WHITE-TAILED SEA-EAGLE. 63 



it commences a most violent attack upon him. " I was 

 particularly amused one evening," says that gentleman, 

 in Loudon's Magazine for July 1830, " when stand- 

 ing at the foot of the loftiest hill (in Foula), called by 

 the natives Snuge, with the following circumstances : — 

 An eagle was returning to his eyry, situated on the 

 face of the western crags, in appearance perfectly un- 

 conscious of approaching so near to his inveterate foe, 

 as, in general, the eagle returns to the rocks from the 

 sea, without ever crossing the smallest portion of the 

 island. This time, however, he was making a short 

 cut to it, by crossing an angle of the land. Not a bird 

 was discernible : a solitary skua might indeed occasion- 

 ally be seen, wheeling his circling flight around the 

 summit of the mountain, which was already assuming 

 its misty mantle. As I was intently observing the ma- 

 jestic flight of the eagle, on a sudden he altered his 

 direction, and descended hurriedly, as if in the act of 

 pouncing. In a moment five or six of the skuas passed 

 over my head with astonishing rapidity, their wings 

 partly closed and perfectly steady, without the slightest 

 Avaver or irregularity. They appeared, when cleaving 

 the air, like small fragments of broken rock, torn and 

 tossed by a hurricane from the summit of a towering 

 cliff, until, losing the power that supported them, they 

 fell prone to the sea beneath. The gulls soon came up 

 with him, as their descent was very rapid, and a des- 

 perate engagement ensued. The short bark of the 

 eagle was clearly discernible above the scarcely distin- 

 guishable cry of the skua, who never ventured to at- 

 tack his enemy in front; but, taking a short circle 

 around him, until his head and tail were in a direct 



