^THE # OOLOGIS 



VOL. vn. 



ALBION, N. Y., APRIL, 1890. 



NO. 4 



Gaged Eagles. 



While on :i deer huut at a lumber 

 camp ill the northern peninsula (Iron 

 Co.) I collected a few birds of which I 

 had need, thus calling the attention of 

 Mr. Bethel Bristol, .scaler of the camp, 

 to ray ornithological tastes. He very 

 kindly took considerable interest in me, 

 promised to try to secure one ov more 

 of the Ravens that are found there and 

 projjosed that we set a trap for owls. 

 Of course I assented and we immedi- 

 ately set about it. Cutting several stout 

 poles about eight feet high and driving 

 them into the soft mud of the river. Ave 

 adorned the tops with steel traps suit- 

 ably baited with the remains of an un- 

 fortunate Canada Jay. 



Luck was against us (.luring my staj', 

 but some time after I had returned 

 iiome, Mr. Bristol wrote that he had 

 caught a fine Bald Eagle, asking if I 

 knew of anj'body who would like a pet 

 of that description. You may be sure 

 I lost no time in announcing mj' entire 

 willingness to become its owner. 



On New Year's morning the box ar- 

 rived and I was, to say the least, 

 somewhat surprised to find, not one, 

 but two fine Eagles. One was a typical 

 "Baldy" and was immediatelj' dubbed 

 Bethel, in honor of his captor. The 

 other was very large and at first we 

 took him to be a young White Head, 

 l)ut after sufficient examination of both 

 him and other specimens and after .sev- 

 eral local ornithologists had passed 

 their opinions, we concluded he was a 

 Golden Eagle. His tarsi are feathered, 

 his bill is different in shape and the 

 build of his claws and body is heavier 

 than that of the Bald Eagle and his tail 

 has a very perceptible ring. 



But to resume — the first care was to 

 tind a suitable place to keep them. At 



lirst we chained them to perches in the 

 barn, but after witnessing several es- 

 capes Ijy breaking the chains, Ave came 

 to the conclusion that it was "no go." 

 After a few days Ave finished a cage, 

 completely encircling a tree, in Avhich, 

 after scA'ere struggle, we safely en- 

 sconced the birds. 



Poor Bethel; from the lirst he 

 drooped and after a week of miserable 

 existence, he Avas found one morning, 

 dead. Upon skinning, Ave found that 

 he had burst a vein under his Aving. He 

 is now mounted and stands guard oA'er 

 a case of smaller l)irds. The Golden 

 Eagle progressed finely and, before 

 many days Avere past, Ave Avere very 

 glad we had one, not two, live eagles, 

 for the amount of meat the one de- 

 voured, Avas sufficient to engender 

 serious alarm in our minds. This Avas 

 Avithout foundation however, as after a 

 week or so he seemed to become "filled 

 up" and declined to eat oftener than 

 once in three or four days. 



As the nights were naturally 

 somewhat cold, we provided him 

 with an old dog kennel Avell 

 tilled Avith straw. Into this he 

 retired as evening fell. When ap- 

 proached, he stretches out his neck and 

 utters a loud, cackling cry. When a 

 rat or other small animal is introduced 

 into his cage, he pounces upon it and, 

 taking one end in each of his poAverful 

 cIiAvs, he tears it apart apparently Avith- 

 out effort.' The pieces are then SAval- 

 loAA'^ed Avhole. 



On Avarm days he delights in a bath, 

 scattering the Avater in all directions, 

 ever and anon clucking in a sati-stied 

 manner. 



The love of lilierty is still strong 

 Avithin him. One da}' a Bald Eagle 

 appeared sailing through the sky. At 

 once, and Avithoiit hesitation. Jumbo, as 



