HALI^^ETUS ALBICILLA. 51 



the lighthouse-keeper there did not think the Eagles had as yet laid. 

 On reaching the place, and looking over, there was the bird on 

 the nest, tail outwards, and head under the ledge. The male was 

 screaming to her from the rock below, where we were standing. I 

 told the man who had my gun not to fire ; thereupon she showed her 

 head and started off. She was immediately joined by the male. 

 There were two eggs visible in the nest. The biids sailed with 

 motionless wings in circles more and more distant : screaming Gulls 

 came to bully them, and looked very small in comparison. 



On Monday, 23rd April, having borrowed a coil of ropes from some 

 fishermen, I drove over with a companion to the headland, and put 

 up at the lighthouse, whose keeper and two hands, an old sailor and 

 a young labourer, were to meet me at the nest ; a fourth, the shep- 

 herd, also met me on the road, to take the ropes and the bags. My 

 companion agreed to make the necessary signs. I had a board to sit 

 on, a tie round each thigh, and a piece under my arms. The nest was 

 made of grass and fine fresh heather, very loosely put together, dif- 

 ferent from all the other nests I saw afterwards. A few large dry 

 " kek " stalks, and some pieces of Guillemot, quite fresh, were 

 lying about near the nest. There were no other bones. In the 

 descent I kept myself from spinning by a walking-stick, occasionally 

 touching the rock. The post of last year was still remaining, but we 

 did not use it, as we had so many hands, though I think it would 

 have been safer to have done so. The site was a considerable grassy 

 ledge, where grew Statice armeria, &c., the rock slightly overhanging. 

 The year before, a very heavy thunder-shower happened just before 

 my descent, and a stream of water poured dowTi almost into the nest ; 

 the greater part of which we arrested by canals cut in the turf with 

 my knife. The young, fully fledged and grown, crouched with their 

 heads towards the rock, and allowed their legs to be tied without 

 resistance. I fastened them with thick string to my rope ; and their 

 additional weight, with an occasional grip they gave to the rock, 

 made the pulling up very hard work for the men. They slipped a 

 silk handkerchief with which I endeavoured to confine their wings. 

 In the nest there were many bones of young Herring- Gulls, and one 

 of a large fish. The old birds did not appear after om* first approach. 

 I had many more difficulties on the first descent than on the second, 



might be induced to breed in captivity. With this end in view, a large mass of 

 natm-al rocks was wired over, so as to form a very roomy cage, in which the birds 

 lived contentedly for some five or six years, until one day it was found that the 

 female had killed and eaten half her mate. On this she was transfen-ed to other 

 hands, and, when I last heard of her, was undergoing solitary confinement at Chats- 

 ■^v-orth, — certainly an agTeeable place of detention for a murderess. — Ed.} 



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