Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-10-22
Che family Circle.

The VULrURE OR EAGLE OF SCRIPTURE.
-Ailuslon is made in several passages to
the swlftness of the eagle, as well as its
oracity. See, for example, portion of
Davld's lamentation over the bodies of
Saul and Jonathan, who, according to the
poets metaphor, g were lovely aud pleas
ant in their lives, and in death they
were not divided: they were swifter than
eagles, they were stronger than lions.
The Chaldeans are thus alluded to by the
prophet jeremiah; "Our prosecutors are
swltter than the eagles of the heavens;
they pursued US upon the mountains; they
laid wait for US in the wilderness" Lam
entatlons, iv. 10y There is something
peculiarly appropriate in employing the
vulture as an image of strength aud swift
ness when applied to warriors, the bird
being an invarlable attendant on the bat
tie, and flying to the field of death with
marvellous swittness. All who had ever
witnessed battle we're familiar with the
presence of the vuture the scene OF car
mage and the image which is employed
would be one which commanded Itself at
once to those Of whom it was intended.
Aud as the earlier HISTORY OF the Jewish
nation is essen tally o: a warllke character,
we cannot wonder that SO powerful and ia
mi lar an image should have been repeat
edly introduced into the sacred 9rltlngs.
Piercing and wonderful as is the vision
of the vulture, its visual powers have been
much exaggerated. 1t certainly does pos
sess vision of no ordinary capacity, which
is able to assume either telescope or a
microscope character, by means OF CON-
pick and marvellous structure, which can
alter the whole shape of the organ at the
will of the bird. Not only can the eye be
thus altered, but it changes instantaneous
Iy, so as to accommodate itself to the task
which it is to perform A vulture, for ex-
ample, sees from vast height the body OF
| dead animal, and instantly swoops down
| upon it like an arrow from bow. In or
der to enable the bird to see SO distant an
object, the eye has been exercising its tel.
escoplc powers +; aud yet, in a second OF
TWO, when the vulture is close to its prey,
the whole form of the eye must be changed
or the bird would mistake its distance, aud
dash itself to pieces on the ground. But
although the vulture can see to an enor-
nous distance, aud with great clearness, II
can see neither SO far nor SO clearly as Is
popularity supposed. 1t is true that a
soon as a carcass is discovered it will bt
covered with vultures, which arrive frou
every side, looking at first like tiny speck:
IN the air, scarcely perceptlbie even tc
practical eyes, and ali directing their Ugh
to the same point. " Where the carcass
is, there will the vultures be gathered to
gether." But although they all fly TOWARD
the same spot, it does not follow that they
have all seen the same object. The fac
is. they see and understand each other:
movements. A single vuIture, for exam
pie, sees dead or dying sheep. auC
swoops down upon it. The other vulture
,hich are flying about in search Of food
and from which the animal in question
may be concealed, know perfectly wei
that vulture scars high in the air whe
searching for food, and only darts to tn
earth when it is has found a table prey
They Immediately follow its example, and
IN their turn, are followed by other vul
lures, which can see their fellows from
distance, and know perfectly well VIII
they are all converging to one spot. |
this way all the vultures of neighbol
hood will understand, by very intellig
BIZ telegraph, that u dead body OF som
animal has been found, and, aided b
their wonderful powers of fight, will al
! semble over its body in an almost incred
bly, short space Of time.