134 THE KING OF THE BIRDS. 
fall. Numbers of eagles congregate there, as 
if they delighted in the roar of its mighty 
waters ; and fly in and out of the spray that 
rises like a column, and sometimes hides them 
from view. 
The nest of the eagle, which is called an 
eyrie, is built on a steep rock, or else upon a 
lofty tree, such as a pine or a cypress. The 
same nest does duty year after year, only it is 
put in repair, and new sticks are added, until 
it gets so large that it can be seen a* long way 
oK There is generally but one egg in it, and 
never more than two. The parent birds are 
devotedly fond of their young ; and as I have 
said so much of the ferocity of the eagles, ijb 
is but fair to give this better side of their 
character. 
It happened once, that a part of the forest 
had to be cleared, and the easiest way of doing 
it was by setting the trees on fire. 'On the 
top of a pine-tree was the great nest of the 
eagle, and the j^oung bird was in it. The pine- 
tree, in its turn, caught fire; and the flames 
rapidly mounted the trunk. But the mother 
eagle would not leave her nest, although she 
was in danger of being suffocated. At last 
