GOLDEN EAGLE 307 



escape unless the bird should alight somewhere. The eagle made a straight 

 ascent and rose to a considerable height in the air. 



After struggling for a time Reynard was obliged to quit his grasp, and 

 descended much quicker than he had gone up. He was dashed to the earth, 

 where he lay struggling in the agonies of death. The eagle made his escape, 

 but appeared weak from exhaustion and loss of blood. 



Hares, rabbits, and other smaller mammals are usually caught by 

 chasing them in the open and pouncing on them, but Mr. Willard 

 (1916a) witnessed another method: "In company with some friends 

 one day, I watched a pair of these eagles hunting jack rabbits. They 

 swooped down and drove the rabbit to cover under a mesquite bush. 

 Then one alighted close by and began to walk toward the rabbit. He 

 was so frightened he dashed from his shelter only to be snatched up 

 by the other eagle which had been hovering close overhead." 



Grouse, ptarmigan, and quail are also captured by swift pursuit in 

 the air, as eagles are among the swiftest of fliers. Dr. A. K. Fisher 

 (1893) quotes the following account by Robert Ridgway: 



We were standing a few yards in the rear of a tent when our attention was 

 arrested by a rushing noise, and upon looking up the slope of the mountain we 

 saw flying down the wooded side with the rapidity of an arrow a Sage-Hen 

 pursued by two Eagles. The Hen was about 20 yards in advance of her 

 pursuers, exerting herself to the utmost to escape ; her wings, from their rapid 

 motion, being scarcely visible. The Eagles in hot pursuit (the larger of the 

 two leading), followed every undulation of the fugitive's course, steadily lessen- 

 ing the distance between them and the object of their pursuit ; their wings not 

 moving, except when a slight inclination was necessary to enable them to follow 

 a curve in the course of the fugitive. So intent were they in the chase that 

 they passed within 20 yards of us. They had scarcely gone by, however, when 

 the Sage Hen, wearied by her continued exertion, and hoping probably, to con- 

 ceal herself among the bushes, dropped to the ground ; but no sooner had she 

 touched it than she was immediately snatched up by the foremost of her 

 relentless pursuers, who, not stopping in its flight, bore the prize rapidly toward 

 the rocky summits of the higher peaks, accompanied by its mate. 



It can be seen from the foregoing quotations that the golden eagle 

 is a very dangerous bird, a powerful influence for either good or evil 

 according to the conditions in its habitat. Its natural and favorite 

 food during most of the year consists of a long list of injurious 

 rodents, which are prolific breeders. Wliere the eagles can keep these 

 rodents in check, they are of great benefit to agriculture. But where 

 they do much damage to domestic animals, the eagles may have to 

 be controlled. Eagles kill some fawns and a great many grouse, 

 but let us remember that all these wild creatures have existed 

 for untold ages in apparent balance. Probably the eagle's victims 

 include more of the weak and sickly individuals than of the strong 

 and healthy ones, which greatly improves the strain and produces a 

 healthier and more vigorous race by the survival of the fittest. We 



