78 BRITISH BIllDS' NESTS. 



Sifiiatioii and LocdUtij. — On ledges of liigli 

 inaccessible cliffs and precipices in the wildest and 

 most desolate parts of Scotland and Ireland. In 

 some of the Highland deer forests this noble 

 bird is now strictly preserved, and such most 

 commendable hospitality will no doubt save it to 

 us for some time to come. Our illustration is 

 from a photograph taken in the Western Isles oi 

 Scotland, but in the interests of British ornithology 

 I think it best not to advertise the exact spot. 

 The nest contained two partly-consumed mountain 

 hares, oft' which the down had nearly all been 

 carefully plucked, and the hind legs of a half-grown 

 black rabbit. 



Materials. — Sticks, bits of heather, dead fern- 

 fronds, grass, and moss. The nest is repaired from 

 year to year, and consequently often becomes a 

 very bulky structure, on account of the bird using 

 the same site for a loug periol. Tlie subject ol 

 our illustration contained a large quantity of sticks 

 and rubbish. 



Eggs. — Two, sometimes three ; very rarely four. 

 Subject to variation both in ground colour and 

 markings. The commonest type is dingy white, 

 clouded, blotched, and spotted nearly all over with 

 rusty or reddish-brown, and underlying markings of 

 grey. Some specimens are pure white, unspotted. 

 Size about 2-9 by 2-35 in. 



Time. — March and Aj^ril. 



Beinarls. — Resident but wandering. Note : 

 '' A barking cry" according to Seebohm ; and "a 

 loud yel^^ uttered several times in succession " ac- 

 cording to Dresser and Sharpe. Local and other 

 names : Ring-Tailed Eagle, from the fact that 

 young specimens have the basal half of the tail 

 white. Sits closely. 



