Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-04-30

inches from point of talon on hind too
to point of middle toe. The talonl
are q inches long by the rule. /
measured 8 feet in expanse of wings
from tip to tip. The eagle is the syno
nym OF great strength, noble courage
and marvellous powers of flight, and the
emblem of freedom. His noble form
embellishes the coins and flags of many
nations and graces the seal of the United
States. But with all due honor to hi
! noble qualities, kingly bearing and un
daunted courage, his taste is not fastidi
GUS and may be questioned as indicate
Tor this particular one was shot Will,
feast1ng On the CARCASS of buzzard.
A HEgoN's STRENGTH.
A few weeks ago Col. William e. Sis
ty, the fish commissioner of Colorado
went to the State Fish Hatchery, on the
Platte River, nine miles from Denver.
While he was inspecting the hatchery
he saw large blue heron preying upo1
the young fish Ill the box. He APP
preached the heron, expecting that the
bird would take alarm and fly but the
heron attacked him furiously. The birc
was fully as tall as Col. Sisty. and was
~ o"AAO uO WIS VIC ludH IL
what seemed an instant. He used his
neck with lightning-like rapidity, strik
ing all the time at Col. Sisty's face.
Col. Sisty was unable to do more at first
than protect his eyes, and the blows
rained upon his hands and left them
bleeding. His face was also cut in
places, for the bird was quicker with his
bill than the man was with his hands.
After the surprise was over Col. Sisty
prepared to assume the offensive. Pro
tecting his face with his hat he rushed
in upon the huge heron seized the crea-
ture by the body and hurled him to the
ground. Then the struggle was soon de-
cided, for Col. Sisty grasped the heron's
neck and held on until his enemy was
choked to death. The heron was taken
to Denver and exhibited to hundreds of
people, who soon learned of the Fish
Commissioners exploit.
DUCKS ON A BENDER.
One of the attractions of liquor.saloon
in East Newark, N. j., is pair of Mos
covy ducks. A stranger going in would
see nothing remarkable about them ex-
cept their extraordinary size, but the
regular patrons of the saloon know very
well what the birds want when they ap-
proach with gentle "quack."
They seem not to care what their tip
pie is. They will gulp down beer or
whisky with equal satisfaction. They
nod their heads before drinking, and
this, the proprietor Of the saloon thinks,
is their mode of indicating that the
Hbation is dedicated to the health of the
donor. It is, clearly, net conducive to
their own, for after two or three repeti-
tions of the social draught their eyes
assume foggy, PARKWAY expression,
and they rub their heads with increas-
ing fervor and affection against the leg of
the customers.
From the drunkenness of affection
they pass to the Drunkenness of hilarity.
They waddle staggeringly around the
saloon, quacking out jokes which,
though not wholly Ineligible, furnish
the bystanders with a good deal of fun.
Men who would not by any means offer
one of their friends glass of hqnor,
open their hearts and their pockets and
minister to the voice of these dissipated
ducks, until the drunkenness of hilarity
merges into the drunkenness of pug.
nacity, and, with gasping beaks and I'M
certain feet, they strive Intellectually, tc
injure each other.
A HARD GLOVE FIGHT BETWEEN sPARRoWS.
Beneath q low-hanging sign over the
doors of one of the busiest establish.
ments in Lewiston, recess in the wal
has formed one of the suggest retreats
for bird or beast imaginable. As winter
storms beat down the recess in the wal
has been secured in it's protection. The
rains trouble not it's quiet, and the sun
can look in in spring time. A score OF
more of nests of birds have been built
here. A progeny of English sparrowe
has, after uncounted struggles With the
original jewellers, won the land by right
of conquest. and now inhabit its dis.
puted domain. Over the sign open the
windows of an Office. One sits by the
open windows and sees all the doings OF
the entire family of birds. Their battle
of conquest was fought last week. Hast
ings' bloody field was partially re-en.
acted. It was about 10 o'clock. A spar.
row or two were loafng around the
house, when dozen Or more intruders
settled down on the iron rods of the
awnings and signs and began to make
trouble. They were running things
when re. endorsements of the home birds
began to arrive. The aggressive, thick.
headed English sparrow plumed his
feathers, and all the sickening details Of
war followed. The uproar called the
spectators to the window. The home
birds fought off the intruders. They
flew down in increasing numbers, and
the invaders fled. Two birds in the
thickest of the fight few UP and down
and up and down again. A gentleman
on the walk below held out his hands,
and the birds settled in his out-stretched
palms and fought still. After the in
truders had been routed there were ex.
pressions of JOY in the nest. The En-
glish sparrow is nothing if not a fight.
er.--LeD5ston (Me.) Journal.