THE FISHING-EAGLE. 47 



that fisli were all round us. The osprey first shook 

 his AviugSj and stretched his neck and legs, then 

 sharpened his claws and beak. Presently we saw 

 him take flighty and after hovering about fifty yards 

 over our heads, dart like an arrow upon a black spot 

 which appeared about fifty yards from the boat. 

 The disturbance of the water at first prevented us 

 from seeing what Jonathan had caught; but pre- 

 sently, when the bird had succeeded in fixing his 

 talons in the fish's back, we saw him raise up an 

 enormous salmon, whose repeated efi'orts could not 

 free itself from the terrible embrace. As long- 

 as it could remain on the surface of the water, its 

 struggles and blows with the tail were tremendous ; 

 then it endeavoured to dive and drag its tormentor 

 with it down into the depths of the lake. It was all 

 in vain. The osprey soon won the victory, and we 

 saw him soar above our heads, holding in his claws, 

 as in a vice, a magnificent silver-scaled fish of some 

 twenty pounds weight. 



Sandy Hair well knew what to do at this con- 

 juncture, and obedient to a sign from the Captain, 

 he paddled in the*^ direction of the bird, whom my 

 friend recalled by a peculiar cry, which was obeyed 

 immediately, and a moment afterwards Jonathan de- 

 posited at the bottom of our boat the splendid salmon. 

 As is invariably the case, the fish's eyes had been 

 scooped out by the bird, to render the victory easy. 

 Two pecks with the beak had settled that matter. 



