Golden Eagles. 25 



no sort of fight ; and presently, 

 waxing bolder, we removed the rug 

 entirely, and there, among the hand- 

 fuls of crushed fern, was certainly 

 an eagle A Golden Eagle in the 

 rich plumage of late summer. 



Its glorious eyes glanced at us 

 with not a shade of fear. It extended 

 its enormous wings as if to fly, but 

 seeing the shed roof over it, and 

 perhaps overcome by weakness and 

 suffering, it folded them again, 

 and lowered its noble head with a 

 gesture that was almost human in 

 its despair. 



Then we saw that attached to its 

 right leg was an iron trap and a 

 fragment of rusted chain. The 

 cruel teeth had divided two of the 

 claws, and they hung but by the 

 sinews still clenched in the trap 

 a fearful load for the bird to bear. 

 The wound had healed, and the 

 sinews were dry and shrunken, 

 showing it was long since the thing 

 had happened. 



