10 NESTING OF THE EAGLE OWL AT CROYDON. 



small snow-field, about 300 yards in length by 

 seventy in breadth, which had remained unmelted 

 during the summer. The cliff itself rose to a 

 height of about 300 feet above this, and I examined 

 it carefully with my field-glass before making the 

 ascent, hoping to obtain a view of the owls. I 

 could see nothing of them, so climbed up the most 

 practicable part of the rocks, and on arriving at 

 one of the ledges which traversed the face of the 

 cliff, on which grew Ranunculus glacialis and Saxi- 

 fraga oppositifolia in great luxuriance, perceived 

 traces of the owls in the shape of ptarmigan feathers, 

 feet of mountain hares, and several half- devoured 

 bodies of lemmings. I stopped here for a few 

 minutes, and presently saw an eagle owl rise from 

 the face of the rock some distance above me, and, 

 sailing along the face, alight about fifty yards 

 further on. I crawled cautiously along the narrow 

 ledge for a little distance, till I was enabled to look 

 round a projecting corner. I then saw the two 

 young birds crouched together on a rocky shelf, 

 about eighty yards from me, the female sitting close 

 by them, and the male bird perched on a projecting 

 crag above. They seemed evidently suspicious of 

 danger, as the old birds glanced constantly around 

 them, and seemed to be aware that some enemy 

 had approached them. I watched the family group 

 for some time, the young having seemingly been 



