THE EAGLE DESTRUCTIVE TO SALMON. 105 



The village of Dugurth suffers heavily from its unfortunate 

 proximity to the aerie. When the wind blows from a favourable 

 point, the eagle in the grey of morning sweeps through the 

 cabins, and never fails in carrying off some prey. 



To black fowls, eagles appear particularly attached ; and 

 the villagers avoid as much as possible rearing birds of that 

 colour. 



A few days before our arrival, one of the coast-guard, 

 alarmed by the cries of a boy, rushed from the watch-house : 

 the eagle had taken up a black hen, and as he passed within 

 a few yards, the man flung his cap at him. The eagle dropped 

 the bird; it was quite dead, however, the talons having 

 shattered the back-bone. The villagers say (with what truth 

 I know not) that turkeys are never taken. 



That the eagle is extremely destructive to fish, and parti- 

 cularly so to salmon, many circumstances would prove. They 

 are constantly discovered watching the fords in the spawning 

 season, and are seen to seize and carry off the fish. One 

 curious anecdote I heard from my friend the priest. Some 

 years since, a herdsman, on a very sultry day in July, while 

 looking for a missing sheep, observed an eagle posted on a 

 bank that overhung a pool. Presently the bird stooped and 



seized a salmon, and a violent struggle ensued. When the 

 herd reached the spot, he found the eagle pulled under water 



