8G ACC'IPITRES. 



lias eluded him, and he cares not to pursue it. Now he 

 ascends a little, wheels in short curves, presently rushes 

 down headlong, assumes the horizontal position when 

 close to the ground, and prevents himself from being 

 dashed against it by expanding his wings and tail ; he 

 now thrusts forth his talons, and grasping a poor terrified 

 PUirmigan that sat cowering among the grey lichens, 

 squeezes it to death. He raises his head exultingly, 

 emits a shrill cry, and springing from the ground pursues 

 his journey. In passing a tall cliff that overhangs a small 

 lake, he is assailed by a fierce Peregrine Falcon, Avhich 

 darts and plunges at him, as if determined to deprive him 

 of his booty or drive him headlong to the ground. This 

 proves a more dangerous foe than the Raven, and the 

 Eagle yelps, screams, and throws himself into postures of 

 defence ; but, at length, the Falcon, seeing that the 

 tyrant is not bent on plundering her nest, leaves him to 

 pursue his course Tinmolested. Over woods and scattered 

 hamlets speeds the Eagle, and now the long narrow 

 valley of the Dee appears in sight, near the upper end of 

 which is dimly seen, through the grey mist, the rock of 

 his retreat. About a mile from it he meets his mate, 

 who has been abroad uj)on a similar errand, and is return- 

 ing with a white Hare in her talons ; they congratulate 

 each other with loud yelping cries, which rouse the 

 drowsy shepherd in the strath below, who, mindful of 

 the lambs carried oft' in spring time, sends after them his 

 maledictions. Now they reach their nest, and are greeted 

 by their young with loud clamour. The locality where 

 the nest is situated is the shelf of a rock, concealed by 

 a projecting angle, so that it cannot be injured from 

 above, and too distant from the base to be reached by a 

 shot. The nest is a bulky fabric, five feet at least in 

 diameter, rudely constructed of dead sticks, twigs, and 

 heath, flat in the centre, where it is a little hollowed, and 

 covered with wool and feathers. Slovenly creatures you 

 would think those two young bii'ds, covered with white 

 down, amongst w^hich the feathers j:)roject, and you see 

 that if the nest had been formed more compactly and of 

 softer materials it would have been less comfortable. 

 Strewn around are fragments of lambs, hares, grouse, and 

 other birds, in various stages of decay. Alighting on the 

 edges of the nest, the Eagles deposit their prey, partially 



