The Blossoming Rod

flight, and great muscular strength, give them a superiority which is universally admitted. In reviewing, therefore,

dicated. Indeed, it is not improbable that in the poet's opinion only one species of eagle existed. Be this as it may, the introduction of an eagle and his attributes, by way of simile or metaphor, has been accomplished by Shakespeare with much bea

OF V

ld, h

s the eagle's,

ling ma

I. Act ii

ve than that of the farthest-sighted man. The opinion that the eagle possessed the power of gazing undazzled at the sun, is of great antiquity. Pliny relat

n men the roy

sharp look per

in his "Hymn of H

native brood o

sun of glory

erefore, that Shakespear

AGLE

be that prince

nt by gazing '

art III. Ac

ai

ptory eagle

on the heaven

blinded by h

r's Lost, Ac

e play and sce

s will gaze an

pect Paris was

agle,

een, so quick,

ris h

uliet, Act

n all the species of this genus with which we are acquainted, the colour of the iris is ei

OF F

ve been killed which measured seven or eight feet from tip to tip of wing, and were strong enough to c

t as a fly b

leopatra, Ac

n

ight, bold,

no track

thens, Act

so much velocity, that the impression of her path remains on the eye, in the same manner as that of the shooting m

erie Queene" (iv. 42), has depicted t

eagle in his

his wide empi

r his bro

eagle is not always secure. Guns, traps, and other engines of destructi

o our comfort

beetle in

e full-win

e, Act i

OD O

gle was selected for the Roman legionary standard, because he is the king of all birds, and the

ead in Julius C?s

Sardis, on ou

es fell; and th

ding from our s

flying with a marvellous force, lighted upon two of the foremost ensigns, and alwaies followed the souldiers, which gave them mea

the Persian monarchs,28 and it is not improbable that from them the Romans adopted it; while the Persians themselves m

the eagle is often men

gle, and did a

e, Act i

to the Kite and the Common Buzzard, and

IRD O

2, of the same

bird, the Roma

south to this

sh'd in th

." The falconer, in discoursing on the merits of his recreation with a brother angler, says,-"In the air my troops of hawks soar upon high, and when they

e Roman

west on wing

f, and in the b

h foreshadow'd ou

C?sar, shou

ith the radi

es here in

e, Act v

OMAN

to say, not crested. It is in appearance the same as the attendant bird of the 'king of gods and men,' and is generally represented as standing at the foot of his throne, or someti

ensign of a Roman legion," is given in Duppa's "Travels in Sicily" (2nd ed., 1829, tab. iv.). That traveller states, that the original bronze figure is preserved in the Museum of the Convent of St. Nicholas d'Arcun,

GN OF TH

n size, because Florus (lib. 4, cap. 12) relates that an ensign-bearer, in the wars of Julius C?sar, in order to prevent th

o be the Aquila heliaca of Savigny (imperialis of Temminck), and resembles our golden eagle, Aquila chrysa?tos, in plumage, though of a darker brown, and with more or less white on the scapulars. It differ

AND ATT

aking of the apparition and descent of Jup

holy

o foot us: hi

our blest fields

rtal wing, and

is god is

ers, and is synonymous with plume. A word more

bserved the habit which they have of raising one foot, and whetting the beak against it. This is the a

her from

h, and those re

fication, namely, "to satiate," "choke," or "

ece" it

ch, so wanteth

h much, he pinet

Richard II. (A

hold a fire

on the fro

hungry edge

agination

enry V. Ac

accloy;" as, for instance, in Sp

y weeds the gentl

r's "Shepheard's Cale

mosse which t

g in the fourth scene of the fifth act of Cymb

E'S

in the first act of Henry V. Sc. 2, which seems to de

eagle England

rded nest th

and so sucks her

as a weasel sucks eggs." But whether the weasel has ever been found in the same situation or at such an altitude as the eagle, is not so certain. A near relative of the weasel, however, namely, a marten-cat, was onc

aid them, and those who have read the works of Shakespeare-and who has not?-must doubtl

the cedar to

shelter to the

art III. Ac

of the eagle is depicted

ffers little

eful what they

with the shad

asure stint t

onicus, Ac

TY OF T

years in the possession of Mr. Owen Holland, of Conway, lived thirty-two years with the gentleman who made him a present of it, but what its age was when the latter received it from Ireland is unknown.31 Another, that died at Vienna, was stated to have lived in c

ese moss

v'd the eagle,

en thou poi

thens, Act

however, which was made by Hanmer, is strengthen

hose boughs were

de Worde in 1511 (a single copy only of which is said to be extant), is the following curious "dem

the age of a

a horse; and the life of a goose is three times that of a man; and the life of a swan is three times that of a goose; and the life of a swallow is three times that of a swan; and the life of an eagle is three times that of a swa

GE CO

ould be twenty-one years. But this maxim is founded on a misconception. Fleurens, in his treatise "De la Longévité Humaine," says that the duration of life in any animal is equal to five tim

ial to supply them with baths when in confinement, in order to keep them in good health. The f

Where is

ted mad-cap Pr

s comr

urnish'd, all

having lat

"is, that eagles, when left even for several months without water, did not seem to suffer the smallest inconvenience from the want of it, but when they were supplied with water, they not only got into the ves

AINED FOR

larger birds and beasts. In the thirteenth century, the Khan of Tartary kept upwards of two hundred hawks and eagles, some of which had be

"Travels," says: "The Muscovian Emperours reclaim eagles, to let fly at hi

that they sometimes attack travellers. We passed by a large one, lying on the ground with an eagle, which had

RI

trained to the chase in England. Some years since, Captain Green, of Buckden, in Huntingdonshire, had a fine golden eagl

agles or not, we cannot say, but he has in many cases

hatefu

spirit, wing

own, and, like

lesh of me an

art III. Ac

was often necessary to prolong her meal as much as possible, to prevent her from gorging; t

mpty eagle, s

eak on feathers,

ngs, devouring

ge be stuff'd,

and

hens (Act iii. Sc. 6),

thoughts tiring w

GLE'S

wo hawking terms are used i

allant monar

agle o'er his

nce that comes

n, Act v

and "towers," and reading the former "airey" or "airy," and making "towers" a substant

he nesting-place. The word occurs a

ildeth in the

n

ildeth in our

our." As a further argument, too, for reading "towers" as a verb, and not as a substantive, compare the following

ring in her pr

, Act i

ATAL

ent to "swoop." It would seem to be derived from the German "sausen," which signifies to rush with a whistling sound

falconers have put up the fowl from the sedge, the hawk, in the words of the author, having previously "towered," "gives it a souse." Beaumont a

oduced, but it will be more convenient to reserve this notice for a separate chapter, and confine our attention f

eare makes mention of four-the Vulture

VULT

as he is by instinct to gorge on carrion, will best understand the allu

icate a guilty conscience than "the gnawing vultu

e can

in you, to de

, Act i

of a daughter, which he could never forget,

n, she

kindness, like a

r, Act i

ULSIVE

hich Falstaff could give ven

res gripe

of Windsor,

pressed in Henry IV. (P

vile seize on

he word "vulture" empl

iour feeds her

cr

n

ought doth pitch

and

OS

e the water, sometimes on perfectly motionless wing, and sometimes, wheeling slowly in circles, turning his head and looking eagerly down at the water. He sees a trout when at a great height, and suddenly closing his wings, drops like a shot bird into the water, often plunging completely under, and at other times appearing scarcely to touch the water, but seldom failing to rise again with a good-sized fish in his talons. Sometimes, in the midst of his swoop, the osprey stops himself suddenly in the most

s easy to understand the all

he'll b

ey to the fish

eignty o

us, Act

WER OV

ttributed to the osprey of fascinating the fish on which he preys. In

e thee of a pr

flieth over

urn their gliste

take thy libera

KI

bird, and called by some the royal Kite (Milvus regalis), it has not the bold dash of many of our smaller hawks in se

d k

eads, and down

re sickl

sar, Act

e t

fatted all t

s slave'

Act ii

or carrio

Part II. A

the bird, the name "kite"

u k

leopatra, Ac

n

sted

r, Act i

ss; and instances have occurred in which a bird of this speci

one, an empty

chicken from

mphrey for the k

art II. Act

on buzzard. In the following passage, where reference is made to the supposed

partridge in th

ine how the

te soar with un

art II. Act

OF IL

o have been a bird of ill-omen. In C

gle, and did a

is again adverted to by Hastings,

t the eagle sh

d buzzards pre

position of the kit

I have to m

e, and know her

ch her, as we w

beat, and will

he Shrew, A

Edmund Bert, Gent., which was published in London in 1619, the author says:-"I have heard of some who watched and kept their hawks awake

h'd ere you be ma

Cressida, Ac

atch hi

Act iii

ch you from suc

Juliet, Ac

OF TH

ng or disgorging the undigested portions of its food, such as bones and fur, i

uses and our g

e bury back,

the maws

Act iii

ag

testable

dearest morsel

Juliet, Ac

ITE'S

y of the kite is adverted to in the Winter

builds, look to

love, part of a straw bonnet, pieces of paper, and a worsted garter. In the midst of this singular collection of materials were deposited two eggs. The kite is now almost extinct in England, and a kite's nest, of course, is a great rarity. The Rev. H. B. Tristram, speaking of the habits of the Egyptian

BUZZ

ove quoted from Richard III., and also to the synonym "puttock,"

buzzard, thought that in all its habits it more near

aunton, that a play upon the words is intended, and that "buzzard"

urtle! shall a b

tle, as he ta

he Shrew, A

ere ever trained for hawking, bein

" by falconers, although oftener for want of a

increased number of shooters, and the war of extermination w