1890-91.] Hoiv I Robbed the Eagle's Nest, and Why. 465 



on the outer edge of the nest, but a projecting rock was 

 between me and the centre of it. " Lower away ! " I cried, 

 and again, like Mohammed's coffin, I was suspended between 

 heaven and earth. 



In a few seconds I got my feet on another ledge, and had 

 little difficulty in getting along to a platform eight or ten feet 

 wide. On the centre of it was a great number of sticks, some 

 of them of large dimensions, being fully six feet long, and as 

 thick as a man's wrist. As some of them were Scots iir, 

 they must have been carried a long distance. Among the 

 sticks was entwined the antler of a stag which had five points. 

 The lining of the nest was composed of heather, grass, and 

 wool, in the centre of which, closely cuddled together, were 

 two little downy eaglets, evidently only very recently hatched. 

 " You will go with me to Liberton, my little friends," I 

 mentally exclaimed ; but getting my eyes on the parent birds 

 coming in aerial circles towards the eyrie, I cried up to Donald 

 to be ready with the gun. I also took the precaution of 

 seizing one of the largest sticks and the antler of the stag, 

 and put myself in an attitude of defence. I liave never 

 believed in eagles attacking nlan, but, to tell the truth, I had 

 no desire to risk an encounter in such a position, on the edge 

 of a dizzy precipice. One of the birds came so near that 

 Donald fired a shot at it, which had the effect of making them 

 keep a respectable distance off. Seeing the eagles had no 

 intention of coming nearer, I explored the ledge, which went 

 backwards a considerable distance, and being overhung, formed 

 a sort of cavern. At the back of it I discovered from the 

 excrements that one of the birds had been in the habit of 

 roosting there, while the other was engaged in the process of 

 incubation. A few yards off I saw what evidently was the 

 larder of previous years, as the bleached remains of lambs, 

 fawns, hares, rabbits, grouse, blackgame, ducks, &c., lay around 

 in profusion, while a grouse plucked and partly devoured lay 

 nearer the nest, evidently intended as the rusks of eagle 

 babyhood. 



Putting an eaglet in each coat-pocket, I cried to Donald to 

 "haul me up." I felt the rope tighten and pull upwards, 

 but it would not have lifted half my weight. " I cannot move 

 you ! " he cried down, " and I am pulling with all my might." 



