Page:A History of British Birds.djvu/52

 extend his dominion over the birds, as the Lion over the quadrupeds.

The same writer also observes, that, in a state of nature, the Eagle never engages in a solitary chace but when the female is confined to her eggs or her young: at this season the return of the smaller birds affords plenty of prey, and he can with ease provide for the sustenance of himself and his mate; at other times they unite their exertions, and are always seen close together, or at a short distance from each other. They who have an opportunity of observing their motions, say, that the one beats the bushes, whilst the other, perched on an eminence, watches the escape of the prey. They often soar out of the reach of human sight; and, notwithstanding the immense distance, their cry is still heard, and then resembles the barking of a small dog. Though a voracious bird, the Eagle can endure the want of sustenance for a long time. A common Eagle, caught in a fox trap, is said to have passed five whole weeks without the least food, and did not appear sensibly weakened till towards the last week, when a period was put to its existence.