OUR RARER BRITISH BREEDING BIRDS. 23 



Curiously enough, a single bird only now visits 

 Foula. 



The eyrie of the White - Tailed Eagle is 

 usually a bulky structure of sticks, twigs, heather, 

 stalks, grass, and wool, because of the fact that it 

 is enlarged and repaired from year to year. It 

 is very shallow at the top, and generally situated 

 on the ledges of high inaccessible maritime cliffs, 

 although sometimes in a tree or on a small island 

 in the middle of some solitary loch. 



The eggs number from one to three, but a 

 clutch usually consists of two, which are nearly 

 always white and unspotted, although specimens 

 have been found on rare occasions marked with 

 pale red. They are not likely to be confused with 

 those of the Golden Eagle on account of their 

 rough texture and usual absence of coloration. 



FALCON, PEREGRINE. 



WHILST one would naturally wish to see a noble 

 bird like the Peregrine Falcon oftener in England, 

 and not hear of it as the subject of a reward at 

 such a high price as five pounds sterling per pair, 

 there can be no doubt that in the interests of 

 other defenceless species it requires to be kept 

 within certain numerical limits in many parts of 

 the British Islands. For instance, it would be 

 folly to fulminate against its destruction on a 

 Scottish grouse moor, where I have known as 

 many as four pairs breeding at the same time. 

 To my mind, this is one of the species which 

 proves that the preservation of birds in this 

 country needs to be regulated by a committee of 



