. A manual of the ornithology of the United States and of Canada [microform]. Birds; Oiseaux. 80 BIRUa OP PREY. though unjustly doomed to servitude, his address and industry raise him greatly above to his oppressor, so that he supplies himself and his young with a plentiful sustenance. His adroitness and docility in catching fish have also sometimes been employed by man for his advantage. Intent on exploring the sea for his food, he leaves the nest and proceeds directly to the scene of action, sail- ing round in easy and wide circles, and turning at times as on a pivot, apparently without exer
. A manual of the ornithology of the United States and of Canada [microform]. Birds; Oiseaux. 80 BIRUa OP PREY. though unjustly doomed to servitude, his address and industry raise him greatly above to his oppressor, so that he supplies himself and his young with a plentiful sustenance. His adroitness and docility in catching fish have also sometimes been employed by man for his advantage. Intent on exploring the sea for his food, he leaves the nest and proceeds directly to the scene of action, sail- ing round in easy and wide circles, and turning at times as on a pivot, apparently without exertion, while his long and curving wings seem scarcely in motion. At the height of from 100 to 200 feet he continues to survey the bosom of the deep. Suddenly he checks his course and hovers in the air, with beating pinions ; he then descends with rapidity, but the wily victim has escaped. Now he courses near the surface, and by a dodging descent, scarcely wetting his feet, he seizes a fish, which he sometimes drops or yields to the greedy Eagle; but, not discouraged, he again ascends in spiral sweeps, to regain the higher regions of the air, and re- new his survey of the watery expanse. His prey again espied, he descends perpendicularly like a falling plum- met, plunging into the sea with a loud rushing noise, and with an unerring aim. In an instant he emerges with the struggling prey in his talons, shakes off the wa- ter from his feathers, and now directs his laborious course to land, beating m the wind with all the skill of d practised seaman. The fish which he thus carries may be sometimes from 6 to 8 pounds ; and so firm some- times is the penetrating grasp of his talons, that when, by mistake, he engages with one which is too large, he is dragged beneath the waves, and at length both fish and bird Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrati
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, booksubjectbirds, booksubjectoisea, bookyear1832
