202 - The Irish Naturalhi. > -^ .'. . 



although quite as favourable in appearance as the other bays 

 for seabirds' breeding haunts, none were to be seen,, except a 

 few pairs of Guillemots near the entrance. 



Not wishing to go any further from Porturlin, as it was late 

 in the day, although there were still some miles of coast unex- 

 plored, I sat down to rest, and carefully examined the cliffs 

 with my glass ; but I saw no birds oi any kind except a pair 

 of Peregrines, and these by their noisy anxiety indicated that 

 they had either eggs or young somewhere near. After a time 

 I perceived a greyish object stirring behind a stone on a ledge, 

 but, unless when moving, perfectly indistinguishable, and this 

 proved to be one of a pair of young Peregrines sitting behind 

 a grey stone ; they were about as large as grouse, and some 

 dark feathers appearing amongst their white down gave them 

 that grey colour so like the stones by which they were sitting. 

 After satisfactorily identifying the birds, I set out on my 

 return, and having walked about a quarter of a mile, I heard 

 the screaming of a Peregrine in the distance, and after a time 

 the noisy screams coming nearer, I looked about and per- 

 ceived just in front of me, flying towards me, a magnificent 

 eagle closely followed by a screaming Falcon. Both birds 

 passed over me, the eagle carrying a hare by the head and 

 forequarters, the rest of the body dangling from his talons as 

 he flew slowly along towards the cliffs, and disappearing below 

 the edge, passed out of sight. I had a good view of the bird 

 with my glass, and seeing the white feathers of the tail, have 

 no doubt of its being the Sea Kagle {Halicetus albicilla). The 

 bird had evidentl}^ come a long way over the bogs from the 

 inland district, and was carrying the hare to its young in the 

 cliff of "Spink, "where the boy told me the nest was situated. 



Having thus had the pleasure of seeing the eagle, but not 

 being successful in finding the nest in consequence of the 

 desertion of my guide, I returned to Porturlin, and got back 

 to Belderig between nine and ten o'clock. The weather 

 changed that night, and I was obliged to return home next 

 day on a twenty-mile drive in a storm of wind and heavy rain, 

 which continued for ten days, and prevented my revisiting 

 the cliffs ; when the weather cleared up it was too late in the 

 season. 



The foregoing notes, being the result of my two days' visit 

 in 1892, were so satisfactory that I was encouraged to pay a 



