CRESTED, OR HARPY EAGLE. 
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fan-like crest when erect. As long as this crest lies flatly on the head and neck, the bird 
might be taken for a common Eagle ; bnt as soon as the fierce temper is roused, the crest 
is raised, and the bird assumes an indescribably bold and courageous aspect. The color of 
this noble bird is very variable, differing greatly in the several epochs of an Eagle’s life. 
When adult, the general color is blackish-slate, the head is gray, and the chest and abdomen 
white, with a band of a darker hue across the chest. The tops of the feathers which compose 
the crest are black, and the tail is barred alternately with black and gray. The beak and 
claws are black. 
CRESTED, OR HARPY EAGLE .— Thrascetus harpyia. 
This bird is a native of various parts of Southern America, and prefers the deepest forests 
to the plains or the rocks as its place of residence. 
The Harpy Eagle is a most powerful bird, exceeding even the golden Eagle in the extent 
of its muscular development. The bones of the Harpy are enormously thick in proportion to 
the size of the bird, and the claws are nearly twice the size of those which belong to the golden 
Eagle. The wings, however, are not largely developed, being rather short and rounded, so that 
the bird is not fitted so much for a swift and active flight as for the power of grasping with con- 
siderable force, and using its talons with the greatest effect. This formation is easily accounted 
for by the fact that the Harpy Eagle is not intended as an aerial hunter, chasing its prey through 
the air and overcoming it by means of superior activity and strength, but feeds mostly on vari- 
ous mammalia, and is a sad enemy to the sloth. Young deer fall victims to this voracious bird, 
which also destroys vast quantities of cavies, opossums, and other animals. Even the large 
