2 THE OOLOGIST 
TRAPPING A GOLDEN EAGLE. 
A few vears ago I spent the fall 
months in Kansas on an uncle’s ranch. 
The country was rough rolling prairie. 
Nearby was a large creek and along 
this stream was considerable timber. 
Squirrels (gray and fox) were abun- 
dant. Quail very plentiful. Rabbits 
(both common and jack) were plenty. 
On the creek several varieties of ducks 
‘were found. I was out about every 
day and game dinners were of regular 
oceurrence. Immense flocks of larks, 
longspurs and blackbirds were about, 
but about all the summer residents 
and small land migrants had gone. 
Raptcres were abundant and I shot 
quite a number. 
Along early in November the Golden 
Hagles appeared. Some days four or 
five were about. Of course I wanted 
‘one but they didn’t stay about the tim- 
ber much, but kept to the prairie 
where it was impossible to stalk 
them. 
Near the house was quite a hill 
about which eagles as well as other 
raptores circled. At one place near 
the base of this hill a gully started 
and eventually found its way to the 
big creek, Close to the head of this 
gully near the base of the hill there 
had been an old stack of hay or alf- 
alfa and several small stakes were 
still sticking in the ground. I found 
that I could slip up the gully to with- 
in one hundred feet of this spot so I 
went over on the prairie, kicked out 
a big jack rabbit, handed him a charge 
of sixes and took him over and tied 
him te one of the little stakes. Noth- 
ing happened until the second morn- 
ing, when I found the whole bait gone. 
I went after another jack rabbit and 
tied him to the stake. I watched quite 
sharp that dav, but nothing appeared 
near the bait. Next morning I again 
found my bait gone. I now concluded 
I had a ecyote to deal with, so I went 
to a nearby ranch and borrowed a 
heavy steel trap. 
A goed many pieces and chunks of 
flint rocks lay areund about the hills 
and within two feet of the bait, lay a 
chunk that weighed about fifteen 
pounds. To avoid too much tramping 
about, I took along a little board on 
whieh I stecod. I dug out a place for 
the trav and carefully set and covered 
it. ! wired the chain to the end of the 
rock and buried that end. All dirt I 
put in a basket and what was left, I 
carried away, It was a good job 
and the brisk wind that blew all day 
helped to carry off any scent; also to 
smooth things over. 
After quartering about over the pra- 
irie, I shot another jack which I tied 
to the usual stake. Next morning I 
found trap, stone and all gone. ._I soon 
located it in a nearby cornfield and in 
it was a big coyote with the handcuffs 
on a front foot. He had eaten at the 
bait a little and mutilated it, and I 
ecneluded to leave it as it was and re- 
set the trav. Before night I had taken 
two crows out. 
Next morning returning from the 
creek with a bunch of nice fat mall- 
ards I saw an excited flock of crows 
flying about over my trap. Pretty 
soon I saw a big black bird at the 
bait. I hadn’t seen a buzzard for some 
time, so I concluded I had old goldie 
fast. I noticed however that it ap- 
peared to be eating and did not flop 
about as a trapped bird should. So I 
got into the gully and sneaked up. 
Crawling carefully up I peered over 
and there not one hundred feet away 
was a big golden eagle sitting broad- 
Side on. I had only one shell of BB 
and this I sent into his shoulders ex- 
pecting him to roll over, To my sur- 
prise he sprang into the air instead. 
In my second barrel I had a shell of 
good old reliable sixes with which size 
I have had most success killing things 
