fourth day.] THE EAGLE. 87 



I hardly expected to have found. Pray are there 

 many of these animals in this country ? 



HAL. — Of this species, I have seen but these two, 

 and I believe the young ones migrate as soon as they 

 can provide for themselves ; for this solitary bird 

 requires a large space to move and feed in, and does 

 not allow its offspring to partake its reign, or to live 

 near it. Of other species o c the eagle, there are 

 some in different parts of the mountains, particularly 

 of the Osprey, and of the great fishing or brown 

 eagle. I once saw a very fine and interesting sight 

 above one of the Crags of Ben Weevis, near Strath- 

 garve, as I was going, on the 20th of August, in 

 pursuit of black game. Two parent eagles were 

 teaching their offspring, — two young birds, the 

 manoeuvres of flight. They began by rising from the 

 top of a mountain in the eye of the sun ; — it was about 

 midday, and bright for this climate. They at first 

 made small circles, and the young birds imitated 

 them; they paused on their wings, waiting till they 

 had made their first flight, and then took a second 

 and larger gyration, — always rising towards the sun, 

 and enlarging their circle of flight so as to make a 

 gradually extending spiral. The young ones still 

 slowly followed, apparently flying better as they 

 mounted ; and they continued this sublime kind of 

 exercise, always rising, till they became mere points 



