CATAUACTSy AND INUNDATIONS. <26S 



ing mortals, only there is a little path winding over the fells, and for 

 some weeks in the year passable to the dalesmen ; but the moun- 

 tains know well that these innocent peeple will not reveal ihemyste. 

 lies of their ancient kingdom, " the reign of Chaos and Old Night ;" 

 only I learned that this dreadful road, dividing again, leads one 

 branch to Ravenglas, and the other to Hawkshead. 



For me I went no farther than the farmer's (better than four 

 miles from Keswick) at Grange ; hi* mother and he brought us but- 

 ter that Siserah would have jumped at, though not in a lordly dish, 

 bowls of milk, thin oaten-cakes, and ale ; and we had carried a 

 cold tongue thither with us. Our farmer was himself the man, that 

 last }ear plundered the eagle's eyrie ; all the dale are up in arms on 

 such an occasion, for they lose abundance of iambs yearly, not to 

 mention hares, partridges, grouse, Arc. He was let down from the 

 cliff in ropes to the shelf of the rock on which the nest was built, 

 the people above shouting and hollowing to fright the old birds, 

 which flew screaming round, but did not dare to attack him. He 

 brought off the eaglet (for there is rarely more than one) and an 

 addle egg. The nest was roundish, and more than a yard over, 

 made of twigs twisted together. Seldom a year passes but they 

 take the brood or eggs, and sometimes they shoot one, sometimes 

 the other, parent ; but the survivor has always found a mate (pro- 

 bably in Ireland) and they breed near the old place. By his descrip- 

 tion I learn, that this species is the erne, the vulture aibidlla of 

 Lim eus, in his last edition (but in yours falco albicilla), so consult 

 him and Pennant about it. 



We returned leisurely home the way we came ; but saw a new 

 landscape; the features indeed were the same in part, but many 

 new ones were disclosed by the mid-day sun, and the tints were en- 

 tirely changed ; take notice this was the best, or perhaps the only 

 day for going up Skiddaw, but I thought it better employed ; it 

 xvas perfectly serene, and hot as midsummer. 



In the evening I walked alone down to the lake by the side of 

 Crow-purk after sunset, and saw the solemn colouring of night draw 

 on, the last gleam of sunshine fading away on the hill-tops, the deep 

 serene of the Balers, and the lorg shadows of the mountains throw : n 

 across them, till they nearly touched the hitiierinost shore. At a dis- 

 tance were heard the murmurs or many water-falls, not audible in the 



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