io THE HOME-LIFE OF 



effort to drive away the intruder, far less to attack him, 

 as has sometimes been reported, with wings and feet. 

 Of all our shy birds the Eagle is the most timid, and 

 generally remains out of sight for an hour or more if 

 disturbed from the nest. 



There was no food at the eyrie, and the nest was 

 marvellously clean, while a quantity of fresh heather 

 had evidently been added recently during incubation. 



After photographing the nest and eggs from both 

 sides, we carefully examined the surroundings and found 

 a place where, among the stones, the camera might be 

 hidden on a subsequent occasion to obtain a view of the 

 sitting bird. A small pile of rocks was therefore arranged 

 at the spot, so that the Eagles might become accustomed 

 to the structure which eventually was to conceal the 

 camera from their sight. 



On the 19th of May, after a successful attempt to 

 photograph a Peregrine Falcon brooding at the far end 

 of the forest, we again returned to the eyrie, approaching 

 it, however, from a different direction. The fine 

 weather had ended abruptly, and the burn at the foot 

 of the cliff was roaring in spate, fed by the melting 

 snow-drifts above. There was no sign of the Eagles, 

 and I climbed to the nest in fear lest others had been 

 before me and had carried off the eggs. To my delight, 

 however, both had hatched, and two young Eagles, 

 evidently about six days old, with eyes newly opened, 

 surveyed us placidly from their rocky home. They 

 were a comical pair (Plate 2 (a)), with large black 

 eyes and yellowish beaks of huge size tipped with 

 black. Already their claws were powerful and gripped 

 one's finger tenaciously if a chance was given them. The 

 hindquarters of a rabbit, freshly torn open and partially 

 devoured, was the only article of food in the eyrie, and 

 had been placed by the old birds beyond the reach of 

 the young. The cold, however, was intense, and the 

 dark lowering clouds above foretold rain or snow. This 



