THE LIVING WORLD. 
433 
possessing powers of flight capable of outstripping even the tempests themselves; 
unawed by anything but man; and from the ethereal heights to which he soars, 
looking abroad, at one glance, on an immeasurable expanse of forests, fields, lakes 
and oceans deep below him, he appears indifferent to the little localities of change 
of seasons, as, in a few minutes, he can pass from summer to winter, from the 
lower to the higher 
regions of the atmo¬ 
sphere, the abode of 
eternal cold, and from 
thence descend at will 
to the torrid or the 
arctic regions of the 
earth. He is there¬ 
fore found at all sea¬ 
sons in the countries 
he inhabits, but pre¬ 
fers all such places 
as have been men¬ 
tioned above, from 
the great partiality 
he has for fish. In 
procuring these, he 
displays, in a very 
singular manner, the 
genius and energy 
of his character, 
which is fierce, con¬ 
templative, daring 
and tyrannical; at¬ 
tributes not exerted 
but on particular oc¬ 
casions p but when 
put forth, overpow¬ 
ering all opposition. 
Elevated on the high 
dead limb of some 
gigantic tree that 
commands a wide 
view of the neigh¬ 
boring shore and 
ocean, he seems calm¬ 
ly to contemplate eagle oe the alps carrying oee marie delax. 
the motions of the 
various feathered tribes that pursue their busy avocations below; the 
snow-white gulls slowly winnowing the air; the busy trifigce (sand-pipers) 
coursing along the sands; trains of ducks streaming over the surface; silent 
and watchful cranes, intent and wading; clamorous crows, and all the 
winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid magazine 
of nature. High over all these hovers one whose action instantly 
28 
