Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1873-12-17


if he were q lame child. He dropped
still moro, and then died and was buried
with martial noise and pomp. He wou Id
not have been successful pet, for these
birds rave lonely, isolated nature. They
seem to have bred in them the wild, I'M
tamable spirit of the wind and wave, and
if deprived of their free, soaring fight,
and their sporting in air and water, they
will languish and die,
The largest fsh-hawk I ever saw meas
ured six feet acros. the wings. The aver.
age size is from tour to five feet. The
plumags is Of grsyish brown except on
the breast and under part of the wings
where it is pure white. The beak is sharp
and hooked, the claws long, and the legs
very thick. The feet and legs are covered
with close hard scales, the better to retain
a hold upon the slippery fish. 1t used to
be a common notion among the older nat
uralists that one foot of this bird was
webbed and the other furnished with claws
to serve the double purpose of swimming
and seizing its prey.
Nothing can be finer than the sweep and
directness of the fish-hawk's fight. You
see one sailing, mere speck in the sky
he stops suddenly, as if viewing some OBJ.
iect in the water below; poised high in
the air, without any visible motion of the
wide-extended wings, he swoops down with
the swittness of lightning and plunges into
the water head foremost. Ii he MISE.
his fish he rises again, and circles round
in short, abrupt curves, as if from mere
listlessness. Again he pauses, darts into
the water, and this time comes up with
his prey in his talons. He shakes the
water from his feathers and flies in the
shortest line to his nest. Sometimes his
fish weighs six or seven pounds. Add to
this the struggles OF the fish to free itself,
and you may fancy the strength Of the
bird. | have heard, but | never saw an
instance of it, that the fish is sometimes
strong enough to drag the bird into the
water, where he is drowned. The nexi
tide carries him up on the beach with bis
claws buried deep in sturgeon or hall
but
BY some naturalists the ish-hawk has
been classed with the eagle, from SINH.
larity of appearance, but this is not just
to cur friend. He is much nobler in all
his traits than any of the Gag lie species
His only prey is fish, so can tell you no
wonderful stories of children, or even o
lambs, carried off by him to feed a raven
Gus brood. He never interferes with the
smaller birds as the eagle does. On the
contrary, little timid bird called the
crow black bird build. its modest nest in
the interstices or the hawk nest. | have
seen a half dozen of these tiny homer
built into a larger one. He is not greedy
robber, like the eagle, but fishes in an hon
est, straight forward manner, and, in short
has but one enemy, the ball eagle.
Between them there are many fierce
battle. The eagle, who is always hungry
and who seldom works when he can steal
waits till the ish-hawk catches fish. A.
he comes from the water with the heavy
burden, the eagle pounces upon the booty
They rise together, and In mid air the con
test goes on with beak and talon. an
sorry to say the eagle generally gets the
best of it, and flies Of sullenly to the near
est tree with his prize to devour it. Often
the fish drops but there is no escape for it
for the cage adrotly catches it as it falls
The fsh-hawk wisely goes fishing agait
right off, for he never condescends to re
se'ze the prey. The farmers have an idea
that the depredations of the eagle among
the sheep and poultry are much lessened
by the hostility of the fish hawk. On Thu
account they have great respect for it, anc
L think they would not kill one upon any
consideration. A 6ne is said to be at
tached to shooting any of these kindl J
birds but l never heard of its being ex
acted; it is probably meant as warning
to stranger sportsmen, who shoot wanton
anything which flies.
The coastmen all speak of the fsh.hawk
with curious affection. He foreteIls a
storm, they say, by peculiar restlessness,
and a repetition of his feeble whistle
When the storm breaks the birds are
abroad in the face Of it, however wild and
fierce 1t may be. If one can see anything
through the binding mists and rain, it i.
the fish hawk SOARING aloft in the tumut,
curving and sweeping on the wild wind
his white breast cleaning against the
black and trees and sky. These birds
show great skill in flying against the wind
never fly directly into it, but tack back
wards and forwards as intelligently as ;
sailor does upon the water.
The fishermen think that a nest built
near their houses ensures them good luck
and prosperous living. The return of the
birds herald the coming of spring, and thu
happy activity of the fishing season. Th'
wIntry storms are over, the warm sun
shines again upon the white sand anC
breaking waves, and children are playing
on the shore. The nets are broug ht oul
and mended, the boats are launched, anC
the men who have lounged all winter il
the house, gather in groups of two anc
three, with seines and hooks and lines, t.
catch the fish which come in shoals up tn,
river from the sea.--From st. Nichole
for December.