The Washington times., 1901-10-06
EAGLES WHIP A BEAR.
Novel Fight Over the Possession of
"a Piece of Carrion.

A fight to a finish between a pair of
eagles and bear few persons have seen,
and the sportiest sport on the turf would
hardly know which to bet on in such a
combat. Hans Larsen, Norwegian fish
erman who has been fishing for salmon
in the Columbia near Eagle Cliff this sea
son, saw a desperate fight between two
fine bald eagles that had their nest not
far from his camp and a half-grown bear
The eagles won.
A huge sturgeon had been washed up
on the river bank and the eagles were US
ing 1t to feed their young. One morning
the eagles We're serving breakfast to their
young and one Of them had flown up to
the nest with a lot Of pieces Of sturgeon
and the other was tearing away at the
huge fish, when the bear came crashing
through the brush to find the sturgeon he
had scented Bruin walked straight up
to the fish. But the eagle was not to be
scared and he tapped his wings and stood
on the defensive
Big, fat sturgeon do not come ashore
along the Columbia so frequently as they
used to and the carcass of this one was
prize. and 1t rightfully belonged to the
eagles as the original discoverers. The
bear paused moment and then rushed
at the eagle which gracefully eluded him
and, soaring a short distance in the air,
screamed bloody murder as a signal to
his mate. She came swOoping down from
InG nest ana joined forces with heF mate
in an attack on the bear, which was so
busy tearing the sturgeon that he paid no
attention to the royal birds till they land
ed like thunderbolts on his neck and rump
and sank their Tons in his flesh
The talons of a 5dll-grown eagle are not
to be sneezed at uYen by a bear. and the
howl of rage bruin let out showed that he
had been both panied and hurt He rear
ed up on his launches and clawed savagely
at the birds, which whirled agilely about
him. One would make a dash at his face
and eyes and the other would hit him in
the back OF the neck like Catapult. For
ten minutes or so the bear stood up to
the scratch and when he had scratching
enough he began TO show signs of want
Ing to get away. He did not exactly show
the white feather, for the eagles had all
the white feathers. but he began edging
or toward the brush, which was fifty feet
distant.
AS soon as he was on all fours the ca
giles were on him, and he would have to
get on his launches TO use his paws effect
lively. The blood was streaming down his
face and showed in spots all over his
glossy hide. but the great object of the
eagles appeared to be to get at bruins
eyes, and he seemed TO be aware of this
and was very anxious to get under the
protection Of the brush. The eagles were
evidently Just as anxious to prevent this.
When bruin turned his head toward the
bushes they would plump down on his
head and try to sink their talons In his
eyes or to dig them out with their sharp
beaks and drum his ears with their strong
pinions until the poor bear did not know
where he was at"
All this time Larsen was sitting quietly
in his boat watching what he says was
the most savage and entertaining fight he
has ever seen. 1t was. he judges. nearly
half an hour from the time the bear came
out of the brush till he was able to drag
himself back under its friendly cover,
where the eagles could not get at him,
and he was the most apidated-looking
bear imaginable. The eagles flew up on
tree and smoothed their ruffled plumage
and congratulated each other on the out
come of the struggle. Then, as their eag-
let's were squawking for more breakfast.
they resumed their work of carving and
serving their sturgeon, and until 1t was
all used up, which took several days. no
animal offered to approach 1t, in the day
time at least.-Portland Oregontan.