The Black Eagle. 193 
eagle in its young state, but others make it a distinct 
species. It is about twice as large as the raven. The 
parts about the beak and the eye are bare of feathers, 
and somewhat reddish; the head, neck, and breast 
black ; in the middle of the back, between the shoulders, 
there is a large white spot, dashed with red ; a black 
streak sweeps along the feathers, and is followed by a 
white one ; the remaining 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 tarsal joint, the naked part being red ; 
his talons are very long. He is found in France, Ger- 
many, 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 immediately alight on its 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 or. 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 con- 
structed, 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 lens of the eye, by which it can 
be moved at pleasure. The orbit of the eye is formed 
of about twelve or sixteen bony plates, which slide over 
each other when necessary. Birds are also furnished 
with an additional eyelid, of extremely thin texture, 
with which they occasionally appear to shade their eyes. 
o 
