perceives 
that they are either unable to fupport thertifeives 
alone, or run the fnialleft hazard of falling, he 
darts himfelf below them with the utmoft celei ity, - 
and receives them between his pinions. 
The reafcn why the Eagle is thus able fLedfafily 
to look on the fun, and to fuftain his moft dazzling 
rays, is becaufe he is furniftied with two eye-lids ; 
by one of which his eyes are entirely {hut; v/hile 
with the other, which is thinner, they are as it v/erc 
veiled when beholding any luminous objeil, and 
it's glaring light is thereby rendered much m.ore 
fupportable. This appendage enables the Eagle 
to rife to a prodigious height; and to this inftinft 
he owes the renewal of his ftrength and youth; in 
which the learned, and even the critics themfelves, 
are agreed. Every ten years his feathers become 
heavy, and of courfe lefs proper for flight : he then 
makes an effort, and approaches nearer the fun 
than ufual; where, after being exceffively heated, 
he plunges immediately into the fea; on which his' 
feathers fall off, and are fupplied by new ones, 
Vv^hich reftore him to his priftine ftrength. 
^lian, who afcribes to the Eagle a peculiar in- 
ftinft of gratitude, gravely informs us, that one 
which Pyrrhus had brought up, and conftantly 
followed him, was fo fenfible of the death of that 
illuftrious warrior, that he refufed either to quit 
his body, or to receive any nouriftiment; and that 
another threw himfelf into the fame funeral pile 
which confumed the corpfe of his mafter. 
The neft of the Eagle is ufually built in the 
moft inacceffible cliff of a rock, and frequently 
fliielded from the inclemency of the weather by 
fome jutting crag which overhangs it: at times, 
however, it is wholly expofed to the winds, as well 
fideways as from above; for it is generally flat, 
though conftrufted with abundant labour. Some 
naturalifts inform us, that one neft ferves the Eagle 
during his whole life; and indeed the great pains 
taken by the animal in forming it render this con- 
clufion probable. One of thefe habitations was 
difcovered in the Peak of Derbyfhire, which Wi!- 
lughby thus defcribes. ' It was made of great 
fticks, one end refting on the edge of a rock, and 
the other on two birch-trees. On thefe was placed 
a layer of nifties, and over them a layer of heath, 
and on the heath another layer of ruflies; and on 
them lay an Eaglet and an addled egg; and by 
them a lamb, a hare, and three heath-pours. The 
neft was about two yards fquare, and had no hol- 
low in it. The youhg^ Eagle was of the ftiape of 
a gofhawk, and weighed nearly as much as a 
goofe;" it was rough-footed, or feathered down 
to the foot, and • had a white ring about the 
tail.' 
The 
