The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-11-04
SOME BIG GOLDEN EAGLES.
One OF Them Had n Thrilling Fight with
. wildcat High In the Air.

SCRANTON. Nov. l.-Scores of golden eagles
have made their Temporary abode in the last s-
weeks on the high mountain peaks that over
look the Loyalsock Greek. north of louisville, in
sullivan county. From lofty heights tho fierce
birds have swooped down on the poultry of the
farmers in the valley, and their arrival and de-
parture have been 80 sudden and swift that the
owners of the poultry have had no time to get
their guns.
One day last week a splendid cock eagle. with
q beautiful golden chest. shot like Il meteor
from the sky and nailed a handsome turkey
gobbler on Farmer Richard W. Goodwin, Jr.'s,
lace, at the junction OF Sand Spring Run and
the L.oyalsock Creek. The gobbler was fat and
him in a iiffy. The gobbling OF the captive. the
noise Of the frightened poultry, and the tapping
of the birds wings were heard by Mrs. Goodwin.
Mrs. GOODWIN is young and quick She was
standing on u chair in the act of putting IA cover
let on the line, Jumping down she rushed at the
big-winged robber and threw the coverlet and
herself On top OF him; Instantly the eagle re-
and scream. lie was completely covered by the
cloth. and Mrs. Goodwin, who is muscular and
spry, pressed his wings together with her knees;
chokcd him till he stopped struggling and
screaming; Mrs, Goodwin said she hated to
some fellow. even after she saw that he had
murdered one Of her finest, fowls, so she loosened
her grasp ON his neck and let him get breath.
Then she logged him TO an empty crockery crate
after a good deal Of trouble. and succeeded in
S SSst a n sPFea sae o aE WING %r Of N f set 5 Sr insGes. t and e Z at
present living on rats and mice and beef scraps.
on Oct. 20 an eagle caught a sucking pig on
below Mt, Goodwin's place; The old sow saw
eagle must have relished' the young porker to
the top notch, for two days afterward' it dived
SiunddSP Of its Il lie. The mother Of the pig had
been on the watch all day, and the instant the
eagle swOoped and stuck Its talons into her
young one she jumped upon 1t. fastened her
tusks In its throat, and IN spite of the violent
She dragged the eagle around the yard. trampled
and tore Il to death, and finally devoured it.
Il. ID. Davidson Of Dushore township, sullivan
county, witnessed an intensely interesting COM
bat between an eagle and a wildcat on a recent
sunday. He wns sitting on a ledge east OF the
vine when he spied a wildcat crouChing ON a log
as II II was about To pounce on a grouse. The
the Tavine was all aglow where the wildcat was,
and Mr.. Davidson said he had just made up his
mind To surprise the solitary animal with u
stone when a shadow passed him like flash, and
almost simultaneously he saw an eagle with an
Immense spread o. wins plunge into the Tayine
the wildcat screamed when the eagle arose. IL
had one claw In the animals neck and the other
air and ascending fast: The wildcats nose was
under the powerful birds left wing, and the
npen-mouthed brute yowled and kicked violent-
~ IN a vain attempt TO turn over and give battle
Al a height of two or three hundred feet the
noisy wildcat partly turned upon its back and
snapped at the eagles wing. A single feather float
ed OF on the air, and at Onco the eagle dropped
like a shot and slammed the wildcat upon a
fiat rock, directly across the ravine from where
Mr.; Davidson was sitting, The wildcat struck
ON its feet without being stunned. Immediately
the eagle swoOped again. clRwed at the dancing
wildcat, and missed. This time the four-fOOted
fellow was prepared, and instead of undertaking
10 turn tail IL sat up and cuhed at the eagle,
snaTling and splitting AS II repeatedly warded on
the savage birds enormous claws. IL spranR at
the eagle several times, but the latter was too
quick for IL. The etermine bird Jumped at
the wounded cat like a. gamecock, and
for nearly ten minutes IL was nip and
tuck between the two. One was just as pugna-
ciOus as the other, Mr.. Davidson said, and the
way they made the feathers and fur fly showed
that they we're both bound to fight till one had
70 turn up lis toes. Finally the eagle arose.
slap hang upon It's glaTlug antagonist. Tho Wild
cat was bewildcred by the sudden swoop. and,
before IL hal "A chance 20 act, the eagle sent IL
spinning over the cliff into the rocky Tlvine. and
wildcat all up, and once more the fierce bird
nailed II, arose above the ~treetOps, and sailed
leisurely on In the direction OF the nearest
A setter Belonging 20 Horatio Belknap OF
Upper LOynlsOck came 10 a dead stop Ia Ups
chopping a few days ago with his body In a half
circle, just as Mr. Belknap was about 70 order
the dog 70 put up the game he had So suddenly
scented, the sportsman got a glimpse OF the
tips Of a big, pair Of, wings in the brush. He
partridge OF BB shot into his right barrel, and
bllzed away at the owner OF the big wings,
fatally woundiug a golden eagle that measured
seven feet seven inches from tip to tip Of It's
In the hawks tal0ns was a cock ruled grouse,
aud IL Vas plain 70 be seen that the eagle bad
EWOoped upon the hawk a moment After the
bAEk lad RAbbed tbs grouse |