Kelly,
Other early explorers also ate eagles, swans, and all manner of waterfowl.
Another explorer of the West, David Thompson, described the hunting of
eagles by native American tribes in the late 1790s, early 1800s. This is
his account of how the Indians, in this case the Piegan Blackfeet tribe of
Alberta, hunted eagles and smoked a pipe with them as a culminating
consecration ceremony. This 1800 account is from p. 58 of Jack Nisbet's
book Sources of the River, published by Sasquatch Books.

"The Piegans had spent the day eagle hunting, a sport that Thompson had
observed closely during his first winter on the plains." From Thompson's
narrative:

The natives made shallow pits which they covered with slender willows and
grass under which they lay, with a large piece of fresh meat opposite
their breasts; thus arranged they patiently await the flight of the
eagle, which is first seen very high, scaling in rude circles, but
gradually lowering, till at length he seems determined to pounce upon
the meat, his descent is then very swift with his claws extended, the
moment he touches the meat the Indians grasp his two legs in his hands,
and dashes him, through the slender willows to the bottom of the pit and
strikes his head till he is dead... Lying in this position, and
frequently somewhat benumbed, it requires an active man to pull down an
Eagle with his wings expanded, and dash him to the ground...As the Eagle
never loses his courage, the whole must be quickly done, or the Eagle
will dart his beak in the mans face, and thus get away.

"Eight birds had been captured on this hunt, and that evening the
Piegans cleared a spot in the back of their tent and laid the eagles on
a patch of clean grass with their heads pointing toward the fire.
During the next 3 hours, the Piegans sang and shook a rattle while a
medicine pipe was passed; each man in turn smoked the pipe and then
presented it to each of the eagles."

Tom Cotner
U. of Washington
543-6755
On Wed, 6 Mar 1996, Kelly Cassidy wrote:

> David Douglas was an early naturalist who collected specimens
> (mostly plants) in the Northwest (or Southwest if you are Canadian).
> He is the Douglas of Douglas-fir, Douglas' squirrel, etc.
>
> >From his journals, (stuff omitted) ... The second day I cought no fish
> and, at such a great altitude the only birds to be seen were hawks,
> eagles, vultures, &c. I was fortunate enough to kill one young
> white-headed eagle, which (then) I found good eating. I roasted it,
> having only a small pan for making tea."
>
> David Douglas, August 19, 1825,
>
>
> Ah, how biology has changed.
> Kelly Cassidy