The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1852-06-02
The American Eagle.

The American Eagle.
Niagara is favorite resort Of the
white-headed, or bald eagle-thc latter
appellation a misnomer. for no bird has IL
better feathered head There it sits or
scars on the watch for the fish, and also
for the carcasses of squirrels, deer, bears,
and other quadrupeds, which, in their at
tempts to cross the river above the falls,
have been caught by the current and
dashed down those awful cataracts.
1t is very powerful bird, three feet
long, and seven in alar extent; and has
been seen flying off with a lamb ten days
old; but it let the prey fall from height
of ten or twelve feet, i'll consequence of
its struggles and the shouts Of the spec
tator, who ran with loud halloos after
the depredator the poor lambs back,
however, was broken by the crushing
swoop. Nay, white-headed eagle has
been known to seize and throw down an
infant, and drag it for a short distance,
when the cries of the mother who had
set down the little innocent to amuse it.
self while she weoded her garden, and the
giving way of the child's dress, portion
of which the eagle bore off, saved its life.
Thus was a second scene of the Bird
and Bantling" happily cut short.
1t will also attack old and sckly sheep,
aiming furiously at their eyes
In short he is most determined brig
and, whose portrait has been admirably
painted by Wilson. Look on this pic
ture -
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-whitc gulls slowly
winnowing the air; the busy tringW
coursing along the sands trains of ducks
streaming over the surface silent and
watchful cranes, intent and wading
clamorous crows, and all the winged null
titudes that subsist by the bounty of this
vast liquid magazine of Nature. High
over all these hovers one whose action
instantly arrests all his attention. BY
his wide curvature of wing and sudden
suspension in the air, he knows him to be
the fish-hawk, settling over some devo-
ted victim Of the deep. His eyes kind
les 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 a.
round 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 i'll the air with
screams of exultation. These are the
signal for our hero, who, launching into
the air, instantly gives chase, soon gains
on the iish-hawk each exerts his utmost
to mount above the other, displaying in
these rencontres the most elegant and
sublime aerial evolutions The unincum-
bered eagle rapidly advances, and is just
on the point of reaching his opponent,
when, with sudden scream, probably of
of despair and honest execration, the lat
ter drops his fish The eagle, posing
himself for moment, as if to take a
more certain aim, descends like whrl-
wind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reach
es the water, and bears his ill-gotten boo
ty silently away to the woods
This is very beautiful and very poeti-
cal, and, what is more, very true. But
there are two sides to question, as there
were to the shield about which the silly
knights fought. Turn we now to honest,
homely Benjamin Franklin's view of the
case.
In his letter to Mrs. Fache, dated Pas
sy, January 26, 1884, he observes, that
the gentleman who made his voyage to
France TO provide the ribands and med
ais had executed his commission -
"To me (says that venerable philosopher
and sturdy republican, they seem toler-
ably done but all such things are criti
eised Some find fault with the Latin,
as wanting classical elegance and correct
ness and since our nine universities were
not able to furnish better Latin, it was a
pity, they say, that the notices had not
been in English. Others object to the
bald eagle, as looking like dindon, or
turkey.
"For my own part, | wish the bald ca
gle had not been chosen as the represen-
tative of our country he is a bird Of bad
moral character; he does not get his liv-
ing honestly You may have seen him
perched on some dead tree, where, too
lazy to FISH for himself, he watches the la
Dor Of the fshinghawk and when that
diligent bird has at length taken fish,
and is bearing it to his nest for the sup
port of his mate and young ones, the bald
eagle pursues him and takes it from him
With all this injustice he is never ngood
case, but, like those among men who live
by sharping and robbing, he is generally
poor, and often very lousy Besides, he
is rank coward the little king bird,
not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him