Chap. II. 
of the East Indi e s. 
Arifioile a fibres us *, that the Eagle lives to a great Age, 
and is at lift ftarved to Death ; the upper Bill growing 
over the under in fuch a manner as that the Bird can receive 
no fort of Suftenance. In the Perjian Language the Eagle 
is called Her, mi, that is to fay, the Royal Eagle, which is 
held in a manner facred throughout the Fail, becaufe they 
are perfuaded, that though this be the bolded: and fierce!!' 
of all Birds, yet it injures no Creature living, but feeds upon 
Bones that it finds in the Defer ts \ But we mull have a 
care to diftinguifh this Royal Eagle from the Offifrage or 
Bone-breaker, which is another kind of Eagle that lives 
chiefly on Sheli-fifh, as. alfo on Carrion, and is reported to 
have frequented Church- yards, and to have tom open 
'the Graves in order to Feed upon the dead Bodies. 
It is neceffary before we leave this Subject to mention the 
Eagle-Stone, or Lapis Aetites , as it was called by the An- 
tients. This was held to be found in the Eagles Nell ; 
and Pliny fays b , that there were generally two without, 
which the Eagle could not hatch. That Writer fays there 
are four forts of Eagle-Stones, the'firft bred in Africa , 
fmall and foft, with a little Piece of white Clay included 
within it, which had a very pleafant Smell •, and this was 
faid to be the Female Eagle Stone. The fecond was found 
in Arabia of the Size of a Walnut, and of a reddifh Co- 
lour •, it had alfo a little Stone in the middle, and was ac- 
counted the Male. The third was found in Cyprus , which 
refembled thofe found in Africa , but was broader and 
flatter. The fourth was called faphiufius from the Region 
in which it was found, and was foft like Clay. Thefe 
Eagle-Stones, of which I have one before me, are in truth 
little bigger than a Hazle-Nut, of a greyiffi Colour, and 
have another Stone within them which rattles., They are 
light, and feem to be fome kind of Vegetable petrefied, 
having a black Spot at one End, as if they had been broken 
off from a Stalk. Pliny fays they were much efteemed for 
their Medicinal Virtue, which confifted in making the Fe- 
male of every kind of Animal go its full Time with Young. 
At the Time of Delivery, however, it was to be remov’d, 
for otherwife they held that the Creature could not be de- 
livered ■, and this Notion prevailed in the laft Century, when 
thefe Stones were fold at a great rate ; but at prefent fuch 
Notions are out of Date, and confidered as mere Fidtions, 
n. After the Eagle the Oftrich was the Bird moft con- 
fidered in the Indies on account of its large Size, the Sin- 
gularity of its Shape, and other extraordinary Qualities. 
The Antients thought its Neck and Head refembled thofe 
of a Camel, the Eyes fparkling, the Beak blunt, and the 
Noftrils very wide 0 . The Neck, the Head, and the 
Thighs of this Creature, is without Feathers ; the Legs 
remarkably ftrong, and the Feet cleft or divided into two 
Toes. There were fome Years ago no lefs than eight of 
thefe Birds exhibited at Paris , of which M. Perrault has 
given us a Defcription. They were feven Feet high from 
the Ground to the Top of the Head, that is to fay, four 
from the Flat of the Back to their Feet, and three from 
the riling of the Neck to the Top of their Heads, from the 
Rump to the Head, the Neck being extended in a right 
Line from the Back, they were fix Feet in Length. The 
Tail about a Foot, the Wing without the Feathers a Foot 
and a half, and with the Feathers three Feet. It is of the 
Feathers of the Oftrich that the Plumes heretofore worn on 
the Helmet, and the Feathers now ufed in Hats, are made. 
As they grow on the Bird they are alternatively white and 
black, or black and grey d . 
Almoft all other Birds have two forts of Feathers, one 
downy and foft to keep them warm, and defend them from 
Water j the other ftrong and ftiff, to affift them in flying. 
In the Oftrich, however, it is quite otherwife ; for tho’ the 
Feathers of this Bird be long, yet the Subftance is downy 
and foft, which, notwithftanding, does not feem to keep 
them very warm, neither do they enable them to fly. There 
is another thing remarkable in their Feathers, becaufe they 
likewife differ therein from thofe of other Birds. The lat- 
ter have more of the feathery Subftance on one Side of the 
Quill than on the other, and on both Sides fo ranged,, as to 
end in a kind of Point. In the Feathers of the" Oftrich 
the Qiiill runs directly through the middle, and the End is 
in a manner round. To apprehend this the, better, it is 
neceffary to obferve, that the former kind of Mecbanftm is 
of great Ufa in flying, for thefe, two Reafons , fir 11, that 
the Air refills the Stroke of . the Wing powerfully, and 
thereby enables the Bird to rife : the fecond, that the Air 
makes the leaft poffible Reftftance in the fliutting of the 
Wing for the next. Stroke,, fo that the Bird lofes little of 
that Advantage which Hie gained by the former Stroke. It 
is for the fame Eeafon that the Quill extends to the very 
Extremity of the Feathers, fo that the : Wing forms a kind 
of Arch when expanded, by which means the Bird preffes 
upon, and is fuftained by the Air gathered, under it. But 
there is nothing of this kind obfervable in the Strudiure of 
the Feathers of the Oftrich, which are not connected to each 
other, but lie loofe on each Side of the Quill, and are not 
at all ftiff or gummy like thofe of other Birds. 
Hence Ariftotle long ago obferved e , that the Feathefs 
of the Oftrich refembled more the Hair of Beafts than the 
Plumage of other Fowls, that is to fay, were rather con- 
trived to cover the Body, than to affift the Bird in her 
Flight. To fay the Truth, this Animal, as Arijlotie 
rightly obferves, is incapable of rafting itfeif from the 
Ground *, but then it runs at a great race, fo that they hunt 
it with Grey-hounds, the Pluntfmen mounted on fleet 
Horfes bred on purpofe to the Sport. 
The Antients were of Opinion, that the Wings of the 
Oftrich was one great Caufe of its Swiftnefs ; but the French 
Author before cited has taken a great deal of Pains to fhew 
from the Structure of the Feathers, that they cannot pof- 
flbly have any fuch Effedt, becaufe they are intirely deftitute 
of the Qualities requifite for that Purpofe, which though 
contrary to the Sentiments of ancient Naturalifts, was, how- 
ever, a thing known long ago to fome of the Curious f . 
It has been likewife afferted, that the Oftrich had an Inftindl 
in gaining the Wind, which by fwelling its Wings, forced 
the Creature along at a great rate ; but modern Experience 
contradicts this likewife, and it is generally affirmed, that 
this Bird very feldom runs with the Wind, but on the con- 
trary is often in danger of falling, by running oppofite 
thereto when the Gale is brifk. It is notwithftanding 
generally allowed, that the Oftrich throws Stones behind 
her in her Flight with equal Agility and Force. 
The Infide of this Animal is, to the full, as curious and 
remarkable as the Out. The Stomach of. this Bird is 
about fifteen Inches long, and eight widej, feparated by 
a mufculous Piece of Flefh, which, in the Middle, may 
be two Inches thick, or fomewhat more. In thefe two Ca- 
vities were found confiderable Quantities of Grafs, Hay, 
Barley, Beans, Bones, and Flints, fome of which were 
of the Bignefs of a Hen’s Egg, together with feventy 
Pieces of little copper Money, of the Size of our Far- 
things. The greater Part of thefe were Three-fourths 
confumed by their rubbing one againft another, and againfl: 
the Flints, and not by any acid Spirit which had corroded 
them ; which manifeftly appeared from hence, that 
whereas one Side was quite fmooth and polifhed, by con- 
tinually rubbing •, the other, being preferved by its lying 
hollow, had the Impreffion quite fair. 
All that was contained in the Stomach of the Creature, 
whether Stones, Bones, or Beans, were all over of a green- 
ifh Colour. The antient Naturalifts, therefore, had cer- 
tainly no Idea of the true Manner in which Stones, Iron, 
and fuch like Things were confumed in foe Stomach of 
the Oftrich, fince, they plainly affert, that this was done 
by fome particular Quality in the Juices ; fo that, as the 
Stomachs of other Creatures were fitted for the Diffolu- 
tion of Fifh, raw Flefh, and Bones, that of the Oftrich 
had the peculiar Power of confuming Metals and Stones. 
For, if the Stomach of this Animal had any Angular 
or particular Quality of digefting Metals, they would, 
moft certainly, be digefted in the fame Manner as other 
2 DeHtft, Animal, lib. lx. cap. I. a Herbelot. Biblioth. Orient, p. 456. b Hift. Nat. lib. X. cap. 3. lib. xxxvi. cap. 21. c Ariftot. de 
Anima ^ Hb. iv. cap. 14. Pliny. Hift. Nat. lib. x. cap i. d Memoires de l' Academie, Pom . iii, p. iii. p. 113. e De Part. Animah 
1 ™ • f r M ot \ f AnlmaL lib. iv. cap. 4 . yet as to its prodigious Swiftaefs, the Author of the Book of Job ©bferyes. xxxix. 1 3 . 
_ When the Clinch lifteth herfelf on high, {he fcorngth the Horfe, and his Rider Q 
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