62 BRITISH LAND BIRDS. 



returned, though perfectly at liberty. Its wings 

 had, indeed, been cut when first brought thither, 

 but they were allowed to grow again ; and this 

 magnificent bird, on recovering the use of them, 

 would repeatedly soar away and absent itself for 

 a fortnight or three weeks. It became very much 

 attached to those who were in the habit of feeding 

 or caressing it. Its food was chiefly crows, which 

 were shot for it ; sometimes it attempted to pro- 

 cure them for itself, but never successfully, as 

 their agility in turning shortly and rapidly, 

 enabled them to elude its superior strength of 

 wing ; latterly, therefore, it contented itself with 

 eyeing them wistfully, as they flew or perched 

 securely over its head. It was never suspected of 

 committing any havoc among the folds in the ad- 

 joining field ; but when, from some accident, its 

 regular food had not been supplied, it would seize 

 on and kill young pigs. Children, who constantly 

 met it as it walked about in the garden, were 

 never molested. At length, after having lived 

 nearly twelve years in this way, this interesting 

 bird was killed by a ferocious mastiff. No one 

 saw the battle, but it must have been fierce and 

 long-contested, for the dog, though victorious, 

 was so much injured that it died almost imme- 

 diately afterwards. 



The SEA EAGLE, or, as it is sometimes called, the 



