1 885-86.] Edinbui-gh Naturalists' Field Club. 281 



desperate darts with its beak at the eyes of the frightened Deer. By this 

 time the poor Stag's brown sides were red and gory, and, notwithstanding its 

 frantic eflbrts, lie could not disengage himself from his strong and cruel foe. 

 At last, seeming to discover that his antlers could reach his savage enemy, 

 he commenced raking fore and aft with them in the most vigorous manner, 

 until he managed to send the Eagle sprawling in the heather. The Stag had 

 gallantly freed himself ; but he had not bounded far when his fierce assailant, 

 recovering from his discomfiture, was again on the wing, and in full chase, 

 and in a few seconds down he came again, and firmly fixed his powerful claws 

 in the Deer's haunches, so far back as to be out of reach of the antlers. Again 

 the struggle was renewed, the Eagle meanwhile tearing at the victim's flesh 

 with his strong bill, and burying his talons still deeper into his hauiaches. 

 The poor Stag was now very much exhausted, and was evidently getting the 

 worst of it, as he could not touch the Eagle with his antlers. At this junc- 

 ture, as if in despair, the Stag commenced to tumble about, throwing him- 

 self on the ground, and rolling over down-hill ; but still the Eagle seemed 

 incapable of letting go its tenacious grip. The Stag then put his head down 

 between his fore-legs, throwing himself clean over — heels over head — several 

 times. It was indeed a wild, a wonderful, and a most unusual sight. The 

 Stag's efforts were at last successful, and getting clear of his murderous 

 enemy, he galloped off. 



" The Eagle was, however, speedily up again and in full chase ; but his in- 

 tended victim made his escape sure, by rushing full speed down the hill into 

 the Glassburn woods. The Eagle, rather ruffled in his plumage, and no doubt 

 much ruffled in his temper, soared aloft to look for his dinner elsewhere. It 

 was a hard and well-fought battle, worthy of being delineated by the pencil 

 of a Landseei'. The Eagle was a splendid specimen of its kind, and of un- 

 usual size. He appeared to be much larger than the Glen Strathfarrar Eagles, 

 and is supposed to be a poacher from the North or West. His plumage was 

 dark brown, with some white or grey on the surface of the tail feathers ; the 

 crown of the head was tawny, the legs and beak yellow, and the claws black." 



It is no unusual thing for the Eed Deer to endeavour to swim 

 across the ocean channel that separates Kum from Skye, a distance 

 of at least seven miles. It is jjossible they may sometimes succeed, 

 but frequently they are drowned in the attempt, though they are 

 splendid swimmers, especially when in good condition — their fat 

 contributing to their buoyancy. During the winter of 1883, the 

 dead bodies of six Deer were washed up on the south shore of Skye, 

 which, we were told by the inhabitants, had been drowned through 

 a storm coming on while they were crossing from Eum. That this 

 is true seems probable, as Deer are said to have been seen crossing 

 by the occupants of boats and passing ships, swimming hard far 

 out in the channel. The nearest point on Rum to Skye is dis- 

 tant about seven miles. The distance between the nearest point 

 on Rum and Eilean Soa is fully six miles ; and the distance across 

 the channel between Eilean Soa and Skye at the narrowest part is 

 about one mile. In the 'Zoologist' for 1860, at page 6913, there 

 is the following interesting account, which in all likelihood refers 

 to a Stag from the island of Rum. The communication originally 

 was sent to the ' Field ' by Mr William Robertson, Kinloch-Moidart, 

 Inverness-shire. He says : — 



