ll-day tramp, they found the salmon heaps especially abundant, and
observed that the numbers of crows and eagles were more than usually
great.

"I think it's a new run of fish coming in," said Rob. "Probably the
'humpies' are beginning to run. They're bigger than the red salmon,
which we've been having so far. They're better to eat, too; even the
bears know that. We'd better look out or we may run across more bear in
here than we want. See here where this big fellow was eating last night.
I suppose he has gone back into the mountains somewhere by now. And
here is where some foxes have come down and eaten what the bears left;
and the crows are waiting to eat what the foxes left. And look there, at
that fish-eagle! Old Mr. Osprey is working for his breakfast now."

He pointed to a large, grayish bird which was circling above them, its
neck bent down as it peered intently at the surface of the stream below.

"Watch him!" said Jesse. "There!"

All at once the osprey, which had been uttering a low sort of whistle,
folded its wings and darted down, swift as a flash, at an angle of about
forty-five degrees. With a resounding smack, and in a cloud of white
spray, it disappeared from view beneath the surface of the water; but
instantly, with a vast flapping, it rose and fought to get wing-hold on
the air. Taking flight only with the utmost effort, the boys saw that it
held in its talons a big salmon whose weight was all it could manage to
bear away.

"Well, what do you think of that?" said Jesse. "Didn't he do it easy? I
should think he would break his back, hitting the water that hard."

"Yes," commented John; "if a fellow dives from a place ten feet high
it's fall enough for him; but this fish-hawk came from two or three
hundred feet up in the air. They must be put together pretty strong or
they'd smash themselves. Look at him go!"

Uttering now its shrill whistle, the osprey rose higher and higher in a
wide circle, endeavoring to carry off its prize. Something seemed to
agitate the bird, and a moment later the boys saw what this was. High up
above, in still larger circles, was a larger bird--a male bald eagle,
which now drew into position directly above the osprey.

"Now watch, and you will see some fun," said Rob. "No wonder Mr. Osprey
is mad; he's going to lose his fish--that's what's going to happen to
him. Watch that eagle!"

The two birds kept their relative positions--the osprey, either angry or
frightened, st