38 BIRD BIOGRAPHIES 



has been when he has made a hurried 

 week-end visit to the haunt to take all 

 the clutches of eggs that he could find ! 

 Hardly a fit person to criticise ! The fact 

 remains that the young do disappear, and 

 in over seventy-five per cent, of the nests 

 only one young is reared. In support of 

 my statement, I and a friend have 

 actually witnessed the performance take 

 place. We have seen the young sparring, 

 and the two stronger birds in the nest 

 making a meal of their weaker com- 

 panion, and we watched until the only 

 thing to tell that a tragedy had taken 

 place, was a few bones left in the nest. 

 It often happens that one of the young 

 of the Golden Eagle disappears, also 

 with the Kite and several other birds 

 of prey, and it will be found that in 

 nearly every case this missing bird 

 has been devoured by its nest com- 

 panions. 



The young Buzzard has plenty of 



