THE GOLDEN EAGLE 19 



true when the birds were common, but now a pair of 

 Eagles have undisturbed possession of a whole range of hills, 

 and many are the mountain districts of the north where 

 imagination might picture an Eagle on every crag, that are 

 as completely deserted as the lowlands of the south. 



The Golden Eagle is a resident in the British Islands, but 

 in autumn and winter he often wanders far from home. 

 Food is often scarce when the hills are deep in snow. The 

 Ptarmigan and the mountain hares don their white winter 

 coat which makes them inconspicuous amongst the snow, 

 and hard to see even by an Eagle's piercing eye. The lambs 

 are grown too big to be mastered with impunity, and carrion 

 is scarce. At such times the Eagle wanders lower down the 

 hills and visits the sheltered glens and valleys, sometimes 

 taking a meal from the poultry-yard, or playing sad havoc 

 amongst the game. 



