consists of the blue hares and ptarmigan which live among the mountains, but 

 when these are scarce he is quite ready to carry off a lamb or two ; among 

 the deer forests he will sometimes carry off a weakly calf, but this is not a 

 very frequent occurrence, grouse, ptarmigan, blackgame, and rabbits forming 

 his usual fare. If hard pressed for food the Golden Eagle will not hesitate 

 to eat carrion, and I have seen a bird so gorged with feasting on a dead 

 sheep that it had hardly strength to rise from the ground. After a feast 

 of this kind the Eagle usually retires to some lonely crag, his favourite 

 perch for years ; there he will sit for hours basking in the sun as he digests 

 his meal. The bird is capable of great endurance, and will remain for a 

 considerable length of time without food ; a tame Eagle I once reared refused 

 all food for nearly twelve days, and was apparently as strong as ever. This 

 bird was excessively fond of bathing itself, and used to sit on its perch 

 in the rain stretching out its wings and shaking its plumage in evident 

 enjoyment. 



The Golden Eagle is supposed to pair for life, and breeds in the same 

 district year after year. The same nest is not used every season, especially 

 if the birds are disturbed at their nesting-place ; they usually have two or 

 three favourite situations which they use in succession. They begin to 

 prepare their eyrie very early in the spring, repairing the damage done to 

 the nest by the storms of winter, and adding a new lining to it. An 

 inland situation is generally chosen, always in a commanding spot, with an 

 uninterrupted view of the surrounding country. The nest is usually built 

 on a rugged cliff, partly precipitous and partly broken up by grassy ledges, 

 on one of which it is sure to be placed, sheltered generally by overhanging 

 rocks. As a rule the nest is built of sticks and heather, and lined with grass, 

 moss, tufts of ferns, and large pieces of green herbage. In some cases the 

 nest is large and bulky, while in others it is merely a hollow in the grassy 

 ledge lined with grass and tufts of freshly plucked plants of various kinds. 

 The eggs of the Golden Eagle vary in number from one to three, though 

 two is the usual clutch. They are laid early in April, often while the snow 

 is still lying thickly on the hill-tops, and are deposited at intervals of a few 

 days, the female commencing to sit as soon as the first is laid. The eggs 

 are dull white in ground-colour, with rich reddish-brown surface-spots and 

 blotches, and underlying markings of lilac grey. Some specimens are finely 

 dusted all over with pale reddish brown, others are richly and heavily marked 

 with deep brown blotches and streaks, while others are pure and spotless 

 white. One egg in the clutch is usually much more heavily marked than 



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