250 THE SPREAD EAGLE. 



" I have been told by several creditable people from their 

 own knowledge," says the same author, when speaking of the 

 seal carrying the eagle under water, " of another unfortunate 

 expedition of the eagle, which shows that this mighty king 

 of birds is often in the wrong, and extends his attempts 

 beyond his power among the fish. An incident of this kind 

 happened not far from Bergen, where an eagle stood on the 

 bank of a river, and saw a salmon, as it were just under 

 him ; he struck instantly one of his talons into the root of 

 an elm close by, and partly hanging over the river ; the other 

 he struck into the salmon, which was very large, and in his 

 proper element, which doubled his strength, so that he swam 

 away, and split the eagle to his neck, making literally a 

 spread eagle of him a creature otherwise known only in 

 heraldry." 



A somewhat similar circumstance to the above was related 

 to me by Magnus, the fisherman at Trollhattan, when I was 

 at that hamlet during the past summer. 



"About the year 1787," said he, "when an uncle and 

 aunt of mine, together with several other persons, were 

 waiting for the parson, at the outside of Naglum Church* 

 (situated at only two or three miles from Ronnum), and 

 immediately near to the river Gotha, they saw an eagle 

 pounce upon an immense pike, basking close to the bank. 

 One of his talons the bird struck into the fish ; but with 

 the other, and for the purpose of securing his prey it is 

 to "be presumed, he clutched firm hold of an alder-bush, 

 growing hard by. But this manoeuvre cost the bird dear ; 

 for the pike, in retreating, made so desperate a plunge 



* Now altogether in ruins; the sacred edifice, or rather another in its 

 stead, having been erected elsewhere in the parish. 



