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bird, as ftrength and courage in eagles and hawks, 
&c. In grouping birds of thefe kinds with their prey, 
regard fhould be had to the particular part at which 
they begin to devour it: fome begin at the bread:, 
fome at the head, fome at the back, and others ex- 
trad: the entrails firft ; the feeble fcarce-refifting 
efforts and extreme terror of the proftrate bird, the 
exulting audacity and triumph of the victorious one, 
if properly managed, create a fine contraft. Pick- 
ing, ftretching, feeding, fear, furprize, and fighting, 
afford peculiar and ftriking attitudes. I fear the word 
attitude does not fufficiently exprefs my idea j I mean 
the particular pofitions of the legs, wings, head, 
body, the manner of the feathers, and in general 
whatever contributes to exprefs and mark a particular 
aCtion and paffion of the bird. Thus, in furprize at- 
tended with fear, the legs are extended, the body 
leans forward out of the equilibrium, fupported al- 
moft on the toes, the wings are half expanded, the 
bill turned to one fide, the top (if crefted) fpread, 
and the feathers, particularly thofe of the neck, (land- 
ing perpendicular to the fkin. When any part is not 
made to co-operate in the expreffion, we not only lofe 
the additional ftrength which the proper aClion of 
that part would have given to the general expreffion, 
but, what is worfe, the pofition of fuch deficient parts 
may convey an idea direCtly contrary to that general 
expreffion, and fo make the whole unnatural, con- 
tradictory, and ridiculous. It is not unfrequent to 
fee this abfurdity in a degree that at once furprizes 
and offends a judicious obferver. Birds put in fuch 
pofitions as are intended to exprefs the ftrongeft 
emotions 
