261 
THE BIRD OF WASHINGTON. 
'he fullness of the plumage affording them a double 
^ance of escaping uninjured. Their flight is slow, 
st «ady, and particularly graceful, gliding along with 
Sc *rcely any apparent motion of the wings, the tips ot 
Hieh are curved upwards in flying. They are seen 
111 greatest numbers, and soar highest, before hurricanes 
° r thunder-storms. Their quills are used by the hunters 
^ tubes for tobacco-pipes.” 
GENUS II ,—FALCO. 
3. FALCO WASHINGTON!?* — THE BIRD OF WASHINGTON. 
AUDUBON, PLATE IX. MALE. 
Op this magnificent bird, Audubon, in his Orni- 
t>to logical Biography, gives the following animated 
'tcount : — 
“ It was in the month of February, 1814, that I 
'‘'Rained the first sight of this noble bird, and never 
S M i foro-et the delight which it gave me. Not even 
Sarachel, when he discovered the planet which bears 
S name, could have experienced more rapturous feel- 
ings. We were on a trading voyage, ascending the 
rper Mississippi. The keen wintry blasts whistled 
**®Und us, and the cold from which I suffered, had, in 
* great degree, extinguished the deep interest which, at 
"frier seasons, this magnificent river has been wont to 
""'alee in me. I lay stretched beside our patroon. The 
s ^!ety of the cargo was forgotten, and the only thing 
'hat, called my attention was the multitude of ducks, of 
'ffereut species, accompanied by vast flocks of swans, 
Jl'bch from time to time passed us. My patroon, a 
.RRtadian, had been engaged many years in the fur 
J*ade. He was a man of much intelligence ; and, 
‘ >e, ’ceivin<r that these birds had engaged my curiosity, 
pitied anxious to find some new object to divert me. 
c n eagle flew over us. ‘ How fortunate ! ’ he exclaimed ; 
this is what 1 could have wished. Look, sir! the 
f, r «at ca-le, and the only one I have seen since I left 
lakes.’ I was instantly on my feet, and, having 
" ‘served it attentively, concluded, as I lost it in the 
