dark slumberous home, and on strong vans goes beating up. towards the clouds; ah, that too, was a sight!

But then to see deep down, that couchant tyrant deep down below, "levelling his neck for flight" (as the "glorious Weaver" has it)!-his war-crest raised, his wings half spread, pausing for the moment on his stoop, and then, one clamorous shriek of confident savage power, and see him vaultaway, up, up, with a swift cleave, conquering gravitation, and go lifted on the spell of wings! Wonderful sight-that upward struggle! The Fish-Hawk has taken warning from the exulting cry of his old enemy, and with yet louder cries, as if for help, goes up and upward, swifter, still with vain beatings that scatter the fleece-forms of cloud, above me and stir them whirling in gyrations. But no, the conqueror, with overcoming wings, is upon him, with fierce buffetings, the stirred chaos cannot hide from me, and the Fisher drops its prey with a despairing shriek, while it goes gleaming headlong toward its ravished home!

Now but an instant's poise while the sunlight can flash off a ray from steadied plumes, and the eagle goes, dimmed with swiftness, roaring down to catch the falling prey, before it reach the wave! Monarch humanity!-with poet's spiritwing hast thou in all thy hoary annals an image such as this of swift all-conquering prowess! Napoleon is the nearest type of the Bald Eagle the world ever saw!-excepting the Yankee!!

But the Fish-Hawk, although the mildest, the most generous and social of all the Falconidae, still recognizes that point beyond which forbearance is a virtue. When the plundering outrages of the Bald Eagle have been at length carried to an intolerable extreme, in any particular locality, the Fish-Hawks in the neighborhood combine in a common assault upon the tyrannical robber. I have frequently wit nessed such scenes along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. They abound in great numbers along the estuaries of its great rivers. I remember particularly to have noted the

greatest collection of them at the mouth of the Brazos river, of Texas. Twenty or thirty of them are constantly congregated at this place, during the spring months, to feed upon the great shoals of the luscious red fish which then make their appearance here; though otherwise a barren and uncouth spot it is, constantly enlivened by the aerial gambols of these powerful and graceful flighted birds, and many's the battle between them and the Bald Eagle that I have witnessed among the clouds at this place. They seemed to have formed a sort of colony for mutual protection, and the moment their foe, the eagle, made his appearance among them the cry of alarm was raised, and the vigilant colonists, hurrying from all quarters, attacked the robber without hesitation, and always succeeded in driving him away.

There was always a desperate battle first before the savage monarch could be routed, and I have seen them gathered about him in such numbers-whirling and tumbling amidst a chaos of floating feathers through the air-that it was impossible for a time to distinguish which was the eagle, until having got enough of it amidst such fearful odds, he would fain turn tail, and with most undignified acceleration of flight, would dart toward the covert of the heavy forest to hide his baffled royalty and shake off his pertinacious foes amidst the boughs, as do the smaller hawks when teased by the little King-birds. I was told by the residents of Valasco, at the mouth,-who from sympathy with the Fish-Hawks seemed to greatly relish the scenes that year after year the eagles made persevering attempts to obtain a lodgment in the neighborhood of this colony, but were always promptly repulsed and finally driven off! This, therefore, formed a secure breeding-place as well as feeding-ground for these mild and amiable birds. There were several of their nests in full view of the river, and many more, I was told, in the surrounding forest.

These birds possess many traits of gentle loyalty which

entitle it to the universal sympathy which it commands from mankind. Wilson gives a fine instance in point.

"A pair of these birds, on the south side of Great Egg Har. bor river, and near its mouth, were noted for several years. The female, having but one leg, was regularly furnished, while sitting, with fish in such abundance that she seldom left the nest, and never to seek food. This kindness was continued both before and after incubation. Some animals, who claim the name and rationality of man, might blush at the recital of this fact."

Audubon also gives another example of the strength and beautity of this conjugal feeling in his noble paper on this bird. He says:

"The male assists in incubation, during the continuance of which the one bird supplies the other with food, although each in turn goes in quest of some for itself. At such times the male bird is now and then observed rising to an immense height in the air, over the spot where his mate is seated. This he does by ascending almost in a direct line, by means of continued flappings, meeting the breeze with his white breast, and occasionally uttering a cackling kind of note, by which the bystander is enabled to follow him in his progress. When the Fish-Hawk has attained its utmost elevation, which is sometimes such that the eye can no longer perceive him, he utters a loud shriek, and dives smoothly on half-extended wings toward his nest. But before he reaches it, he is seen to expand his wings and tail, and in this manner he glides toward his beloved female, in a beautifully curved line. The female partially raises herself from her eggs, emits a low cry, resumes her former posture, and her delighted partner flies off to the sea, to seek a favorite fish for her whom he loves."

If there was ever anything more tender and graceful than this little scene in the love-making of arrogant humanity, I have it yet to see. The harmlessness of its pursuits and habits, its many traits of fidelity and courage in its family re

lations, its coming always as the harbinger of spring and fresh abundance in the teeming waters, the persecutions to which it is subjected by the eagle, all combine to render it a favored bird wherever it appears in this country. Its fondness for particular localities increases this feeling greatly. Wilson says that along the Atlantic coast it is frequently as much as a luckless fowler's safety is worth who is detected in shooting the Fish-Hawk. He may congratulate himself ou escaping from the rifle of the enraged owner of the property upon which it has been in the habit of building. We give Alexander Wilson's beautiful welcome to the Fish-Hawk.

THE FISHERMAN'S HYMN.

The osprey sails above the sound,

The geese are gone, the gulls are flying;

The herring shoals swarm thick around,

The nets are launch'd, the boats are plying;

Yo ho, my hearts! let's seek the deep,
Raise high the song, and cheerly wish her,
Still as the bending net we sweep,

"God bless the fish-hawk and the fisher!

She brings us fish-she brings us spring,

Good times, fair weather, warmth and plenty,

Fine store of shad, trout, herring, ling,

Sheepshead and drum, and old woman's dainty;
Yo ho, my hearts! let's seek the deep,

Fly every oar, and cheerly wish her,

Still as the bending net we sweep,

"God bless the fish-hawk and the fisher!"

She rears her young on yonder tree,

She leaves her faithful mate to mind 'em ;

Like us, for fish, she sails the sea,

And plunging, shows us where to find 'em ;
Yo ho, my hearts! let's seek the deep,

Ply every oar, and cheerly wish her,
While the slow bending net we sweep,

"God bless the fish-hawk and the fisher!"

CHAPTER XIV.

MY WIFE'S STORY OF HER PET FINCHES.

THE loss of our pet, General Bem, was deeply felt. There was a sad vacancy in our home again, which we did not soon expect to have filled. However, one morning, while I yet wept for Bem, W- came in with a small cage in his

hand, containing an English Bullfinch.

"See!" he said, "I have brought a fine Bullfinch to cheer you--he sings very sweetly several German airs, and it will fill Bem's place a little for you!"

"No! no! I cannot let him stay-no bird can take Bem's place. I do not want another bird to love. Take him away."

"Poor little Bobby. I found him in the room of a rough fellow, who did not care for him, and who gladly exchanged the sullen bird, as he called him, for some trinket. A little girl whom I saw there told me how sweetly he sang, and I determined to have him at any rate. Must I take the poor bird away? He will be so startled among my clamorers, that he will not sing to me!"

"Well, let the fellow stay-though, I assure you, I cannot love him!"

So he hung the bird-cage on a nail in my room, and I tried to turn my back upon him. I could not help observing, however, that he seemed to relish the glow of my wood fire, and the warmth of the room, greatly; and was commencing to dress his feathers and to jump about in his little cage with quite a cheerful air.