The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-12-10


leagle in the Philippines, 1t was sup
lposed that 1t existed nowhere except in
South America, with a related form in
New Guinea. There is splendid speci-
men of the harpy eagle in the Wash
ington Geological park, which weighs
between tWenty-eight and thirty
pounds When it is considered that the
golden eagle only weighs only twelve
pounds, the sea eagle only sixteen
pounds and the Spanish imperial eagle
only little over ten pounds, it viii be
seen that the harpy undoubtedly is en-
Titled to be considered the largest of
eagles, If not the second largest of fly
ing birds. No measurements which can
be accepted as exact scientific records
have been taken by the ornithologfsts
of the length Of body and spread OF
wing of this great and fierce bird, but
lit is established that the bird has
spread of ar least ten to twelve feet.
In South America the harpy lives In
the dense tropical forests and preys on
small animals When hungry, if the
stories of the Indian natives are to be
believed, 1t will not hesitate to attack
larger animals, or even man himself.
IL is DIODaply lnt lClCNpL VI az IlS MS
birds, and is of a most uninviting cast
of countenance When seen in full face
it's head looks like that of one of those
creatures In mythology, the harpies,
which had the head and face of a wom-
an and the body of a bird of prey. In
Grecian mythology the harpies were
ravenlng creatures, defling everything
they touched and carrying away human
beings to devour them. Who knows?
Perhaps, after all, the happy myth was
not entirely a myth. Perhaps in car
Her times the harry eagle may have
existed in Greece, and through the
course of the ages tradition maginfied
the bird into the obscene and fierce
creature of mythology Some of the
stories the South American Indians tell
lof the harry eagle would not need to
be embellished much to fit the Greek
description of the harry. There are
those who not only demand second
place for the bustard, but are inclined
to give to him first place among the
birds that fly. Even such an eminent
authority as j. r.. Harting of London,
seems to incline that way But the
biggest bustard Mr.. Harting cites is the
Seville bustard, with weight of thirty
pounds, and the biggest authentic
spread of wings he cites is only seven
| feet three inches. The German natural
| list. the younger Neumann, tells of bus
tards weighing thirty-two pounds, and
says that he has been assured of the
former existence of specimens of the
bird weighing thirty-five and thirty
eight pounds. From the earliest times
| the flesh of the bustard has been the
delight of epicures, which will account
| for it's extinction in the British Isles
and the fact that it is now not COM
mon in northwestern Europe 1t is
shy bird, and lives largely on vegetable
diet. When on the wing Its flight Is as
majestic as that of the eagle. IN the
i, 81 century the bustard began TO pc
ov+ray,eIv rare in England, and IN the
early mart of the century the plrds Wete
NOT with only occasionally in out-ol-
ou r,aces What We're the last
TWO racorded British bustards or tne
oId stock were killed in Nortolk III 1900
hut hardly month passes Without q
ranort from some one in some part ol
E,eIand who believes that he mas seen
ore of these immense creatures. Natur-
o1lv the thought of so huge a hlro nv
,rc in a crowded country like England
a ry,e,,e to all that is romantic in man.
ca1,ora1 imported bustards have recent
1v heen turned out on an estate IN NOT
folk (the county from Whlch they us
anpeared) with the intention OF Hlahihs
the breed again common as game oiro
In England, but they have NOT thrlVen
we'll England seems to be popuiated
TOO tbickly for the liking of the pus-
tard which is fond of the solitude Oh
,5eerlv wooded and little frequented re-
gions.
nopular English belief among GER
tain classes is that of the phantom BUS
tard of Hampstead Heath. After the
bird had disappeared from England in
his proper form a mysterious phantom
Mustard used to fit a night across the
favorite resort of AIRY and Arriet, |
and NAV possibly do so now, though 1T
has not "eot into the papers" of late,
This phantom bustard Of Hampstead 7
Heath even engaged the pen OF Charies
Dickens and was for a long time |
part of folklore and phantom. Fer
haps a solitary bustard, hiding some
where during the day did really run
about Hampstead Heath at night, the
last of the bustards revisiting the
elimpses of the moon and waiting for
death to end its race. Here is chance
for Ernest Seton-Thompson to write a
story. "The Last Of the Bustards,"
which shall be as great in its way as
1.-The Last of the Barons."
In speaking of big flying birds, the
wild swan should not be forgotten.
This bird sometimes attains to weight
of twenty-five pounds, and has an ex-
panse of wing of seven feet. The al
batross sometimes weighs seventeen
and has fourteen feet expanse
of wing.
The laemmergeier, the great bearded
vulture Of the Alps, is the bird told of
most frequently in song and story as
AS matter Of fact, it is
doubted by the best authorities If the
ever stoops to any but a
carcass. Nevertheless, there have been
pretty well established cases of it hav-
ing carried off young lambs and kids,
and one has been shot while eating a
rabbit which it had just killed. Yet,
one naturalist who watched the laem-