The Bald Eagle.

This powerful and formidable bird, though adopted among the emblems of our country, on our national ensign, as the principal and animated object, is not confined to our own territory, or even to the Western Continent. It is found in Europe also, though in smaller numbers. The following description of it we copy from Doctor Dekay's ornithological volume of the scientific survey of N. York.

With some other writers he calls it Haliotis Leucocephalon, while Wilson and Nuttall distinguish it as Falcon Leucocephalon and Aubudon, in his vol. i. p. 80, gives it the common English names by which it is generally known to our countrymen: these are the white-headed or bald eagle. The bill is curved regularly from the cere (or skin covering the upper root, of it) to the tip; an ob tuse and scarcely prominent lobe on the cutting margin of the upper mandible; and beyond this the bill suddenly curves downward.

Primaries (principal quills of the wings) acute, the fourth longest. Tail rounded. Claw of the hind toe largest.

Color of the adult male: head, upper part of the neck, the tail and wing coverts (or feathers lying over the quills) white; the remaining parts of the body chocolate-brown. Bill and tarsus (or lower half of the leg) yellow. Cere light blue. The female has the chin and upper part of the breast white, and a small portion of the tail powdered with white.

Length, from 36 inches to 40. Extent of the wings 84 inches. Weight, from 8 to 12 pounds.

This noble bird, continues Dr. Dekay, is found in every part of the U. States, feeding on fish, wild fowl and quadrupeds. Along the coast it is frequently seen pursuing the fish-hawk, and compelling him to drop his prey, seizing it before it touches the water. It builds its nest in trees, and lays two or three dull white, unspotted eggs. Although birds of prey are seldom gregarious, yet I have known them to appear in flocks of from fifteen to twenty in the marshes near the sea-coast of Long Island, after a northeast storm. The inhabitants, on such occasions, approach them on horseback; and, after killing many outright, dispatch the remaining wounded ones with clubs. In this country it ranges from Mexico to the 62 deg. of north latitude.

In our first volume, page 41, we have given a print of the fish-hawk pursued by the bald eagle, and dropping his prey. The following description of this fre quent occurrence is from Wilson, and has been deservedly admired. Mr. Ord remarks of his style, that in this particular, Wilson may perhaps be unrivalled by the whole tribe of naturalists, from the age of Pliny to the present day.

'In procuring fish he displays, in a singular manner, the genius and energy of his character, which is fierce, contemplative, daring and tyrannical: attributes not exerted but on particular occasions; but, when put forth, overpowering all opposition. Elevated on the high, dead limb of some gigantic tree, which commands a wide view of the neighbouring shore and ocean, he seems calmly to contemplate the motions of the varied feathered tribes that pursued their avocations below; the snow-white gulls, gently winnowing the air; the busy tringe, coursing along the sands; trains of ducks, streaming over the surface; silent and watchful cranes, intent and wading; clamorous crows, and all the winged multitudes that subsist by the bounty of this vast liquid magazine of nature. High over these hovers one, whose action instantly arrests all his attention. By his wide curvature of wing, and sudden suspension in air, he knows him to be the fish-hawk, settling over some devoted victim of the deep. His eye kindles at the sight; and balancing himself, with half-opened wings, he watches the result.

'Down, rapid as an arrow from heaven, descends the distant object of his attention, the roar of its wings reaching the ear as it disappears in the deep, making the surges foam around! At this moment the eager looks of the eagle are all ardor; and levelling his neck for flight, he sees the fish-hawk once more emerge, struggling with his prey, and mounting the air with screams of exultation. These are the signals for our hero; who, launching into the air, instantly gives chase, soon gains on the fish hawk. Each exerts his utmost to mount above the other, displaying in these rencontres the most elegant and sublime aerial evolutions. The unencumbered eagle rapidly advan ces, and is just on the point of reaching his opponent, when, with a sudden scream, probably of despair and honest execration, the latter drops his fish the

eagle, poising himself for a moment, as if to take a more certain aim, descends like a whirlwind, snatches it in his grasp ere it reaches the water, and bears his illgotten booty silently away to the woods.

It

There is something very impressive in the solitary habits of this powerful bird. We had an opportunity, some years since to witness the morning flights of one, and its return at evening, its nest being on an old and blasted tree less than a quarter of a mile from our summer retreat. was at Sachem's Head, on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound. The nest had existed there for many years, and was a landmark for fishermen and sailors acquainted with that part of the coast. Sometimes the birds were observed to return several times in the course of the day; and then it was concluded that they had young. We learned, with pain, a few years afterwards, that a wanton boy shot one of the eagles. The nest was destroyed after the formidable tenants were no more to be dreaded; and, according to the descriptions given, it consisted of sticks of wood, many of them as large as a man's arm, and contained a quantity nearly sufficient to load

a cart.

The bald eagle, as we should not omit to remark, to prevent a natural but a great mistake, is never bald. His head is covered with feathers, but, being white, they give it the appearance of being bare, which is the fact with the buzzard, and one of its distinguishing marks. In the New York markets specimens of this eagle may occasionally be found for sale to naturalists; and for a dollar or two, with the trouble of stuffing, any public or private collection may be supplied with the interesting bird. Those in full adult plumage, however, are more rare but the younger ones, whose chocolate-colored feathers are spotted with white, and whose heads are still of a dark hue, are valuable, though less so. We may refer our readers, for excellent instructions on the preparation of birds, to those kindly furnished us by Dr. Porter of this state, in our first volume.

It is said that Miss Caroline Herschell, sister, and for a long time assistant to the illustrious astronomer, celebrated her 97 h birth-day, lately at Hanover. She still, sometimes, passes a whole night in her observatory.-SEL.

Magnetic Telegraph.

An extensive store-keeper of Milwaukie, on the western shore of Lake Michigan, was in New York in November, and gave a large order for goods, to his merchant there, and left town the same day, on his return home. The order, as handed in, was laid on the desk, and a few days after, inquiry was made whether it had been executed and forwarded, when none of the clerks knew anything of it, or had seen the order, nor was it recorded in the order book, and after the most diligent search could not be found-no time was left to write to Milwaukie, and obtain a reply, as the navigation of the lakes and the canal was about closing, and the house was much annoyed at the circumstance, particularly as it was for an old and valuable customer, and the order was for his whole winter stock of goods. One of the partners, however, recollected that the party had a brother living at Buffalo, with whom he probably night remain for a day or two, on his route home, and he at once went to the Telegraph office-sent a mes-age to the one living in Buffalo, to inquire if his brother of Milwaukie was there-in a few minutes the answer was back, "yes, but is about embarking in the steamboat, and his baggage has already gone on board."

Request him to come to the Telegraph office"-in three minutes the answer was back, that in consequence of the first inquiry, he was already at the office-he was then informed that his order had been mislaid and requested him to send it again he had a copy of it in his pocket, and at once by the Telegraph advised the New York House, "my order to you was for such and such articles and in such and such quantities"--in thirty minutes after the New York partner entered the Telegraph office, he left it, with a verbatim copy of the original order, which he had in that time sent on for, to Buffalo, and received it back from thence--the distance between the two places being about 450 miles-in twelve hours after, the goods were all packed, and actually on board the steamboat on the way to Albany, and arrived safely at their destination before the navigation closed-this may be called annihilating time and distance.SEL.

Prefer comfort and propriety and espe cially duty, to fashion in all things.

SCIENTIFIC.

Interesting Proceedings of the Ethnological Society.

Several interesting meetings have been held by this Society within a few weeks, the last two at the house of the venerable President, the Hon. Albert Gallatin, his health having happily become so far restored, that he has been able to resume his labors as well as his attendance.

Mr. Gallatin, having nearly completed his analysis of the languages of the western coast of America, presented his manuscripts at the last meeting, and stated some of the leading facts connected with them. The following lines contain some of the interesting particulars which we gathered at those interesting meetings.

While our eastern coast presented only two families of native languages, from the far north to the capes of Virginia, viz. the Esquimaux and the Algonquin, the western coast contains about twenty. And of these last no satisfactory account has ever been published, although materials have been collected, from time to time, respecting some of them, and the late U. S Exploring Expedition has laid before the world a very valuable mass of materials, much of which is new. Mr. Gallatin, after some months of labor, is making out an analysis of them, on the plan of his great work on the North American Indian Languages, and will soon complete his original plan. The results will ere long be made public.

Monsieur Vattemare was introduced at the last meeting. He is a French gentleman who has been devoted for fourteen years to the enlightened enterprise of establishing a system of literary exchanges between the different countries of Europe, and more particularly between the U. States and France. On his previous visit to this country he succeeded in interesting the legislatures of Maine, Massachusetts, Louisiana and several other states in the enterpise, and received the approbation of Congress. He has been equally favored by the Houses of Peers and Deputies of France, the King and Queen, and various scientific institutions. He has had a room appropriated in the Hotel de Ville of Paris, for the reception of books, prints, maps, &c., which may be sent from America to that city, and it will hereafter become highly use

ful, by exhibiting evidences of the intellectual and moral state of our country, of which, as Mr. Vattemare assures us, many Frenchmen have no idea.

We have heretofore published some account of his plans and results of his investigations; and, having received from him a collection of official documents relating to these subjects, our readers may expect some further details, both interesting and instructive. We were gratified to hear the elevated and enlightened views expressed by that gentleman, and think his projects as practical as his designs are philanthropic. He has brought with him a large and valuable collection of books, &c., to be distributed among institutions, legislatures, &c., in return for donations sent from this country. Among them are several copies of M. Flandin's long expected and elegant work on the Antiquities of Niniveh. (See vol. i. ps. 29, 85.)

A New Physiological Theory.-A communication received from Mr. Van Amringe, Orange Co., N. Y., on the distribution of the races of mankind was referred to Mr. Bradford, who read an analysis at the last meeting. The system founded on the forms of the skull has been generally adopted for several years; and, although met by some serious objections, is probably regarded by many persons as something more substantial than a theory. They will probably be surprised to hear that Mr. Van Amringe regards the skin as the grand criterion, and argues to prove that the different structure and sensibility of this integument has vastly more influence on the character of an individual and of a race than any other part of his system. Those who regard many of the assumptions of the phrenologists, craniologists and physiognomists as gratuitous, and especially those who think phrenology a mere disturbing influence, impertinently intruded into the company of sciences, as well as those who view it as only one of the new masks of infidelity, will not regret to see a new antagonist rising against it, with some claims' prima facie' as good as its own.

The Western Mounds.-Mr. Squier of Ohio was present, at with a new display of various objects dug from the mounds and other ancient earth-works in Ohio and Virginia in the past year, as well as drawings and maps prepared for the work which he is soon to publish on

that interesting subject. His associate in these labors, Mr. Hall, was also present; and the members expressed great satisfaction at the success and prospects of the enterprise, to which the Ethnolo gical Society had extended all the encouragement in their power from their first acquaintance with it. For an outline of what was reported to the Society, last year, we refer our readers to vol. ii. p. 446; and have only to add here, that the explorers have opened and surveyed numerous ancient works since that time, and state, that they have generally found their previous observations and conclusions confirmed, while they have made no new discoveries, calculated to countenance any important opinion not before admitted, unless we except a s rpentine mound, above 1200 feet long, in the form of a snake with a ball in its expanded jaws, and another in the form of an alligator.

We intend to commence at once the re-publication of a brief memoir of Mr. Squier's, in an abridged form, and therefore shall conclude with this subject today, by announcing, that the Smithsonian Institute have undertaken to contribute liberally to the expense of publishing the work of Messrs. Squier & Hall, at the recommendation of the Ethnological Society, and that it will be large and elegant.

It is peculiarly gratifying to learn that this course has been adopted. The ancient mounds are a most appropriate subject for the two societies thus engaged; it is the first grand starting-point in aboriginal American history; one that has excited the greatest curiosity at home and abroad, and yet one about which much authentic and satisfactory informa tion has not been published or heretofore collected.

A Daguerrotype of Jerusalem was exhibited by Professor Robinson, a present from Mr. Cotheal. It is the recent work of several eminent French artists, being an aquatint copy from a daguerrotype taken from the flank of the Mount of Olives, nearly on a level with the surface of Mount Moriah. Though the pictorial effect was not equal to that of many prints, the certainty of accuracy renders it exceedingly interesting.

Auto-biographical Sketch of an African. -An aged African, of venerable aspect, and high moral character, has been for

years an inhabitant of Fayetteville, N. C. He is known by the name of Moro, and has been supposed to be an accomplished Arabic scholar, as he writes that language with ease and elegance. While the old freedman Paul, (of whom we pub. lished some account in our first volume, page 6th), was awaiting the vessel which took him back to his native continent in in 1836, he heard of Moro and addressed him a letter in Arabic. The answer which he received he presented to the editor of this Magazine. A short time since it was translated by Mr. Cotheal, after being exhibited to the Ethnological Society. When we publish it, as we design to do speedily, our readers will remember this introduction.

Late Works.

"SERMONS ON PUBLIC OCCASIONS, by Henry Melvill, B. D., Principal of the East India College," have been published by Messrs. Stanford and Swords.

"THE BIBLE HISTORY OF PRAYER," by Rev. Charles A. Goodrich, of Connecticut. A valuable and interesting collection of facts and reflections connected with the prayers recorded and alluded to in the Scriptures, in their order. We can assure our readers, that they might find much pleasure and profit in perusing and often recurring to this work, whose plan is at once original and yet natural.

THE WAR IN MEXICO.-Since we last wrote a word on this painful subject, we have shared with our readers in the sorrow which every benevolent heart must feel in the sufferings of the wretched, and in the mortification with which the attitude of our country must fill every patriot, not to say every Christian. We hardly dare trust our feelings to write, and shall for the present remain silent.

"The position taken to defend the city of Mexico against the advance of our troops is a very strong one. The road, or rather the causeway, enters the basin of a lake, some sixteen or eighteen miles from Mexico. On the right hand is the salt lake of. Tezcuco--on the left, the fresh water lake of Chaleo. During the rainy season, the road. throughout the whole extent of the valley, is miry and deep. At the place selected for the defence is a small mountain, which, at its base is room for an army to make a stand.'