The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-11-17

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falcons, boomers, divided skirts. overalls,
culottes, breeches. or even pants-the
American eagle wears them. To this fact
the Zoo bears witness, and certainly If
any Zoo could submit conservative testi-
mony it IS the Washington Zoo.
The shades Of night were getting busy
when the inspection Of aquiline toilettes
was made Miss Bison had taken down
her hair for the night. and the big bear,
who from a similar implication in ma
tional affairs. might have been expected
TO stay up till this question of the eagles
trousers had been settled. had gone
shamelessly to sleep.
Also. "a moon that was still suffering
from growing pains had gotten up to co
its best for romantlcists. poetesters-ay,
and even nature-fakers
AS this was the case. as il was so
nearly night, no one can be made to as
sumo responsibility for the statement that
the trousers worn by the eagles were
really not pajamas. However the eagle
certainly had some covering on his legs.
The First interviewed.
The first Of the eagles interviewed was
the Griffin Vulture formally known rs
Gyps Fulvus Certainly this bird furnish
ed all kinds Of encouragement TO the idea
that our own domestic eagle might have
at least progressed as far as trousers.
The first thought stirred upon seeing
the creature was that poets and histo-
rians had been imposing upon the public
For. could this dandified bird. this cox
cOruh bqcfda r.-b,r, Count NO. AZ
blades. Byron might have looked slouchy.
be the stern, rapacious creature Of war
flags and emblems? Il seemed improba-
bic.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Gyps Fulvus were
dressed exactly alike. SO that no dis
elimination can be made in the charge
that each had appropriated the distinctive
portions of the others toilette 'She re-
suit Of the fusion was as follows: A beau
tiful fluffy gray boa thrown around the
neck and opened in front to form an IN
deniable deCOllete; a trail which swept
over the ground in the masterful lines of
Paquin: two panicrs reminiscent of Rev
dictionary brocades. and last, and most
salient. beautiful pair Of trousers.
About the latter point there could be no
doubt, for Mrs. g. Fuvus. as though con-
scious Of the territory under dispute
proudly lifted both sides Of her skirts
TO show an incredulous public that even
she wore trousers that might have taken
up golden room on a coin To be sure
the design was hardly that OF Bond street
For, instead OF two parallel lines, the
garment showed an Oriental REPRESSION at
the ankle. They might. in fact, have
adorned the dainty. bedecked ankles OF
the Princess Scherazade
Before such striking refutation there
was only one thing 10 do-bow low and
apologize. This apology was met by both
Mr.. and Mrs G. Fulvus with an imper-
sonal stare, chilling as If cast through
lCrgnette.
In Another Flat
Another fiat was inhabited by relatives
OF the G. Fulvus. the Angolan Vultures.
From what could be seen Of this bird be-
hind its long Latin name Of Gypohlerax.
&c. it. also. though not indulging in all
the finery Of its neighbor was able TO
display an equally voluminous pair Of
trousers. So were other birds passed on
the way to the object of deepest curiosity.
the American eagle.
There are two Yankee eagles living In
the Zoo, the Aquila chrysaetas. known
TO few intimate friends as the Golden
Eagle, and the Bald Eagle or Helicaetus
leUcOcephilialus, which has long spread
himself on national coins
Last night, when approached. the Bald
Eagle had relapsed into sleep, from
which he was only aroused by many
repetitions Of Yankee Doodle" and sew
eral sentences of the Declaration. When
at last he was persuaded 10 turn around.
it was at once evident that a mistake
was made by St. Gaudens The Bald
Eagle does wear trousers. but are they
the sQrawling. diffusive. unreserved gar
ments Of the new coin? Do they come
down in two monotonous straight lines
from his waist and switch sloppily about
his toes?
Not a bit Of il. In very truth. St
Gaudens by thus depicting them. hath
made an unjustifable reflection upon the
style OF the American Eagle. The trous-
ers which he wears are peg-top. No col
lege freshman who wears purple hose and
a red band on his hat would need blush
for them. Spreading out over the hips.
they narrow down gradually. until. AT
the ankles. they become narrow as pro-
vincial opinion.
an Apartment House.
The rest Of the Eagle apartment house
revealed many vagaries in the way Of
personal adornment and logical deveI-
opment in the way Of trousers. There
were some who wore Elizabethean rufus
and puffy little Elizabethean trousers:
there were some whose feathers con
structed only a very tentative kind of
knickerbockers; there were few whose
knees were as bare as those who wore
guimpes, and others who essayed tooues.
But patriotic prejudice cannot be Just
fully advanced against the assertion that
neither Audubon Caracara, nor Aquila
Pomerina. nor South American Condor.
nor the Cathartes Aura can display trou-
sers which obey more faithfully modern
canons OF masculine style than do those
OF our own Bald Headed Eagle.
They are peg-tops of which any one
might be proud and st. Gaudens coin is
libel on them.