THROUGH WILD EUROPE 47 



migrans). The Common Kite (Milvus regalis) not 

 only uses rags, but also horse dung, and almost 

 invariably a piece of newspaper is to be found in 

 its nest. 



A few yards farther on was an enormous nest 

 in a silver poplar, from which a Short-toed Eagle 



flew off. M , who had climbed up, had some 



difficulty in reaching over the edge of the nest, but 

 shouted that he could feel an egg. This he brought 

 down, and as this Eagle lays but one egg, generally 

 speaking, we naturally supposed that there were no 

 more. Then, as it was impossible to get above 

 the nest for a photograph without knocking it all 

 to pieces, we went back for a saw and a rope, and 

 I ascended the tree and cut off the whole of the 

 upper part of it, including the nest, and lowered 

 it to the ground by means of the rope. It was a 

 tough job, and required careful engineering to avoid 

 a broken limb or being swept out of the tree 

 with the fall ; but by cutting through a double stem, 

 and using the fork that was left as a pulley for the 

 rope, and having two men below to hang on with 

 all their strength and weight at the moment when 

 the saw cut through the great mass above me, 

 we managed to get it safely to the ground with- 

 out accident. But, most unfortunately, during this 

 lowering a second egg rolled out of the nest, and 

 was of course smashed. It is so extremely unusual 



