BIRDS. 157 
ing part of the wing, to the tip, is of a dark ash colour. 
This bird has beautiful hazel eyes, full of animation : his 
legs are feathered down a little below the tarsial joint, the 
naked part being red ; his talons are very long. He is 
found in France, Germany, Poland, and delights in 
Alpine mountains, where he makes the vales and woods 
resound with his incessant screamings when in search of 
prey. 
The Abbe Spallanzani had an Eagle of this species, so 
powerful as to be able to kill dogs that were much larger 
than itself. When a dog was placed before it, the bird 
would ruffle up the feathers on its head and neck, cast a 
dreadful look at its victim, take a short flight, and imme- 
diately alight on his back. It held the head firmly with 
one foot, and thus secured the dog from biting, and with 
the other grasped one of his flanks, at the same time 
driving its talons into the body ; and in this attitude it 
continued, till the dog expired with fruitless outcries and 
efforts. 
The eyes of Eagles are celebrated for their brilliancy 
and strength, which has given rise to the popular opinion 
that they can gaze on the sun without shrinking ; though 
this, from the overhanging eyebrow of the Eagle, would 
be an extremely difficult feat for the bird to perform. 
The eyes of all birds are curiously constructed, so as to 
enable them to see both distant objects and near ones with 
equal facility ; and for this purpose they are furnished 
with a membrane placed near the edge of the crystalline 
or lens of the eye, by which it can be moved at pleasure. 
The orbit of the eye is also formed of from twelve to six- 
teen bony plates, which slide over each other when neces- 
sary. Birds are also furnished with an additional eyelid, 
of extremely thin texture, with which they occasionally 
appear to shade their eyes. 
