showing the profit to be derived from a study of natural objects, is everywhere apparent. The words of the banished Duke, in As You Like It (Act ii. Sc. 1), seem to no one so applicable as to Shakespeare himself. He "Finds tongues in trees, books in the running brooks, Sermons in stones, and good in everything." But to come to the Ornithology. The accurate observations on this subject, the apt allusions, and the beautiful metaphors to be met with throughout the Plays, may be said to owe their origin mainly to three causes. Firstly, Shakespeare had a good practical knowledge of Falconry, a pastime which, being much in vogue in his day, brought under his notice, almost of necessity, many wild birds, exclusive of the various species which were hawked at and killed. Secondly, he was a great reader, and, possessing a good memory, was enabled subsequently to express in verse ideas which had been suggested by older authors. Thirdly, and most important of all, he was a genuine naturalist, and gathered a large amount of information from his own practical observations. In all his walks, he evidently did not fail to note even the most trivial facts in natural history, and these were treasured up in his memory, to be called forth as occasion required, to be aptly and eloquently introduced into his works. 1 Apart from the consideration that a poet may be expected, almost of necessity, to invoke the birds of song, Shakespeare has gone further, and displays a greater knowledge of ornithology, and a greater accuracy in his statements, than is generally the case with poets. How far we shall succeed in proving this assertion, it will be for the reader of the following pages to determine. AT the head of the diurnal birds of prey, most authors have agreed in placing the Eagles. Their large size, powerful flight, and great muscular strength, give them a superiority which is universally admitted. In reviewing, therefore, the birds of which Shakespeare has made mention, no apology seems to be necessary for commencing with the genus Aquila. Throughout the works of our great dramatist, frequent allusions may be found to an eagle, but the word "eagle" is almost always employed in a generic sense, and in a few instances only can we infer, from the context, that a particular species is indicated. 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 beauty and effect. Considered as the emblem of majesty, the eagle has been variously styled "the king of birds," "the royal bird,” “the princely eagle," and "Jove's bird," while so great is his power of vision, that an "eagle eye" has become proverbial. "Behold, his eye, As bright as is the eagle's, lightens forth Richard II. Act iii. Sc. 3. The clearness of vision in birds is indeed extraordinary, and has been calculated, by the eminent French naturalist Lacépède, to be nine times more extensive 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 relates that it exposes its brood to this test as soon as hatched, to prove if they be genuine or not. Chaucer refers to the belief in his "Assemblie of Foules": "There mighten men the royal egal find, That with his sharp look persith the sonne." So also Spenser, in his "Hymn of Heavenly Beauty,"- 'And like the native brood of eagle's kind, On that bright sun of glory fix their eyes." It is not surprising, therefore, that Shakespeare has borrowed the idea : AN EAGLE EYE. "Nay, if thou be that princely eagle's bird, Show thy descent by gazing 'gainst the sun.” Again 25 Henry VI. Part III. Act ii. Sc. 1. "What peremptory eagle-sighted eye Dares look upon the heaven of her brow, Love's Labour's Lost, Act iv. Sc. 3. But in the same play and scene we are told— "A lover's eyes will gaze an eagle blind." And in this respect Paris was said to excel :— "An eagle, madam, Hath not so green, so quick, so fair an eye, Romeo and Juliet, Act iii. Sc. 5. The supposition that the eye of the eagle is green must be regarded as a poetic license. In all the species of this genus with which we are acquainted, the colour of the iris is either hazel or yellow. But it would be absurd to look for exactness in trifles such as these. The power of flight in the eagle is no less surprising than his power of vision. Birds of this kind have been killed which measured seven or eight feet from tip to tip of wing, and were strong enough to carry off hares, lambs, E |