As the national symbol, the bald eagle is supposed to be the embodiment of American strength, grace and pride. But for much of this century, the majestic bird has been an emblem of the country's careless and sometimes callous treatment of wildlife. Pinched by human population growth, poisoned by pollutants and slaughtered by hunters, the eagle went into such a decline that by 1940 Congress felt compelled to pass a law protecting the highflyer. It didn't work: in 1963 there were only 417 breeding pairs of bald eagles left in the lower 48 states, and by 1978, when the eagle was...
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