and smaller species; and so familiar that it frequents the towns, and plies as a scavenger in the streets, in which office it is protected by the inhabitants. It is about two feet two inches in length, and four feet four inches in the stretch of the wings. The general color is dull black, with some white on the insides of the primary quills. It is a dull and sluggish bird, and the smell of it is peculiarly offensive. The Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos,) is one of the most powerful of the eagle tribe. Its feathers are much prized by the Indians as ornaments, and are attached to their pipes or calumets, whence they call the bird the Calumet Eagle. It is seen on the coast and in the woods and mountainous parts of California. The following are nearly the average external characters of the female Golden Eagle, which is the more powerful bird, and therefore the typical one, at that age when the colors expressive of youth have disappeared, and those of old age have not come on:-Tip of the bill and the claws black; basal part of the bill bluish; naked skin or cere at the base of the bill, and toes, which are the only naked parts of the feet, yellow; irides of the eyes bright orange brown, inclining to yellow; crown of the head and nape of the neck bright orange brown; sometimes, in birds which have passed a certain age, margined with white, which becomes broader as age increases. The feathers on the neck narrow, pointed, and very distinct, bristling out from each other when the bird is in a state of excitement; chin and throat rich dark brown, passing gradually into pale reddish brown on the under part, in which it terminates in the vent feathers, and feathers on the tarsi, the latter being slender and very much produced; upper part deep orange brown, margin rather paler, which gives a bold relief to the individual feathers; coverts of the wings nearly the same; secondary quills clouded with various shades of brown; and primary quills black. Tail purplish brown, barred across with blackish brown, and having a broad line of the same across the extremity. The feathers are all remarkable for the firmness of their texture, and their profusion in the eagle feather, which gives them something of the same appearance as if they were imbricated scales. The Bald Eagle (Aquila leucocephalus.) As this bird is certainly much more characteristic of North America than of any other part of the world, and, as it is there a bird of the greatest interest, we should be doing it injustice if we attempted to describe it in any other language than that of Wilson:-"This distinguished bird," says this equally distinguished naturalist, "as he is the most beautiful of his tribe in this part of the world, and the adopted emblem of our country, is entitled to particular notice. The celebrated cataract of Niagara is a noted place of resort for the Bald Eagle, as well on account of the fish procured there, as for the numerous carcasses of squirrels, deer, bears, and various other animals, that, in their attempts to cross the river above the Falls, have been dragged into the current, and precipitated down that tremendous gulf, where, among the rocks that bound the rapids below, they furnish a rich repast for the vulture, the raven, and the Bald Eagle, the subject of the present account. Formed by nature for braving the severest cold; feeding equally on the produce of the sea, and of the land; possessing powers of flight capable of outstripping even the tempests themselves; unawed by any thing but man; and, from the ethereal heights to which it soars, looking abroad at one glance, on an immeasurable expanse of forests, fields, lakes, and ocean, 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 atmosphere, the abode of eternal cold, and from thence descend, at will, to the torrid or the artic regions of the earth. He is, therefore, found at all seasons in the countries he inhabits; but prefers such places as have been mentioned 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, contemplative, daring, and tyranical; attributes not exerted but on particular occasions, but, when put forth, overpowering all opposition. Elevated on the high dead limb of some gigantic tree, that commands a wide view of the neighboring shore, and ocean, he seems calmly to contemplate the motions of the various feathered tribes that pursue their busy avocations below; the snow white gulls slowly win nowing the air; the busy tringæ 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 arrests his whole attention. By his wide curvature of wing, and sudden suspension in air, he knows him to be the fish hawk, settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight, and, balancing himself, with half-opened wings, on the branch, he watches the result. Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making the surges foam around. At this moment, the eager looks of the Eagle are all ardor; and, levelling his neck for flight, he sees the fish hawk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and mounting in the air with screams of exultation. This is the signal for our hero, who, launching in the air, instantly gives chase, and soon gains on the fish hawk; each exerts his utmost to mount above the other, displaying in these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The unencumbered Eagle rapidly advances, and is just on the point of reaching his opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest execration, the latter drops his fish the Eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirlwind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears his ill-gotten booty silently away to the woods." The Fish Hawk (Aquila Haliceta) referred to above, inhabits the coast and many parts of the interior of this country. The flight of this bird is easy : |