Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-12-26

EASJERN SHORE EAGLES.
Freebooters of the Air That Some
times Get Into Trouble with Fish.

said an Eastern Shore native, while
not so numerous as they were once,
are as fierce and bold and aggressive
as in the days when the farmers along
the shore and on the Susquehanna
river and bay islands were compelled
to employ shepherds 10 watch and
protect their fiocks of sheep against
the raids of those marauders. This
was particularly the case in the spring
when the lambs We're an important
part of the flock. II would be the case
today if farmers hadn't practically
abandoned the raising of sheep.
An old-tine observer says that the
/ Eastern Shore eagles can fly faster,
remain in their lofty flight longer and
more velocity than any other created
thing with wings. He also says that
the fierceness of the eagles and the
tenaeity and power of clutch they can
put into their immense talons are be-
yond belief. and he cites as an in
stance of it a fight between two of the
big birds that he once saw.
Just what melted the two eagles
TO the combat this spectator of the
fight did not know, but they came to-
gether high in the air. A long time
the two fierce birds fought with bea<
and talon and wing. rushing upon one
another. delivering their blows and
retreating for advantage in new at
tack. Then at last they clinehed and
/ fought at close quarters.
| In that position they came plunging
to the earth, but neither made any eff
fort TO stay the fall so desperately in
tent was each on the savage battle.
They struck together in the freshly
turned furrow of a plowed field. and
the impact failed TO separate them or
to cause an instant's delay in the
, fight, and the coming on the scene of
a man with a club, with which he at
once took part in the battle. did not
distract their attention from one
another and the man killed them both.
Their talons were buried so deeply in
each others flesh that to separate the
two beligerent eagles it was neces-
sary To cut off their legs.
The shallow waters of the Sus-
quehanna above Havre de Grace are
alive with the big, hoglike. worthless
German carp that some pisciculturist
introduced there some years ago. They
root in the mud in droves, and farm
ers spear and trap them by the ton for
fertilizer and food for hogs. Ospreys
as well as eagles are numerous along
the coast, and it is a familiar sight to
see an osprey on it's way home with
some big fish it has snatched from the
shoal waters waylaid and robbed of
it's prize by some freebooter of an
eagle.
Frequently an eagle will try his
own skill at fishing and pounce down
on the carp that root on the bottom of
the shoal water. These fish are some
times so large that the eagle is I'M
able to lift it's catch from the water,
but the bird is so obstinate that it will
not release it's hold, even when the
fish carries it out int the deep, rough
waters of the bay. Eagles have been
known to be drowned in that way by
carp they have set their stubborn
talons into.
'As a rule, though, they prefer to
await the efforts of osprey in the fish
ing, and the ospreys in turn have
learned to be wary in their fishing and
apparently choose to go hungry rath-
er than take any chances if an eagle is
in sight. The old native observer L
referred to is my authority for saying
that one day one of these Eastern
Shore eagles must have at last des-
paired of robbing an osprey and being
pressed with hunger have determined
to capture one of those carp himself.
my informant was cruising in his
Yacht over the Susquehanna flats that
day. From distance he saw great
commotion in the water, heard the
shrieks of something Enthusiastically in
trouble and presently saw splendid
specimen of the American eagle speed
ing along like the wind over the sur
face of the water, propelled by no ef-
fort of its own. In fact the eagle
was using all it's efforts to stay its
progress and to rise from the water.
The spectator of the disturbance
turned his yacht. headed off the
speeding eagle and succeeded in grab
bling it by the neck, although the big
bird fought fiercely with beak and
wings against being made a captive.
When the eagles captor got hold
of the bird he discovered why it was
, taking that wild trip against its will
1 The eagles talons were buried in the
beteh bA a DIG carp, bdi lth 80 htSp
that the bird could not get them out
, The carp being too heavy for the eagle
to rise with and the eagle being too
much weight for the carp to sink
deeper into the water with, the situa-
ton to both was peculiarly unfortu-
nate. The eagle would doubtless have
|, been eventually drowned and the carp
; must have died in the clutch of the
/. eagle if they had not been interfered
with by the man in the yacht.
Being unable to unloose the eagles
/ hold from the carp he lifted both bird
r and fish into his boat, where he cut
4 the eagles talons free from the carr
: and let it go. The carp he knocked il
: the head, fate he always declared
!, he should have melted out to the eagle
e too for having disgraced itself, {