Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1897-06-14
TENNESSEE EAGLES.
4 NATURAL MOUNTAIN HOME FoR
THE BIRD OF FREEDOM.

There He Il Hasched In Great Numbers
and sometines Lives 1eo Yeazs-Mating
and the Treatment Of the Young-Hov
They Are Captured.
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 i'd
ventures. Eagles make their eyries
among the clefts and crags of the high
est mountains Of the state. They are
found ON the Stone mountain, the great
Roane, 6,296 feet high; the Bald, $3.50
feet; the Great Smoky range, 6,636
feet; the Bullhead, 6,GI2 feet; ON the
Unaka, the Big Stone ard others, none
Of them less than 8, 900 feet shove the
level of the country at their feet
Young eagles bring from $40 to $50,
occasionally 800. Eagles that are Of
some age end Of q great size (such are
rarely capfured, however) bring as high
as $500 and $500. Eagles which have to
be killed while trying to capture them
are valuable to taxidermists, who al
ways find an easy market for q great
stuffed eagle. Their feathers, especially
the wing and tail feathers, are sold for
good prices.
The eagle builds its nest upon the top
OF q mighty tree growing far up ON the
mountain among the myriad of twining
vines, or in the thickest and almost in
accessible growth of bushes and shrubs,
or ON the summit of ahigh rock. An
eagles nest is q large one always, and
IL strongly and comfortably built. Large
sticks and branches are laid together,
nearly fiat, and bound with twining
vines. The spacious inside is covered
with hair and moses SO infinitely woven
together that no wind can enter. The
mother bird lays two eggs, which are
curiosities. The long end tapers down
to 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 parentage
! An eagle lives from 80 to 160 years.
The young birds are driven forth by
their savage parents to scratch for them
selves as soon as they are able to fly. No
training is given them by the old bird.
That is left to their wild instincts,
which hunger and necessity develop.
There is no going ''back to the old
home' for the young eagle. The mother
bird tears up ever vestige of the nest
where they have thriven since birth, and
while they emit plaintive shrieks the
old bird darts at them and pushes them
off the crags or rocks, and to prevent
falling they must take to their wings,
and this is how they learn to fly. II
takes three years for a young eagle tc
| gain its full and complete plumage and
, strength.
Away up in the mountains the eagle
finds it as hard to gain subsistence as dc
the grumblers of the plain. The precari
business Of its existence and the wild
: manner in which food is gathered seem
to give the bird ferocity as it grows
older. They range among the mountains
and valleys in pairs, their young neve,
/ following, but doing the best they can
} The stern, unsocial tyranny, beginning
/ with the homeless and outcast eaglet, j.
continued in later years with theil
t mates.
If the male bird be the stronger, thu
most of the prey belongs to him, and hi
allows the female to eat paltry shar'
between fierce thrusts of his beak at her
If the female is the stronger land sh'
generally isl, the male bird covers enc
winces under many q fierce blow from
his unfeeling wife. no matter how small
the morsel he gets. But when DANCE,
threatens, no human pair can battle 81
fiercely for each other as can two eagles
The breeding season begins about March
and each male has but one mate durin,
his entire life. If the female is kille,
or captured, the surviving male become
an eagle hermit and fiercer than ever
They are often seen near their nest
together, and when the sun is shinin,
take their majestic flights straight to
ward that great ball Of fire until the,
disappear from sight. Sitting upon tn
mountain side, their vision is so keel
that they can see, far down the valley
q sheep or young goat, q big turkey o
rooster, q small pig, rabbit, or larg
bird, and almost in the twinkling of al
Z eye they descend suddenly upon thei
victim. One mighty grasp and a twis
J of their talons fnd the victim is dead
!, long before the eagle lays it down for
!, repast. An eagle can live two and thre
= days. and even five days, upon q gorg
. ing meal They prey upon Iii sorts O
|. large birds, fish, lambs, kids and goats
. Oftentimes, when q large calf or goat j
= to be attacked and carried of, four o
y y six of them will unite and carry OF tn
= the carcass, when they will immediate
i. " begin to fight it out to see which Q
!, them is entitled to the choicest bits, an
: it is truly survival Of the finest il
n such combats as these.
!, Eagles are captured by expert noun
|. taineers, who spy upon the parent bir
: building her nest and wait for tn
breeding season. After due time the
= scale the mountains, and, well arme
!. for the inevitable fight with the paren
birds, 20 to these mountain eyries. o.
= tentimes four men are required to le
one of them down steep precipice Q
cliff, while two Of them, dead shot
NTH tho rife shoot and kill the oil