106 AQUILA CHRYSAETUS. 



by myself from Harris, is yellowish-white, sparingly 

 marked with small purplish dots, 3/^^ inches in length, 

 by 2^^ in breadth. 



For tJie following information respecting eagles, I 

 am indebted to Mr Alexander G. Macgillivray, who had 

 the kindness to procure it from his brother Mr Robert 

 Macgillivray, a native of Sutherland, in which district 

 these birds are still pretty numerous. Both species oc- 

 cur there ; and as they are not distinguished by the 

 writer, his observations must be considered as applying 

 to the eagles of Sutherland generally. 



" The little sparrow-hawk attacks the eagle fearless- 

 ly, and, by its superior agility, eludes the grasp of its 

 doughty enemy. Mr Sutherland saw an eagle obliged 

 to drop a moorfowl from the constant attacks of a 

 sparrow-hawk. 



" While John M'^Kay was in Kildonan, an eagle 

 bore away a dog, belonging to William Armstrong, 

 which was three years old, and about the size of a hare. 

 Eagles carry off hares very frequently, and sit on the 

 top of some lofty eminence to devour them. A Kil- 

 donan eagle pounced upon a cat, and bore it away 

 to her nest. The injuries inflicted by the clutch of 

 the eagle, and the unusual mode of travelling, so 

 confounded poor puss, that she exhibited no signs of 

 life, and was accordingly left for dead by the eagle with 

 her young ones. But soon after the eagle had left the 

 nest, the cat revived, and having killed the eaglets, 

 made a hearty meal of one of them. She then made a 

 hurried retreat, and effected her escape without farther 

 injury. This anecdote is well authenticated. 



" Mr Sutherland related another anecdote to me. 



