A GOLDEN EAGLE. 



In January, 1900, I had given me a I catch him In any such attempt, but 



Golden Eagle. He had been picked up in sometimes at night I would hear him, and 



a stunned condition in the foot-hills, hav- every morning his wings, beak and feath- 



ing received a shock from the electric ers showed he never gave up the hope of 



wires, on which he had probably alighted getting free. 



for a moment or struck in his flight. I never fed him to the full ext-T- 



There is an electric power-house in the capacity, but gave him from a pound to 



Sierras opposite Fresno, from which pole a pound and a half of meat daily at noon, 



lines carry the strong current down to be which he devoured in a very short time, 



used for power and light in the valley, sticking his claws through the toughest 



and this was by no means the first record beef and tearing it like ribbons with his 



of eagles and other large bird's being beak. It was wonderful to see how clean 



stunned or killed by them. he could pick a bone with his clumsy- 



The person who found him had looking great beak. I never knew him to 

 brought him down with the idea of hav- touch any kind of food but raw meat, 

 ing him stuffed, but as he showed a good When anything was handed in to him, no 

 deal of life, I begged to keep him alive, matter how high up, he never accepted it 

 and he was handed over to me. He was in his bill, but struck at it with a light- 

 evidently a young bird of the previous ning-like movement of his claws, scarce- 

 season, though nearly full grown. From ly ever missing it. 



tip to tip of his wings he w r as over five One day he snapped in two one of the 

 feet, and his wonderful black talons meas- bars across his cage, pried off another 

 ured one and' one-half to two inches be- and got out. I was telephoned that my 

 yond the feathers: His legs were hand- eagle was out, and hurried home to find 

 somely feathered dowa to the claws, and all the children in the neighborhood 

 his proud head, with its strong beak, blockaded indoors. The eagle was 

 large, piercing eyes, and red and yellow- perched on the grape-arbor easily survey- 

 brown feathers, was a thing of beauty, ing the lay of things. A cat had crawled 

 The rest of his body was dark, almost into the wood-pile and under the door- 

 black, with the exception of three or four steps the venerable cock of the yard was 

 white diamonds showing on the upper congratulating himself on his safety, but 

 tail feathers. feeling rather undignified. I procured a 



I kept him in a big box open on one rope and took my first lessons in lasso- 

 side. When I first brought him home ing. The eagle had been so closely con- 

 and had put him into the box, a neigh- fined that he had not been able to gain the 

 bor's poodle came sniffing around for the full use of his wings, and so could only 

 meat I had brought for the eagle. He run or flutter a few feet from the ground, 

 was on the back side of the box, and so I finally recaptured him and brought him 

 could not see that there was anything in back. He showed no fear and offered lit- 

 it, nor did he hear anything, but all at tie resistance. 



once the scent of the bird must have About the middle of March the weather 



struck his nostrils, for with a squall of became very hot, and it was really 



fear he disappeared from the yard and cruel to keep the bird penned up in such 



never afterward would venture near the close quarters in such weather, so I took 



cage. him out to the plains and set him free. 



During the time I kept the eagle, He could not use his wings much, and it 

 some two months, he never showed any is very doubtful if he escaped the shot- 

 desire to attack me, though his claws gun or rifle of some predatory small boy, 

 would have gone through my hand like a but it was the best I could do for him. 

 knife, nor did he display any fear of me. He was a beautiful specimen of a bird, 

 He never made any attempt to get out and I only wish I could have kept him. 

 while anyone was in sight of him, nor did Charles Elmer Jenney. 



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