The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1889-08-30

moved III SNORT order. mad D66n losing
good many chickens one fall, and supposina
that they were being carried off by foxes
set trap for Reynard. The morning after
setting the trapI Invent out to look for it, and
it was nowhere to be seen. 1t had been
chained to small stake in the ground, and
the stake was also missing.
believing that the fox, although its cum
ming had not saved it from the trap, had
been smart enough to pull up the stake in
some way, and then make off with trap
chain, stake and all, [ made presty thor.
ough search in the woods around about
there, but could not find any trace of fox Oh
missing property.
Gas [ was returning home I heard
great commotion among big flock of c3ows
in the woods quarter of mile up the
mountain. The crows were cawing in such
curious chorus that their cries could have
been Leard for mile. The birds were
circling around the tree tops in one par
tIcular spot, and frequently number of
them would dart viciously down through the
trees toward the ground. was curious tc
know what could be causing this unusual
proceeding among the crows, for they are
birds that do not fool their time away for
nothing. walked up the mountain, and as
1 approached the spot where the crow cir
Gus was going on, the tumult among the
crows increased. When arrived within
easy gunshot of the spot the flock withdrew
to more distant part of the woods and
chartered in a way that left no doubt of
their having been intensely disturbed by
some unpleasant experience.
''I walked on, and had taken but few
steps when 1 heard a sound as Of chain
being dragged along on the ground, and in
stantly concluded that it was the chain OF
my missing trap. l momentarily expected
to see the fox, hampered by the trap on his
leg, come into sight, believing that he had
been attacked by the crows, who had dis
covered him in his crippled condition. I'm
agine my surprise, then, when, instead OF
| the fox making his appearance, an enor,
nous bald eagle strutted out from behind
big tree, dragging the trap, chain and stake.
The jaws of the trap were fastened on one
| leg of the great bird.
IT had with me an ordinary shotgun
with which had expected to kill the foS
! if 1 found it in my trap. When the eagle
saw me it rose with great difficulty from
| the ground owing to the log, aud few to
ward the top of a tall, dead tree. I free
at it. The charge hit the eagle in one of its
| wings and brought the bird to the ground
| The eagle was such splendid specimen
that I resolved to capture it alive I ap-
| preached it with no thought of having any
| difficulty in accomplishing my purpose il
| the handicapped and crippled condition Of
the bird, but found that I didn't know as
/ 4
/ for in spite of the crippled wing and the
/ burden of the trap and chain, the eagle
rushed upon me and attacked me with
such fury that turned and fed from the
woods.
CAT the edge of the woods stopped, anc
| at first thought I would go back and SHOOT
| the eagle, but my desire to have it alive was
so strong that / determined 10 make every
| effort to capture it. hurried home and got
/ stout rope and an empty feed-bag. On my
way back to the woods 1 noticed that the
/ crows which had first attracted my atten
/ ton to the spot were lowering over the place
/ where I had fed from the maddened eagle.
l and from their peculiar cries and frantlc
| actions inferred that something of moment
/ to them had occurred. L found that such
/ was indeed the case. The crows knowing,
| by the wonderful instinct theypOssess, that
the eagle was wounded and crippled and,
hating as they do all large birds, had
| swooped down on the eagle and attacked 1t
| in it's disabled condition. The attack had
| been disastrous to the crows, for when
reached the spot five of the sable assailants
| lay dead near their enraged foe, and several
others were dragging themselves away to es-