Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-07-01
HOW THE BIRDS FISH.
Some Are Export Anglers With Only
Natures Tackle.

1t Is easy for a man abroad with a
rod and line on some still tree-fringed
lake to understand how the loon, the
hell-diver, the kinghsher and such
birds make living. They are all
expert anglers with their own pecu-
liar outfits and understand how to use
them to perfection.
The hell-diver does not pretend to
tackle anything but very small fishes,
minnows mostly, and 1t eats good
many things that it finds in the mud.
The loon Is a powerful and fast
swimmer and one Of the greatest of all
divers. It thinks nothing Of going to
the bottom of a lake fifty feet Deep,
and when it gets after a small bass or
perch or croppue that particular fish
Is in for a very unpleasant three min
utes. The loon catches and eats fish
all day, being almost an unfailing pur-
suer and one of the most destructive
Of all birds which prey upon fish life.
The kingfsher, small, active and
blue, cannot swim stroke, but 1t Is a
diver to depth Of foot, and 1t makes
up in expertness what it lacks in am
phibiousness. Perched upon a branch
which everhangs the water, with Its
head turned to one side and Its eyes
cooked like a parrots, it sees every
thing which passes below and darts
downward at frequent intervals.
It is after surface fish, minnows,
chubs, dace and such things, seldom
capturing anything more than three
inches long. The kingfsher is sue
cessful about once in three times,
which is a very good average for
non water bird, and as it Is very in
dustrious it gets plenty for itself and
it's sitting mate and later for the young
in the nest among the sedges by the
lakes edge. A man who watches small
gulls flying and diving over lake Will
find that they do not average more
than one kill to six dives, and the
kingfisher has them clearly outclassed.
No angler, though, ever has under
stood how the great fish-eagle gets
along. This huge bird, with a wing
spread of six feet and a big body,
needs much food. Moreover, except In
late fall and winter, it has always a
brood of squalling young that are in
satiable.
Both the male and female fish for
the nest. but it Is a mystery how they
manage to obtain enough for them
selves, let alone the youngsters. The
fish -eagle cannot swim; it cannot
dive; it is slow Of flight, 1t cannot pick
up anything with its beak.
The kingfisher hits the water spear
bill downward like flash Of blue and
white light, but the fish-eagle. pom
derous, cumbrous and deliberative. has
to depend entirely upon its talons. II
flies slowly over the lake at height
OF 10 to 20 yards. Seeing fish near
the surface. it lowers itself above It.
drops it's legs down to six inches and
brings its long talons together in the
effort to grasp.
While it is doing this it's great wings
are pounding the air to keep it aloft
Nobody knows what would happen II
1t fell in. A more awkward take-a-
chance anyhow fishermen does not ex-
list.
1t would seem that any fish with ar
atom of sense would get out Of the
way, since unquestionably plenty ol
time is afforded. A bass idling on the
surface and seeing the great shadow
descending would easily shoot twenty
yards before the terrible talons were
let down.
eagle catch fish is rare, though every
angler has seen it try lots Of times
The eagle after one of these attempts
gets aloft awkwardly for a hundred
feet or so, then takes a perch on some
dead tree overlooking the water ant
apparently thinks about it for awhile
resolving to do better. Then it take:
wing and goes through its opera bouffe
chase once more.
Eagles do catch fish, for now anG
then about sunset one Is seen wingine
it's way toward the nest with hand.
some bass or pike in its claws. but the
prey must have been asleep when tax.
en-. The fish eagle Is a good deal OF
scavenger and probably much Of its
sustenance is gained in cleaning uI
dead fish. :t.;-!'I
Lots of them are killed and not eat
en- by other fish. Often a muskallonge
or big bass will hit, a smaller swimmer
and kill it wheastts own nav is gorged
and the ,deadHthahg floats away. The
fish-eagle takeSsit in almost any stage
of decomposition.
The most frequent victims to raw
enous game fishes. belong to the class
Of suckers. They are slow and get out
into deep water often. and there they
meet fate. If man sees a big fat
sucker floating belly upward with q
cash in it he may know that a musk
allonge, pike, pickerel or bass has been
at work. If he looks for the body OF
the sucker the next day he will not
find it.; the fish-eagle will have beer
|along.-New York Sun.