52 HALI^ETUS ALBICILLA. 



— the men hesitating, rope t^dsting, small boy laughing, &c. The 

 feeling in an Eagle's nest, where I never expected to be again, was 

 sublime. The sea far below ; the storm in the distance ; the voices 

 of men shouting, not to be understood ; the expectation of a hostile 

 visit from the old Eagles, &c. &c. ; — not to speak of the sensation, 

 that the rope might possibly be cut, a knot fail, the men faint, the 

 post yield, a mass of rock fall down, or the like. Perhaps the rope 

 might get fixed in a cleft of the rock ; the heather and peat might, after 

 the rain, give way with the men ; they might slip ; the Eagles might 

 make a sAvoop at them ; a flash of lightning might terrify them. The 

 ledge was about eighteen fathoms from the top, and twice as far from 

 below. The eggs were perfectly fresh and well-tasted. 



The following year (1850) these birds shifted their position about 

 a quarter of a mile to the west of the place where I took their young 

 and eggs. I was informed that their new nest was quite near the top 

 of the rock, but far in below a cleft, so that it could not be easily 

 taken. 



§ 68. Sutherlandshire, 2 May, 1849. "J. W. i;pse" (written 

 in nest). 



These two eggs are curiously stained, and much smaller than those 

 I took 23rd April [§ 67]. They were some days sat upon. On 

 May 1st, as we were walking up a strath, a shepherd told one of 

 the men who was with me that he had lost a lamb by an Eagle that 

 very morning. We slept at a shooting-lodge ; and another shepherd 

 said he had lost four or five that season. We started the next morn- 

 ing with his son. As we approached the rock which looks up the 

 strath, we saw two Ravens, which had evidently a nest, and I feared 

 this was a bad sign for Eagles. However, immediately afterwards I 

 saw a noble White-tailed Eagle moving on the face of the rock some 

 distance off. He flew, but soon took a turn back to the rock, which 

 convinced me he had a nest. I stopped the men, and proceeded to 

 stalk. Almost directly, I saw the nest between a Rowan-tree and the 

 rock. The cock bird flew away in silence. I made a circuit, and 

 climbed very quietly, yet with the greatest ease, till I was imme- 

 diately under the nest. Here I cocked my gun and took breath. 

 Then I shouted, and made all the noise I could ; but nothing stirred. 

 Warned by my experience on a former occasion [§ 26], I kept myself 

 in readiness, and threw a bit of stick, when out tumbled the Eagle, 

 clumsily knocking against the tree. I fired, the bird flew on, and 

 would, I feared, escape. I watched almost in despair, for the shot 



