| OCR Text |
Show 'Symbol of our Nation' selected in Colonial Times On the evening of July 4, 1776, members of, the Second Continental Con-tinental Congress reassembled in the State House following dinner. Earlier that afternoon they had signed the Declaration of Independence. In-dependence. During the meeting that followed, Congress appointed ap-pointed Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson to a committee to bring in a design for a national seal. Although the choice was not unamimous, the American Bald Eagle was chosen. The choice of the bald eagle as the American symbol appears to have been popular at the time. The "Bird of Freedom" was pictured on butter molds, blazoned on quilts, painted on chests, limned on gift plates and used in many other ways. The bald eagle is native only to North America. There are presently an estimated 1,000 . pairs nesting in the lower 48 states. The species apparently mates for life. The parents are devoted to their young. The females are larger, as is usual for most birds of prey. The eagles build large nests, sometimes on a cliff but more American way of life and with its history are stories of America's progression and development. With the continuing history of the eagle also lies a great challenge to America-to maintain habitat suitable to the preservation of the eagle and all other wildlife. portrait offer A portrait of the bald eagle, the symbol of the American ideals of freedom, is being offered for sale to the public by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It may be obtained by sending $1.85 to the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. 20402, and requesting the "Symbol of Our Nation", Stock Number 024-010-00408-8. It is a full color, heavy paper reproduction, 84 by l inches on a mat 114 by 15 inches, of an oil painting by Fish and Wild life Service artist Bob Hines. The text which accompanies the centerfold portrait describes the historic symbolisms of the eagle as well as its present day situation in the wild. often in a tall tree, and use them year after year. New material is added each year until the tree falls or the nest crashes from its own weight. One nest observed by zoologist Herrick in Ohio was 12 feet deep and 8.5 feet across and weighted an estimated two tons. The female lays'one to four eggs. The young are cared for at least six months. Ben Franklin felt the bird was one of bad moral character, that he did not get his living honestly. He would have chosen instead the turkey gobbler, claiming that although it was a little "vain and silly" it was a true native of America and a bird of courage. The eagle became a Christain symbol of ascension and the symbol of St. John. It was likewise adopted as the emblem of Charlemagne, Napoleon, and Peter the Great. It was the emblem of the German Empire and the German Republic until the days of the swastika. The golden eagle was highly esteemed by all native North Americans. Daniel G. Brinton, an ethnologist, reported: "Its feathers composed the war flag of the Creeks, and its image, carved in wood, or its stuffed skin, surmounted their council lodges." None but an approved warrior dare wear eagle feathers among the Cherokees and the Dakotas allowed such honor only to him who first touched the corpse of the common foe. The eagle represents some of the highest ideals of the |
