Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1896-11-07
EAGLE In TENNESSEE
WHERE THE KING OF AMERICAN
BIRDS BUILDS HIS NEST.
lie Mates Only Once I'm HIS Life'
and Compels His Young 10 shiit
Co. rhemseIves without Prepare
tory Training.
tory Training
Cincinnati Enquirer)


There are many eagles in the Tennes-
see mountains, and there are mountain
GERS who are expert catchers OF the
Young eaglets, who reap rich rewards
in return for their perilous risks and al
ventures. Eagles make their eyrles
among the clefts and crags of the hish-
est mountains Of the State They are
found ON the Stone Mountain, the great
Roane. e.2sG feet high; the Bald 1850 FEET
the Great Smoky Range, 6,656 feet' the
Rulhead. 6,a2 feet; on the Unaka, the
Rig Stone. and others, none Of them less
.hor z Ooo feet above the level Of the coun-
try at their feet.
The American yacht Defender, which
defeated the English yacht Valkyrie Ill
in the famous international race las'
year. carried as its mascots two young
eaqlets captured in the Tennessee noun
toins Private owners Of yachts cap
toins Of the big ocean liners, ana the
s,oamboat men Of the big rivers OF Amer
,ca are very partial TO the eaglets as
rets and the eagle-catchers ma thls
class of men among their best custoinci D
There Is a well-grounded SUPERSTITION
among them that the boat or snip that
carries the king of birds for us mascot
will never 60 down. The superstitious
beIief is like the superstition Of the OLD
pornans who. in choosing the great bird
asan emblem for their imperial standard,
REGARDED IT as the favorite messenger OF
r,,nftor and that the bird held commu-
Mon with Heaven. Oriental people 100,
thought that the feathers of an eagle
tail made their arrows invincible. The
Trdfan tribes among the mountains or
rost Tennessee venerated the eagle as
choir war bird. and valued its feathers
for headdresses and to decorate their
mines OF peace The eagle upon the Amer
icon silver dollar seems TO Indicate an
abiding faith in the bird as an ehoieih'
VALUE OF YOUNG EAGLES.
Young eagles bring from so to $50,
occasionally 500. Eagles that are or
some age and of great size Csuch are
rareIv captured. however, bring as high
as 500 and 800. Eagles when nave 10
bo killed while trying 20 capture them
are valuable 10 taxldermists, who always
find an easy market for a great stuffed
eagle. Their feathers, especially the
wing and tail feathers, are sold for good
prices.
The eagle builds it's nest upon the top
NJ a mighty tree growing far up on the
mountain, among the myriad OF twininS
ines or I'm the thickest and almost in
accessible growth of bushes and shrubs,
or On the summit Of a high rock. An
eagles nest is a large one always, and
Is strongly and comfortably built. Larg>
sticks and branches are laid together
nearly fat, and bound with twining vines.
The spacious inside is covered with hair
and MOSES. so minutely woven together
ont -
bird laws two eggs. which are curiosities.
The long end tapers down 10 a point The
color of the egg is a ground OF brownish
red with many dots and spots upon It..
The egg itself is proof of the wild and
savage parsntage.
EAGLES LONG-LIVED.
An eagle lives from 80 to 100 years.
The young birds are driven forth by their
savage parents to scratch for themselves
as soon as they are able 10 fly. No train
ing Is given them by the old bird. That
f. left TO their wild instincts. which hun
GER and necessity develop. There Is
no going back TO the old home" for the
Young eagle. The mother bird tears up
every vestige of the nest where they
have thriven since. birth. and while they
emit plaintive shrieks. the old bird darts
al them and pushes them off the crags
must take 10 their wings, and this is
how they learn to fly. 1t takes three
years for a young eagle 10 gain its full
aud complete plumage. and for the de-
velopment Of its strength
Away up In the mountains the eagle
finds II as hard TO gain subsistence as
90 the grumblers OF the plain. The
tjrecariousness OF his existence and the
wild manner in which food is gathered
seems 10 give the bird more ferocity as
II grows older. They range among the
mountains and valleys In pairs. their
young never following. but doing the
best they can. The stern. unsoclal ty-
ranny. beginning with the homeless and
outcast eagle, is continued In later years
with their mates.
WHO TAKES THE PREY?
II the male bird be the stronger. the
most OF the prey belongs to him. and he
allows the female TO eat u paltry share