The Last Eagle

by Daniel P. Mannix

The story of a male bald eagle born in a huge nest high in an elm tree overlooking the Chesapeake Bay where he is raised by dedicated and attentive parents.

As he grows and matures he flaps his way through a number of maturational experiences as he is rendered helpless by an agitated skunk, stashes tools for exercise and rainy day entertainment including an old clorox bottle and a dead eel, tangles with a banded water snake, is duped by a pair of ospreys, manages to get himself waterlogged by a catfish, and perfects his aerial tactics when he is seduced by an older female. Which just goes to show that if you can get out of the nest before being eaten by your sister, life is good.

Genres: Animals, Animal Fiction

149 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Daniel Pratt Mannix IV was best known as an American author and journalist. His life was remarkably different from other writers of his generation. His career included times as a side show performer, magician, trainer of eagles and film maker.

The Grest Zadma was a stage name Mannix used as a magician. He also entertained as a sword swallower and fire eater in a traveling carnival sideshow. Magazine articles about these experiences, co-written with his wife, became very popular in 1944 and 1945.

As an author Mannix covered a wide variety of subject matter. His more than 25 books ranged from fictional animal stories for children, the natural history of animals, and adventurous accounts about hunting big game to sensational adult non-fiction topics such as a biography of the occultist Aleister Crowley, sympathetic accounts of carnival performers and sideshow freaks, and works describing, among other things, the Hellfire Club, the Atlantic slave trade, the history of torture, and the Roman games. His output of essays and articles was extensive.

Reviews

[♑︎♑︎♑︎ ♑︎♑︎♑︎ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beloved book from my childhood, the slightly (but not objectionably) anthropomorphic life story of a bald eagle, from egg to fine old bird. Out of print, out of fashion, kinda clunky, especially in the scene where the strapping young male eagle meets his future mate, and yeah color me skeptical that eagles feel those particular feelings, but wow I loved reading it and realizing how vividly I remembered this story I read last as a 10 year old, when it had the honor of being a reader’s digest condensed book back when that was a thing. It has pictures.

[Jennifer Morefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love bird watching and this was a fictional account of an eagle based on the sightings made by a naturalist in the 60's. It is a bit dated because now eagles are protected and then they weren't but the nature part of the story was very interesting to me. The most shocking account was of naturalists who would climb high trees to the nest which,, of course, was very upsetting to the eagles and paint a large black spot on the eggs. Evidently, egg collectors of that day would steal the eggs for their collections. The black splotches made them worthless and would prevent them from being stolen. The eggs would still hatch and all would be well. I enjoyed this book and I learned a lot about the lives and behaviors of the eagle.

[John Pitcock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this story. The author brought the eagle to life in a way that made you feel you were one of them.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for any animal lover, more so for bird lovers. The story of a bald eagle and his long life.

[Elin Fredriksson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ett fint porträtt av en örn under dess levnad. Tyvärr var det väl inte riktigt min typ av bok men roligt att pröva något annorlunda. Lärde mig en massa om detta mäktiga, vackra och praktfulla djur.

[Casimir Laski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the journey of a bald eagle in the mid-1960s, when hunting and pesticide usage had brought America’s national bird to the brink of extinction, The Last Eagle provides an interesting and well-researched look into the species’ life cycle. [7/10]