112 LEAVES FROM A GAME BOOK. 



quickly they absorb the quantity necessary to make them 

 safe when exposed but a very short time to damp 

 surroundings. 



On this same day Martyn Kennard also met with a 

 curious incident whilst stalking the North Beat with 

 Macgregor, for after killing his stag, the forester asked 

 him as a favour to come some quarter of a mile out of 

 his way to enable him to visit a fox trap which had 

 been set some days. It was baited with part of a 

 gralloch, and owing to several consecutive days of fine 

 weather, Macgregor had been so busy stalking that he 

 had not been able to find time to visit it. Consent was 

 readily given, when on getting to the spot there they 

 found a splendid golden eagle not very long dead, for 

 it was quite warm when taken out of the trap ; it had 

 been caught by the claw only, and it seemed extra- 

 ordinary that so powerful a bird had not been able to 

 free himself in his struggles. Clearly he had died of 

 exhaustion in his efforts to regain his liberty and not 

 of starvation, for within reach of him, partly eaten, were 

 two grouse and a blue hare quite freshly killed. These 



