has willed the perpetuity and support of every species. Here, indeed, we recognise the workmanship of the Divinity, in all its admirable wisdom and surpassing benevolence. The finger of God is here!"

[Much of the information contained in this little book, is drawn either from the entertaining volumes of Bewick, or from the more scientific pages of "The Animal Kingdom of Cuvier, with additional Descriptions and Original Matter, by Ed. Griffith, F. L. S. and others."]

11

CHAPTER 1.

NATURALISTS have arranged birds under six orders. In each of these orders there are again sub-divisions; but, as we do not pretend to enter into the minutiae of ornithology, we shall only notice the six grand divisions, as forming the broad outlines of the science. They are as follow:

First OrderAccipitres, or birds of prey.

Second do.

Passeres, including most of our birds of song, and many others.

Scansores, or Climbers.

Gallinæ, or such as resemble our domestic

Third do.

Fourth do.

fowls.

Fifth do.

Grallæ, or Waders.

Sixth do.

Palmipedes, or Swimmers.

THE FIRST ORDER OF BIRDS.

BIRDS OF PREY.

ACCIPITRES.-LINN.

Are known by their bent beak and crooked talons; very powerful arms, by means of which they pursue other birds, and even weak quadrupeds and reptiles. They are among the birds, what the carnivora are among quadrupeds. They form two families, the Diurnal and Nocturnal.-Cuvier.

ORDER ACCIPITRES.

The Golden or Royal Eagle.-Ring-tailed Eagle.

Falco chrysaetos.-LINN. Aquila chrysaëtos.-Cuvier.

FROM amongst the diurnal birds of prey, we shall select the most powerful and courageous of their tribes, the eagles. They have strong beaks, straight at the base, and bent only at the point. Their legs are clothed with feathers: their wings are as long as their tails. Their flight is both high and rapid, and their courage exceeds that of other birds. Such is Cuvier's description of the eagles, properly so called.

The eagle has often been called the king of birds, and is, among the feathered race, what the lion is among quadrupeds. Distinguished as he is by his lofty mien, his piercing eye, and the air of commanding dignity which pervades his whole appearance, he may well be termed a splendid bird. In fact, he has ever been considered as a fit emblem of all that is noble, magnificent, and powerful. Poets of all ages have availed themselves of the striking attributes of the eagle, and none more beautifully

than the inspired bards of the sacred page. We might give many instances, but we will only select the following admirable passage from the graphic pen of the patriarch Job: "Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high? She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off. Her young ones also suck up blood; and where the slain are, there is she." The strength of wing which enables these noble birds to mount on high, and make their dwelling in the rock, also gives them power to traverse league after league, to an immense extent, in pursuit of their needful food, which is often to be sought in some remote valley or forest glade, or on some distant shore. Soaring along on wide-extended wings, the eagle darts a piercing glance over the vast tracts of country spread far beneath, and beholds the prey afar off: then down he sweeps through the pure æther with the speed of an arrow, fastens on his helpless victim, and carries it off in his talons, unless its weight is unusually great. In this case, he remains on the spot to satisfy his hunger, and leaves the remnants of his feast to any bird or beast that may chance to be attracted by it. He himself never returns a second time to feed on a

carcase, nor will he partake of any animal which he has not himself taken in the chase; in this respect, as in many others, resembling the lion, which is said to turn with disgust from a lifeless body. Among the eagles, and all other birds of prey, the female is larger than the male, and appears to possess greater courage and skill in seizing the prey. The male and female are generally seen near each other, as if pursuing the chase in company, except when the female is detained in her nest by her eggs or her little ones. This bird can support life for a very long period without food, which is accounted for by the capacity of his crop to receive an immense quantity more than the bird can digest at the time, and thus he carries about a supply for the wants of many days. Buffon says he knew one of these birds, in a state of captivity, live forty days without food, and that it showed no symptoms of exhaustion till within the last eight days, at the end of which it was killed. This was evidently one of those inhuman experiments, which men are sometimes tempted to make, in the eagerness of their pursuit after scientific knowledge-deeds of cruelty which no discoveries can justify. The eagle can quench his thirst in the blood of his victims, and therefore can pass many days without water.