82 CLEMENCY OF THE GOLDEN EACxLE. 



the Eagles carry tlie prey to their nests, and there tear it to pieces, and feed the eaglets with 

 the morsels. 



When in pursuit of its prey it is a most audacious bird, having been seen to carry off 

 a hare from before the noses of the hounds. It is a keen fisherman, catching and securing 

 salmon and various sea-fish with singular skill. Sometimes it has met with more than 

 its match, and has seized upon a fish that was too heavy for its powers, thus falling 

 a victim to its sporting propensities. Mr. Lloyd mentions several instances where 

 Eagles have been drowned by pouncing upon large pike, which carried their assailants 

 under water, and fairly drowned them. In more than one instance the feet of an Eagle 

 have been seen firmly clenched in the pike's back, the body of the bird having decayed 

 and fallen away. 



It is a terrible fighter when wounded or attacked, as may be seen by the following 

 anecdote, which is related by Mr. AVatters in his " Natural History of the Birds of 

 Ireland." 



" An Eagle was at one time captured in the county Meath, by a gamekeeper, who, 

 surprising the bird sleeping, after a surfeit on a dead sheep in the neighbourhood, conceived 

 the idea of taking him alive, and for that purpose approached noiselessly, and clasped the 

 bird in his arms. The Eagle recovering, and unable to use his wings, clutched with his 

 talons, one of which entered the man's chest, the hind claw meeting the others underneath 

 the flesh. The man, unable to disengage the claw, strangled the bird, but the talons were 

 yet too firmly clutched to open. Taking out his knife, he severed the leg from the body, 

 and walked with the penetrating member to the village dispensary to have it removed." 



The same writer was acquainted with a tame Eagle which displayed a great fondness 

 for the flesh of cats, a taste which seems inherent in the Eagle nature, and to have been 

 noticed in every specmien of tame Eagles. In every case, as soon as an irritated cat came 

 within reach, the Eagle would pounce upon it, seize it in his talons, and with one gripe 

 destroy its life so effectually that the poor animal never had time even to cry out. The 

 bird indulged this cat^eating taste to such an extent that he caused sad havoc among the 

 feline tribe, and was forced at last to go into exile. 



Many anecdotes of tame Golden Eagles are on record, but as they are already familiar 

 to the public, I shall make no mention of them. The following account, however, has 

 never before been written, and as it displays a curious trait of character in the Eagle, is 

 worthy of insertion. 



A Golden Eagle had been captured in Scotland, and being very tame, always 

 accompanied the family to which it belonged in all their journeys. For some time it 

 lived near Clifton, where it passed its existence fastened to a post by a tolerably long 

 chain, that allowed it a reasonable freedom of motion. Like other tame Eagles, she — for 

 it was of the feminine sex — would persist in killing cats if they came within reach, 

 although her ordinary food was fowls, rabbits, and similar articles of diet. On one 

 occasion, a sickly, pining chicken, which seemed in a very bad state of health, was given to 

 the Eagle. The royal bird, however, refused to eat it, but seemed to be struck with pity 

 at its miserable state, and took it imder her protection. She even made it sit under her 

 wing, which she extended as a shield, and once when a man unkindly endeavoured to take 

 her jpTotegee away, she attacked him fiercely, injuring his leg severely, and drove him 

 fairly off her premises. She several times built a rude nest, but never laid an egg. 



There is no doubt but that this beautiful bird might be tamed as readily as the falcon, 

 and trained in a similar manner to fly at game. Indeed, such instances are not wanting, 

 both in ancient and modern times. The old hawking authorities did not place much 

 value on the services of the Eagle, for its weight is so great that it could not be conveyed 

 to and from the field of action without considerable inconvenience. In more modern 

 times the Golden Eagle has been successfully trained to catch game. A gentleman in 

 Huntingdonshire succeeded in taming a Golden Eagle, which he taught to chase hares 

 and rabbits ; and several other examples are on record. 



Owing to the expanse of the wings and the great power of the muscles, the flight of 

 this bird is peculiarly bold, striking, and gracelul. It sweeps through the air in a 

 succession of spiral curves, rising with every spire, and making no perceptible motion 



