190 Birds 
the torrent, and precipitated down those tremendous 
falls : 
" High o'er the watery uproar silent seen, 
Sailing sedate in majesty serene, 
Now 'midst the pillar 'd spray sublimely lost, 
And now emerging, down the rapids toss*d, 
Glides the Bald Eagle, gazing calm and slow 
O'er all the horrors of the scene below ; 
Intent alone to sate himself with blood, 
From the torn victim of the raging flood." 
The number of birds of prey of various kinds which 
assemble at the foot of the rocks to glut themselves upon 
the banquet thus provided for them, is said to be incredi- 
bly great, but they are all compelled to give place to the 
Eagle when he deigns to feed on dead animals ; and the 
crow and the vulture submit without a struggle to the 
exercise of that tyranny, which they know it would be 
in vain to resist. " We have ourselves," says Wilson, 
" seen the Bald Eagle, while seated on the dead carcase 
of a horse, keep a whole flock of vultures at a respectful 
distance, until he had fully sated his own appetite : " 
and he adds another instance, in which many thousands 
of tree squirrels having been - drowned, in one of their 
migrations, in attempting to pass the Ohio, and having 
furnished for some length of time a rich banquet to the 
vultures, the sudden appearance among them of the 
Bald Eagle at once put a stop to their festivities, and 
drove them to a distance from their prey, of which the 
Eagle kept sole possession for several successive days. 
These Eagles sometimes hunt in pairs in a manner 
which shows their great sagacity. Aware that water- fowl 
have the power of eluding their grasp by diving, they 
hover at a distance from each other over their prey. One 
of them then darts towards it with great swiftness, but 
the water-fowl easily avoids the first attack by diving. 
The pursuer then rises into the air, and his mate resumes 
the attack just as the fowl is emerging to breathe, and 
compels it to plunge again. The Eagles continue alter- 
nately to proceed in this manner till their victim is so 
exhausted that it falls an easy prey. 
This Eagle also frequently attacks the Osprey or 
Fish Hawk, when he is returning from a successful 
