The record-union., 1897-01-09

their wings, and this is how they learn
young eagle to gain it's full and com
plete plumage and for the develop
ment of its strength.
Away up in the mountains the eagle
finds it as hard to gain subsistence as
do the grumblers of the plain. The pre-
cariOusnesS of his existence and the
wild manner in which food is gathered
seems to give the bird more ferocity as
/ t grows older They range among the
mountains and valleys in pairs, their
young never following, but doing the
tyranny, beginning with the homeless
and outcast eaglet is continued in later
years with their mates.
If the male bird be the stronger the
most of the prey belongs to him, and he
allows the female to eat paltry share
between fierce thrusts of his beak at
her. II the female is the stronger (and
she generally is) the male bird covers
and winces under many a fierce blow
from his unfeeling wife, no matter how
small the morsel he gets. But when
oanger threatens no human pair can
battle so iercely for each other as can
two eagles. The breeding season begins
about March, and each male has but
one mate during his entire life. If the
female is killed or captured the sur
viving male becomes an eagle hermit
and fiercer than ever.
They are often seen near their nests
together, and when the sun is shining
take their majestic flights straight
toward that great ball of fire, until they
disappear from sight. Sitting upon
the mountain side their vision is so keen
that they can see far down the valley
sheep or young goat, a big turkey or
rooster, a small pig, rabbit, or large
bird, and almost in the twinkling of an
eye they descend suddenly upon their
victim. One mighty grasp and twist
of their talons and the victim is dead
long before the eagle lays it down for
repast. An eagle can live two and
three days, and even five days, upon a
gorging meal. They prey upon all sorts
of large birds, fish, lambs, kids and
goats Oftentimes, when a large calf
or goat is to be attacked and carried
carry off the carcass, when they will
Immediately begin to fight it out to see
which of them is entitled to the dhoic-
est bits, and it is truly survival of the
fittest in such combats as these.
An eagle is always fully confident Of
his strength. and rarely overreaches
himself in his rapacious desire for prey
The minuteness Of their vision, for they
can take in at searching glance the
presence of desirable prey in radius
of many miles, on mountain, valley,
forest. swamp or field, humanity cannot
comprehend With this wonderful power
of sight is combined swiftness of
flight equally as wonderful. In single
right and in day a full grown eagle
can fly thousand miles. The flight
of an eagle after prey is like flash of
lightning, and he rushes past like a
falling meteor, descending with fearful
force upon his victim, which IS stag
gered at the blow of his cruel talons.
Oftentimes the visitor in the Tennessee
Mountains can just see him like little
speck in the sky, moving in majestic
curves around the crest Of far-away
peak The sightseers and mountain
GERS who love TO WatCn Lnem always
choose the break of dawn or calm
sunset They wheel in circles and glide
about in horizontal sweeps just before
starting out on a days hunt or in set
Ting for the night.
When lingering by the mountain riv
ers watching for ducks or geese, or
even fish, pair of eagles will display
their natural shrewdness. They swoop
from opposite directions upon the fowl.
which tries to escape by diving, and
could outwit one eagle, but suddenly,
as the fowl comes to the surface of the
water, the second eagle seizes him.
Eagles are captured by expert noun
taineers, who spy upon the parent bird
building her nest and wait for the
breeding season. After a due time they
scale the mountains, and well armed
for the inevitable fight with the parent
birds. go to these mountain eyries.
Oftentimes four men are required to
let one of them down a deep precipice