chickadee), salsa! (the goose). The turtledove is called
gid&'-diskanihl' (it cries for acorns), on account of the resemblance of
its cry to the sound id' the word for acorn [guW). 'Idle meadow lark
IS called tldhaisi' (star), on account of the appearance of its tail when
spread out as it soars. The nuthatch (Sitta carolvnensis) is called
tsuliefna (deaf), and is supposed to be without hearing, possibly on
account of its fearless disregard for man's presence. Certain diseases
are diagnosed by the doctors as due to birds, either revengeful bird
ghosts, bird feathers about the house, or bird shadows falling upon the
patient from overhead.
The eagle (cwd'hUi) is the great sacred bird of the Cherokee, a- of
nearly all our native tribes, ami figures prominently in their ceremo-
nial ritual, especially in all things relating to war. The particular
speciesprized was the golden or war eagle (Aquila chryscetus), called
by the Cherokee the "pretty-feathered eagle." on account of its beau
tiful tail feathers, white, tipped with black, which were in such great
demand for decorative and ceremonial purposes that among the west
ern tribes a single tail was often rated as equal in value to a horse.
Among the Cherokee in the old times the killing of an eagle was an e\ cut
which concerned the whole settlement, and could be undertaken only
by the professional eagle killer, regularly chosen for the purpose on
account of his knowledge of the prescribed forms and the prayers to
be said afterwards in order to obtain pardon for the necessary sacrilege,
and thus ward off vengeance from the tribe. It is told of one man upon
the reservation that having deliberately