HALI^ETUS ALBICILLA. 71 



though kept in a most congenial situation amongst the Derby- 

 shire rocks." Mr Selby, as already stated, kept a golden eagle, 

 which completed its adult plumage in four years. 



The sea eagle is more numerous than the golden or mountain 

 eagle, and is found in all the northern and mountainous 

 maritime districts of Scotland and Ireland, and in the Orkney 

 and Shetland Isles. It is also of a more roving disposition, and 

 has frequently been killed in England. It usually selects for 

 its retreat some lofty precipice overhanging the sea, where it 

 forms its nest, and, unless killed, remains attached for many 

 years, but drives away the young to find a habitation for them- 

 selves. For this reason most of the wandering individuals that 

 have been shot at great distances from the breeding-places have 

 been young or immature birds. The old pair remain together, 

 and generally search for food in company. 



The only instance I know of the sea eagle being found near 

 St Andrews was a very fine female, in its immature plumage, 

 shot at Kinkell, close to the sea, about half a mile from the city, 

 on the 29th December 1866. It was in splendid condition, 

 weighing 17 lbs., and measured 8 feet 4 inches from tip to tip 

 of wings, and 3 feet 3 J inches from beak to end of tail ; it 

 was shot by a joiner in my employment. When first seen it 

 was sitting on a rock close to the sea ; it rose, winding up in 

 circles for about a hundred yards, then flew landwards over the 

 brae, but soon returned to the sea as if dissatisfied with the un- 

 congenial look of the land without hill or precipice. It was 

 shot when about ninety feet up. The weather had been very 

 stormy for two days before — the wind N.E. — so it might have 

 come or been driven from Norway. When shot it was leisurely 

 skimming over the brae — slowly flapping its wings like a heron ; 

 it again flew down to the rocks, then back to the brae, when he 

 fired ; there was only one pellet of No. 4 through its nostril into 

 the brain, which stupefied it. It was kept alive for two days, 

 and gave proof of great muscular power before it was killed, 

 which was accomplished by being pressed to death by the bird- 

 stuffer to save its plumage, which reminds me of Paine's telling 

 remark in his " Rights of Man," when replying to Burke's 

 sentimentalism in his "Reflections on the Revolution in 

 France :" — " He pities the plumage, and forgets the dying bird," 

 like this callous bird-stuffer ; for it took four people to kill it — 

 one held its head muffled with cloth, another the feet, which 

 were tied together and also muffled for fear of its talons, and 

 one at each wing, while one of them had his knees on its heart. 



