270 EEMIXISCEXCES OF A SrORTS:\IAX. 



from the ground. This man was dumb, and thouglit 

 (very erroneously) to be half-witted also." This 

 gentleman mentions further, that a tame- eagle, which 

 he kept for some time, killed and devoured all the cats 

 about the place.* 



Notmthstanding the depredations committed by this 

 noble and majestic bird, even on deer, game, lambs, &c., 

 I confess I should feel sincere regret if this species of 

 bird should become extinct in Scotland, as the eagle is 

 peculiarly characteristic of the romantic and wild 

 features of many parts of the Highlands. It is a fine 

 sight to see one of these noble birds, perched on the 

 height of an inaccessible rock, surveying v/ith his 

 brilliant and piercing eye the surrounding country, or 

 to view him ascending gracefully into the air, and reach- 

 ing such a height as to become at last almost invisible. 

 Gamekeepers, who are employed to preserve the deer 

 in the forests, and those who perform the same duty as 

 regards black game and grouse on the moors, are 

 actuated by one feeling towards the king of the birds, 

 which is to give him no quarter ; but there is this to 

 be said in his favour, that he destroys several animals 

 which are very destructive to game, such as the wild 

 cat, the marten cat, the house cat that takes to the 

 fields and woods, the pole-cat, fox, stoat, weasel, &c. 

 That the eagle destroys small vermin, as well as game, 

 will be seen by the following curious anecdote from 



* In Mr. M'Dongall's excellent M'ork on shooting, is a list of verniin 

 destroyed on the Glengarry estate, Inverness-shire; I was sorry to observe 

 that many harmless and even useful birds had been put to death under 

 the pretext of their being destructive to game. In three years, 41 

 golden and white-taUed eagles, 6 jer falcons, 98 penguins, 462 kestrels, 

 35 horned owls, and 71 fern owls, or night-jare, were killed. 



