THE BALD EAGLE. 
177 
the Fish Hawk, settling over some devoted victim 
of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight, and, 
balancing himself, with half-opened wings, on the 
branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an 
arrow from Heaven, descends the distant object of 
his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear 
as it disappears in the deep, making the surges foam 
around. At this moment the eager looks of the 
Eagle are all ardor; and, levelling his neck for 
flight, he sees the Fish Hawk once more emerge, 
struggling with his prey, and mounting in the air 
with screams of exultation. These are the signal for 
our hero, who, launching into the air, instantly gives 
chase, and soon gains on the Fish Hawk ; each exerts 
his utmost to mount above the other, displaying in 
these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial 
evolutions. The unencumbered Eagle rapidly ad- 
vances, and is just on the point of reaching his op- 
ponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of 
despair and honest execration, the latter drops his 
fish ; the Eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if 
to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirlwind, 
snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and 
bears his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods/’ 
This cowardly and selfish behavior of the Eagle 
would seem to unfit him to be the national emblem 
of a people devoted to freedom, and who glory in the 
unmolested enjoyment of their rights. Dr. Franklin 
deeply regretted that it had been chosen as the rep- 
resentative of our country, but however appropriate 
or inappropriate the comparison may be, there is no 
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