Sometimes, mailing list discussions go off on odd tangents,
leaving the proper topic far behind.
Someone on The Old Ways had a weird story about an eagle.
It prompted me to reply with my own experience.

Subj: Eagle vs Duck, no LM Date: Fri, Mar 24, 1995 2:39 AM CDT From: GregMeier@aol.com To: PoetKat@aol.com CC: old-ways@tomservo.edaal.ingr.com Kathy wrote in " Grasping Your One Necessity" >Once,...a man shot an eagle out of the sky. > He examined the eagle and found the dry skull of a weasel fixed by the jaws >to his throat. The supposition is that the eagle had pounced on the weasel >and the weasel swiveled and bit as instinct taught him, tooth to neck, and >nearly won. I would like to have seen that eagle from the air a few wees or >months before he was shot: was the whole weasel still attached to his >feathered throat, a fur pendant? I realize this has little to do with the Old-Ways or Ms Loreena but I believe this is the *First time* I've strayed from the path, so humor me, I have a need to share. I saw an amazing confrontation between an eagle and a duck a few years ago. (Guess who won!) I was driving down the road, on a tractor, pulling a load of hay. Suddenly out of nowhere, right overhead are these two huge birds. A magnificent, huge, adult eagle (with a yellow, wickedly curving beak, pure white head and dagger sharp, taloned feet) chasing (about ten feet behind) a frantically manuevering, green headed Mallard. (I know what they looked like because they were only a few yards above me!) I believe the Mallard was looking for protection, as it made at least two tight circles directly over me. (I had stopped immediately) I never knew an eagle could fly so fast or turn so tightly, it followed that duck as if it were tied to its tail. I didn't know who to cheer for. When the duck saw me sitting there, stupidly staring, mouth agape, it must have decided I was no help, for it took off straight across country trying to outrace its deadly pursuer. It didn't make it. Just as they were getting hard to see, they collided and both went to ground. The eagle had won. End of duck. End of story. The moral is...... whatever you think it is. GregMeier Deep in the Wisconsin Northwoods, Jack of many trades, Master of none