THE EAGLE. 
{Continued from page 25.) 
has been known to destroy an animal 
too large to be picked up by flying at 
the animal fiercely as it stood upon the 
edge of a steep place. The wings of 
the bird frightened the animal so as to 
drive it over the cliff to meet death 
upon the rocks below. 
Eagles are sometimes caught by 
placing a large cage on edge so it will 
fall when a string is pulled. A live 
hen and her chickens are tied to the 
cage so they may run under when the 
eagle comes at them. As they run 
into the cage to escape the eagle, he 
follows them, the string is pulled, and 
the eagle finds himself alone in the 
trap, for the hen and her chickens 
easily get out between the bars which 
are too close together to allow him to 
do the same. 
An eagle once attacked a weasel. 
This little animal is very fierce, and 
will not give up its life easily. Find- 
ing itself in the grasp of the bird, the 
weasel turned and fastened its teeth 
in the throat of the eagle. It was 
lucky for the eagle that the weasel 
did not cut his throat, but the little an- 
imal never let go. Its teeth were 
locked into the flesh of the eagle so 
they could not be torn open. Years 
afterwards the eagle was shot, and it 
had on its neck a queer locket, the 
skull of the weasel hanging there by 
the teeth. Sometimes the weasel cuts 
a vital part in the bird that picks it up, 
and then the weasel enjoys the life- 
blood of his enemy. 
We have a gold coin that is named 
after the eagle. It is worth ten dol- 
lars. In fact it is ten dollars in gold. 
The first one was made in 1792. Half- 
eagles, quarter-eagles, and double- 
eagles have also been made of gold at 
our nation's mints. 
In some countries besides America 
it has been the national bird. When 
the army of Rome first tried to land in 
England the men feared the fierce 
English soldiers. One soldier had an 
Eagle with him in the boat. He 
jumped into the sea with his eagle 
and called to his friends to follow him. 
They soon put the enemy to flight, 
and the eagle was praised for helping 
them win. 
The eagle is fond of capturing such 
birds as the swan. When he finds a 
swan flying so high that it cannot get 
to the water and dive out of his reach 
the eagle flies against the swan from 
below with such force that the breath 
is knocked out of the swan in an in- 
stant. As the swan falls lifeless to 
the ground the eagle invites his mate 
to meet him at the spot and they have 
a great feast. 
The eagle flies swifter than a rail- 
way train, but one was once caught by 
a train before it could rise and get 
out of the way. The "cannon-ball" 
train on the Georgia Railway was late. 
In making up time it swung round a 
curve in a cut at full speed. A bald 
eagle was seen on the track by the 
fireman, who was looking out of the 
window. The pilot of the engine was 
upon the bird before he could rise. It 
struck him, tumbled him upon the 
frame, and fastened one of his claws 
into a wooden beam. 
Before the eagle had time to get 
back his senses the fireman climbed 
along the foot-rail to the pilot. He 
caught the great bird, and a fierce 
struggle followed. The bird fought 
for freedom and the fireman fought for 
a prize. 
The train was going at the rate of 
forty-five miles an hour. It was hard 
for the man to keep himself on the 
engine with one hand on the rail and 
the other holding the eagle, which tore 
at him wildly as the engine swung to 
and fro upon the rails. 
The man's clothing was torn to 
shreds and his hands were bleeding. 
But he worked his way back to the 
cab where the engineer assisted him in 
tying the eagle so he could not get 
away. But the tying was not easy for 
two men, for the bird made good use 
of his great beak and claws. 
When spread out on the car floor he 
measured seven feet from tip to tip of 
his wings. He was not injured, and is 
now kept as a splendid prisoner, the 
king of American birds. 
36 
