64 
BIRDS OF PREY. 
from its aspiring flight and majestic soaring, it was fabled 
to hold communion with heaven, and to be the favorite 
messenger of Jove. The Tartars have a particular esteem 
for the feathers of the tail, with which they supersti- 
tiously think to plume invincible arrows. It is no less 
the venerated War-Eagle of our northern and western 
aborigines ; and the caudal feathers are extremely valu- 
ed for talismanic head-dresses, and as sacred decora- 
tions for the Pipe of Peace. 
The Eagle appears to be more abundant around Hud- 
son’s Bay than in the United States ; but they are not 
unfrequent in the great plains of the Mississippi and 
Missouri, as appears from the frequent use of the feath- 
ers by the natives. The wilderness seems their favorite 
resort, and they neither crave nor obtain any advantage 
from the society of man. Attached to the mountains in 
which they are bred, it is a rare occurrence to see the 
Eagle in this vicinity ; and, as with some other birds, 
it would appear that the young only are found in the 
United States, while the old remain in Labrador and 
the northern regions. The lofty mountains of New 
Hampshire afford suitable situations for the eyry of the 
Eagle, over whose snow-clad summits he is seen majes- 
tically soaring in solitude and grandeur. A young bird 
from this region, which I have seen in a state of domesti- 
cation, showed considerable docility. He had, however, 
been brought up from the nest, in which he was found 
in the month of August ; he appeared even playful, turn- 
ing his head about in a very antic manner as if desirous 
to attract attention ; still his glance was quick and fiery. 
When birds were given to him, he plumed them very 
clean before he began his meal, and picked the subject 
to a perfect skeleton. 
