Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1852-02-04

EAGLES.

Bentlcy's Mscelldny contains an interest
ing article on Eagles, from which we make
the following extracts:
There we're six species of eagles known
to the Romans, who entertained very fam
clful notiUus concerning them. Oi the spe-
cies called Vaitr,G, fbny says, elm all the
whole race of the eagles, she alone nour-
isheth her young birds for the rest, as we
shall hereafter declare, do beat them away!
She only crieth not, nor keepeth grumb-
linz, and huzzing as others do, and ever
more converseth upon the mountains" Of
the species called B0fihaS he says. " Sub
tie she Is and wittie for when she hath
seized upon tortoi>es, and caught them up
with hor talons, she throweth them down
from a,oit to break their shells; and it was
the fortune Of the poet EschyluS to die by
such q means. For when he was foretold
by wizards, out OF their learning, that 1t was
his de tiny to die on such day by some
thing falling on his head, he, thinking to
present that, got him forth that day into a
great open plain, far from house or tree,
presuming upon the secuntie OF the clear
aud open slue. Howbeit an egle let fall
tortoise, which light upon his head, dash
out his braines, and laid him asleep forev-
er"
The perplexity of Pliny with respect to
the phenlx is highly amusing he is evil
IDENTITY disposed to treat him with all re-
spect, and to give him place OF distinct
ion among royal birds; but in his own
words, ii cannot tell what to make of him:
and, first of all, whether it be a tale or no,
that there is never but one of them in all
the world, and the same not commonly
seen. By report he is as big as an eagle; for
color as yellow and bright as gold (namely
about the neck the rest of the body deep
read purple the tail azure blew, intermin-
gled with feath, RS among of rose carna'it n
color: and the head lrAvely adorned with
a crest and penach, finely wrought, hav-
ing tuft and a'pume thereupon, right fair
and goodly to be seen. Manilius, the no.
Ne Roman senatour, right eXceilently scene
in the best kind of learning and literature,
and vet never taught BY any, was the first
man OF the lorg robe who wrote this bird
at laroe. and most exquiSitely he reporteth
that never man was knlwn to see HIM feed
ING that in Arabia he is held sacred Dira'
dedicated unto the sun, that he hveth SIX
hundred and sixty years; and when ne
groweth old, and begins to decay, he o1llds
himself with the twigS and branches OF the
camel or cinnamon and frankincense trees,
and when he hath filled it with all sorts OF
sweet aromatical spices, yieldeth up his life
! thereupon. He saith, moreover, that OF his
,.ones and marrow there breedes at first as
i wer. little worme, which afterwards
nrovrtb TO he prettie bird; and the first
thing that this young phenix doth is to
perform the obsequies OF the former Ph@-
nix late deceased, to translate and carry
away his whole nest into the cite o. the
sun neer Panchea, and to beStow it full de-
voutly there upon the altar. Brought
he was hither to Rome in the time that
Claudius Caesar was censor, and showed o.
peuIy to be seen in full hall and general
assembly OF the people as appeareth upon
the public records, howbeit no man ever
made any doubt but he was a counterfeit
phpnix and no better" 1t were to be wish
ed that this paragon of dutiful bird rested
upon more solid rock than the myths oI
ancient history, were it only as an exam
pie to mankind.
One of the most surprising fact connect
ed with birds Of prey is that wonderful a
cuteness of vision which enables the eagle
for example, when soaring in the clouds, te
discern, aud to pounce with unerrlng pre-
cision on so small an object as grouse up
on the ground. When looking for ITS prey
the eagle sails in large circles, with its tai
spread out and its wings scarcely moving
Thus it scars alolt in spiral course, its gy
rations becoming less and less perceptbit
uptil in dwindles to a mere speck, and is
at length lost to view; when suddenly i
re-appears, rushing down like lightning,ant
carries off in its talons some unhappy prey
the raptorial birds are, however, endowed
with very beautiful modification of the eye
in relation to this power OF vision.
Eagles are said to be very long-llved.-
One that died in Vienna was stated to have
! lived in confinement one hunared and ieu