Sulky Booted Eagles 183 
in rearing them, as to cramp and other ailments. They soon 
became very tame and would take food from my hand but a few 
weeks later developed the true aquiline characteristic of sulking. 
I had prior to this placed jesses on their legs and kept them secured 
by swivel and leash to their blocks, and had further, accustomed 
them to being carried on my wrist in falconer’s fashion. To 
all this they submitted quietly enough but with the hour of 
feeding came the trouble. So long as I remained near them, even 
if the food was placed close in front of them, they would refuse to 
look at it. Things grew worse and eventually it became a regular 
trial of endurance between us as to whose determination should 
obtain the mastery. In vain did I starve them for several days 
hoping thus to reduce them to subjection. My fears of doing 
them permanent injury by inducing ‘ hunger-traces ” in their 
beautiful plumage caused me to desist from this. On their side, 
they reckoned on my becoming tired of standing watching them 
and here they were right, for my time was of peculiar value at 
this period of my career. I was reading for the Staff College. 
It was now that I hit upon the happy expedient of arranging 
a seat in the shade of my hut so that [ could study ‘“ Hamley's 
Operations of War” and keep a watchful eye on the recalcitrant 
trio, tethered in front of me, at one and the same time. This fairly 
wore them down and finally, one day, after an hour or more 
of distracting study with one eye on the Jena Campaign and the 
other on the three rebels, I heard a flutter and first one and then 
the others dashed at the portions of rabbits in front of them, 
and seizing them, instantly turned their backs and expanded their 
wings and tails so as to conceal their weakness from my eye. 
My victory was but half complete for when 1 sought to watch 
them feeding they shuffled round so as always to present to 
me their back view. Baffled in this, they drooped their heads, 
and drawing their wings round in front, completely screened 
