EAGLE (e'g'1), (Heb. Vt, neh'sher raw khawm' ; Gr. der6s, ah-et-as').
(1) The Eagle, in zoology. forms a family of several genera of birds of prey, mostly distin guished for their size, courage, powers of flight, and arms for attack. The bill is strong and bent into a plain pointed hook, without the notch in the inner curve which characterizes falcons; the nos trils are covered with a naked cere or skin, of a yellow or a blue color ; the eyes are lateral, sunken, or placed beneath an overhanging brow ; the head and neck covered with abundance of longish. narrow-pointed feathers; the chest broad, and the legs and thighs exceedingly stout and sinewy, and feathered down to the toes; they are clothed in general with brownish and rust-colored feathers, and the tail is black, grey, or deep brown. Sea-eagles (genus Haliatus) have the tarsi or legs half bare and covered with horny scales; not un usually the head, back, and tail more or less white. The larger species of both measure, from head to tip of tail, 3 feet 6 inches or more, and spread their wings above 7 feet 6 inches; but these are propor tionately broad to their length : for it is the third quill feather which is the longest ; as if the Cre ator intended to restrain within bounds their rapidity of flight, while by their breadth the power of continuing on the wing is little or not at all im peded. The claws of the fore and hind toe are particularly strong and sharp; in the sea-eagles they form more than half a circle, and in length measure from 1% to 13/4 of an inch. Under the name of nisr the scriptures include species of both the above, and in some cases, also, the larger vultures, or the genus vultur proper. (See VULTURE.) (2) These majestic birds have their abode in Europe, on the shores of the Mediterranean, in Syria and Arabia, wherever there are vast woody mountains and lofty cliffs : they occupy each a single district, always by pairs, excepting on the coasts, where the sea-eagle and the osprey (Pan dion haliatus) may be found not remote from the region possessed by the rough-legged eagles. It is
in this last genus, most generally represented by the golden eagle (Gaulle chrysata) that the most powerful and largest birds are found. That spe cies in its more juvenile plumage, known as the ring-tailed eagle, the Imperial eagle, or mogilnick, and the booted eagle is found in Syria ; and at least one species of the sea-eagles frequents the coasts, and is even of stronger wing than the others. These build usually in the cliffs of Phcenicia, while the others are more commonly domiciliated within the mountains. According to their strength and habits the former subsist on antelopes, hares, hyrax, bustard, stork, tortoises, and serpents; and the latter usually on fish; both pursue the catty (ptcrocles), partridge, and lizard. The osprey alone being migratory retires to Southern Arabia in winter. None, excepting the last-mentioned, are so exclusively averse to car rion as is commonly asserted: from choice or necessity they all, lint in particular the sea-eagles, occasionally feed upon carcasses of horses, etc.; and it is well known in the East that they follow armies for that purpose. Hence the allusions in Job and Matt. xxiv :28, though vultures may be included, are perfectly correct. So again are those which refer to the eagle's eyrie, fixed in the most elevated cliffs.
(3) The swiftness of this bird, stooping among a flock of wild geese, with the rushing sound of a whirlwind, we have witnessed ; and all know its towering flight, suspended on its broad wings among the clouds with little motion or effort. Thus the predictions, in which terrible nations coming from afar are assimilated to eagles, have a poetical and absolute truth, since there are spe cies like the golden, which really inhabit the whole circumference of the earth, and the nations al luded to bore eagles' wings for standards, and for ornaments on their shields, helmets, and shoul ders.