FALCONS. 21 



known as the eyries or breeding-places of this 

 species. 



" The eyry," observes Sir William Jardine, " is 

 placed on the face of some stupendous cliff situ- 

 ated inland; the nest is built on a projecting 

 shelve, or on some stumped tree that grows from 

 the rock, generally in a situation perfectly inac- 

 cessible without some artificial means, and often 

 out of the reach of shot either from below or 

 from the top of the precipice. It is composed of 

 dead branches, roots of heather, &c., entangled 

 strongly together, and in considerable quantity, 

 but without any lining in the inside ; the eggs are 

 two in number, white, with pale brown or pur- 

 plish blotches. During the season of incubation, 

 the quantity of food that is procured and brought 

 hither is almost incredible ; it is composed of 

 nearly all the inhabitants, or their young, of those 

 wild districts called forests, which, though indi- 

 cating a wooded region, are often tracts where, 

 for miles around, a tree is not seen. Hares, 

 lambs, and the young of deer and roebuck, 

 grouse, black-game, ptarmigan, curlews, and plo- 

 vers, all contribute to the feast." 



In the technical language of falconry, the Eagle 

 was considered " ignoble," as not being capable of 

 training for service in that sport. But the follow- 

 ing interesting note, by Mr. Thompson, proves 

 that however savage and indocile it may be when 

 caught in adult age, the Eagle is not difficult to 

 be reclaimed, if trained from the nest: " My 

 friend Richard Langtry, Esq., of Fortwilliam, 

 near Belfast, has at present a Golden Eagle, which 

 is extremely docile and tractable. It was taken 

 last summer from a nest in Invernesshire, and 



