The first Beast was like a lion and had eagle's wings.  As the  prophet watched it, he saw it lifted up from the earth and made to stand upon its feet as a man and a man's heart was given to it.

                      The British Museum in London exhibits the Colossal stone Lions with the wings of an eagle and the head of a man.

            The peculiarity of this first beast was that it had eagle's wings.  This combination of Lion, the king of beasts and the Eagle, the king of birds corresponded to the Royalty of the Head of Gold and typified the eagle-like swiftness of the armies of Nebuchadnezzar.

                    The plucking of the wings refers to the beastly insanity of Nebuchadnezzar and the lifting up and causing it to stand on its feet as a man, to his restoration to sanity.