THE WHITE-TAILED EAGLE 139 



dales and glens, all offering that solitude and 

 freedom from molestation in which the bird 

 delights. There is a considerable amount of 

 similarity between the habits of this and the 

 preceding species. Both birds are sluggish, heavy, 

 and we might almost say ungainly upon the ground, 

 but in the air they become majestic. The flight of 

 the White-tailed Eagle is marked by the same 

 characteristics as that of its ally — the same high 

 soaring in immense circles, the same gliding 

 motions relieved by occasional flaps of the mighty 

 pinions, the same descents from the clouds on 

 uplifted wings. It is a solitary species, save in 

 the breeding season, and wanders far and wide 

 over large stretches of country in its quest for 

 food. This consists largely of carrion and diseased 

 and weakly animals and birds, such as lambs, hares, 

 Ducks, Ptarmigan, and sea-fowl. The bird also 

 feeds on fish, which it either catches for itself or 

 finds dead and stranded along the shore. Its note 

 is a yelping or barking cry. 



The White-tailed Eagle breeds equally as early as 

 the Golden Eagle, and its eggs are laid in March or 

 early in April. So far as our islands are concerned, 

 this species appears now always to select a maritime 

 cliff for nesting purposes, and some of these that 



