FIGHT BETWEEN OTTER AND EAGLE, 



147 



and distinguished an otter eating what had been 

 a two or three pound trout, and apparently quite 

 ignorant of our proximity. I started up the bank 

 to reduce the distance ; the rifle I took with me, 

 which was very accurate at moderate range. In my 

 approach I had to go round some drift wood and 

 several fallen trees before I again regained the water's 

 edge. While hesitating to advance nearer, or shoot 

 from where I was, down swept the white-headed eagle, 

 as I imagined, to dispute possession of the remainder 

 of the fish. In this it was unsuccessful, so made 

 another dash and seized the otter, which was only a 

 three-parts grown cub. After a violent struggle, the 

 bird commenced ascending, but the prey made a 

 gallant fight. I fired and missed ; so before I could 

 get a fresh cartridge in my discharged barrel both were 

 hid from sight by intervening boughs. My attendant 

 was equal to the emergency, for he now was well out 

 in the river, gazing fixedly at the capturer and his 

 prey. Soon he brought the canoe ashore, and begged 

 me to hurry. This I did, and soon after we landed a 

 hundred yards or so up the stream. Drawing the 

 birch-bark ashore, he handed me the shot guns, and 

 started into the bush " on a lope," I following at my 

 best pace. Fortunately, we had not far to go, for 

 the pace and ground were both very trying. After a 

 little hesitation the Indian looked aloft, and in a fork 

 of a birch tree were the eagle and otter, both struggling 

 violently. As far as I could judge, the bird had 

 caught a tartar, and wished to be quit of its bargain. 

 Not so with the quadruped. It appeared to have 

 obtained a hold of its foe's thigh, which it was in no 

 wise di.«?posed to relinquish. As the otter could not 

 escape us if it fell to the ground, I shot at the bird, 

 when both came to the earth with a " thud " that 

 would have knocked a man down. 



The eagle by this time was all but dead. Still it 

 retained its grasp with one of its talons, which I 



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