93 THE EAGLE. 



destroy a nest or a bird. The story alluded to from the 

 above-mentioned old book* is as follows: "Alfred, king of the 

 West Saxons, went out one day a-hunting, and passing by a 

 certain wood heard, as he supposed, the cry of an infant from 

 the top of a tree, and forthwith diligently inquiring of the 

 huntsmen what that doleful sound could be, commanded one 

 of them to climb the tree, when in the top of it was found an 

 Eagle's nest, and lo ! therein, a pretty sweet-faced infant, 

 wrapped up in a purple mantle, and upon each arm a bracelet of 

 gold, a clear sign that he was born of noble parents. Where- 

 upon the king took charge of him, and caused him to be 

 baptized ; and, because he was found in a nest, he gave him 

 the name of Nestingum, and, in after time, having nobly 

 educated him, he advanced him to the dignity of an earl." 



In all the above instances of carrying away children, it does 

 not appear that the Eagles were able to fly with them to any 

 great distance ; but in Ireland a large Eagle was seen to alight 

 and take up a lamb, and carry it away in a straight direction 

 towards the high range of the Morne mountains. The men 

 who saw it pursued and kept it in view, when at length, hav- 

 ing in vain attempted to soar upwards to the summit of one 

 of the highest mountains, it dropped its burden at the edge of 

 a wood, quite unhurt. The distance it had flown was judged 

 to be upwards of two miles. 



They frequently attack smaller animals, but often suffer 

 severely in consequence, from the struggles of the prisoners 

 to escape, and several instances have occurred of their being 

 killed by weasels and stoats, which they had incautiously 

 pounced upon. One was related by the gamekeeper of a 

 Scotch nobleman, who, when out on the moors, observed an 

 Eagle rise from the ground with something it had seized as its 

 prey. For a time it flew away steadily, when suddenly it 

 became evidently much agitated, and after irregularly flutter- 

 ing for a short time, spired upwards in a straight line to a vast 

 height, and then ceasing to flap its wings, fell headlong to the 

 ground. Struck with so unaccountable an occurrence, the 

 * Monast. Aug. vol. 1. 



