28 
THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 
position upon a branch or perch even whilst sleeping, and that in many instances the slumber- 
ing bird retains its hold of the perch by a single foot, the other limb being drawn np and buried 
in the feathers. As this grasp of the perch is clearly an involuntary one, it is evidently inde- 
pendent of the mere will of the bird, and due to some peculiar formation. On removing the 
skin from the leg of any bird, and separating the muscles from each other, the structure in 
question is easily seen. The muscles which move the leg and foot, and the tendons which 
form the attachment of the muscles to the bones, are so arranged, that whenever the bird 
bends its leg the foot is forcibly closed, and is relaxed as soon as the leg is straightened. A 
bird is totally unable to keep its foot open when its leg is bent, as may be seen by watching a 
common fowl as it walks along, closing its toes as it lifts the foot from the ground, and spread- 
ing them as they come to the ground again. It will be seen, therefore, that when a bird falls 
asleep upon a branch, the legs are not only bent but pressed do wards by the weight of the 
body, so that the claws hold the perch with an involuntary grasp, which is necessarily tight- 
ened according to the depth of the bird’s slumbers. When, therefore, an Eagle desires to 
drive his talons into the body of his prey, he needs only to sink downwards with his whole 
weight, and the forcible bending of the legs will effect the purpose without the necessity for any 
muscular exertion. Exertion, indeed, is never needlessly used by the Eagle, for it is very 
chary of exercising its great muscular powers, and unless roused by the sight of prey, or 
pressed to fly abroad in search of food, will sit upon a tree or a point of rock for hours 
together, as motionless as a stuffed figure. 
Voracious though it be, and capable of gorging itself to the full like any vulture, the 
Eagle can sustain a prolonged fast from meat or drink ; and on one occasion, when wounded, 
made voluntary abstinence for a fortnight before it would touch the food with which it was 
liberally provided. 
The first, and one of the finest, of these grand birds is the well-known Golden Eagle. 
This magnificent bird is spread over a large portion of the world, being found in various parts 
of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. The color of this bird is a rich blackish-brown on the 
greater part of the body, the head and neck being covered with feathers of a rich golden red, 
which have earned for the bird its popular name. The legs and sides of the thighs are gray- 
brown, and the tail is a deep gray, diversified with several regular, dark-brown bars. The 
cere and the feet are yellow. In its immature state the plumage of the Golden Eagle is 
differently tinged, the whole of the feathers being reddish-brown, the legs and sides of the 
thighs nearly white, and the tail white for the first three-quarters of its length. So different 
an aspect does the immature bird present, that it has been often reckoned as a separate species, 
and named accordingly. It is a truly magnificent bird in point of size, for an adult female 
measures about three feet six inches in length, and the expanse of her wings is nine feet. The 
male is less by nearly six inches. 
The Golden Eagle is observed to frequent certain favorite haunts, and to breed regularly 
in the same spot for a long series of years. Their nest is always made upon some elevated 
spot, generally upon a ledge of rock, and is most inartistically constructed of sticks, which are 
thrown apparently at random, and rudely arranged for the purpose of containing the eggs and 
young. A neighboring ledge of rock is generally reserved for a larder, where the parent 
Eagles store up the food which they bring from the plains below. The contents of this larder 
are generally of a most miscellaneous description, consisting of hares, partridges, and game of 
all kinds, lambs, rabbits, young pigs, fish, and other similar articles of food. An Eagle’s nest 
might therefore be supposed to be an unpleasant neighbor to the farmers, but it is said that 
the birds respect the laws of hospitality, and, provided that they are left unmolested, 
will spare the flocks of their immediate neighbors, and forage for food at a considerable 
distance. 
In hunting for their prey, the Eagle and his mate mutually assist each other. It may 
here be mentioned, that the Eagles are all monogamous, keeping themselves to a single mate, 
and living together in perfect harmony through their lives. Should, however, one of them 
die or be killed, the survivor is not long left in a state of widowhood, but vanishes from the 
