po NATURAL HISTORY of NORWAY. 



Fiih Eagie. The Filk-Orn, or Fim-Eagle, is of a light brown colour, and 

 exceeds the former in fize. This does not diflike a dead carcafe on 

 fhore, but lives principally on fifb, which it often watches to take 

 from the otters, and frequently feizes, on the furface of the water. 

 It will eat alio the heads and entrails of fifh, which are left in 

 great heaps, after the cleanfing and falting of fifh, and fall to the 

 fhare of many other Birds and Beafts ; but when the Eagle comes 

 all belongs to him alone. When this Bird flies out at fea to 

 ftrike a fifh with his talons, he fbme times happens to lay hold of 

 fuch as are too ftrong for him, and they will drag him down to 

 the bottom; this has been particularly {son more than once with 

 the Helleflynder, which is called here Queite, and will be 

 defcribed hereafter. This is fo large, that it will fometirnes fill a 

 calk : the Queit's high and prominent back makes him appear, in 

 the eyes of the Eagie, much lefs than he really is : when the 

 Eagle ftrikes his talons into him he cannot eafily get them 

 out again, becaufe of their crookednefs and length ; fb that the 

 fifh drags him down with him ; and the Bird makes a miferable 

 cry, keeping himfelf up, and working with his wings fpread 

 as long as he poffibly can, tho' in vain ; for at laft he muft yield, 

 and become a prey to thofe he intended to devour. This may 

 ferve as an emblem to many ftupid and inconiiderate enterprisers. 

 I have been told that our Sundmoerfke fifhers Ibmetimes catch this 

 kind of fifh with Eagle's talons in the backs of them, and covered 

 over with nefh and fat : this is a mark of the fifth's conquering, 

 as aforefaid # . And I have been alfo told by feveral very credit- 

 able people, from their own knowledge, another unfortunate 

 expedition of the Eagle ; which fhews that this mighty king of 

 Birds is often in the wrong, and extends his attempts beyond his 

 power among the fiih. An incident of this kind happened not 

 far from Bergen; where an Eagle ftood on the bank of a river, 

 and faw a large falmon, as if it were juft. under him; he (buck 

 inftantly one of his talons into the root of an elm juft by and 

 partly hanging over the river, the other he ftruck into the falmon, 

 which was very large, and in his proper element, which doubled 

 his ftrength, io that he fvvam away, and fplit the Eagle to riis 

 neck, making literally a fpread Eagle of him ; a creature other- 

 wife known only in heraldry. 



*' The crocodile plays his perfecutor the tyger much the fame kind of a trick, when 

 he has ftruck his claws in that creature's eyes ^ according to Hr. Condamine, in his 

 Voyage on the Amazone River. See Hamb. Magazine, Vol. vi, 3d St. p. 256. 



SECT. 



