THROUGH THE YEAR 81 



or down. There is sometimes at this season an hour 

 of colour and glow in the sky after the disk has dis- 

 appeared behind the hill or sea line, but it is not so 

 good as the few minutes before it. 



THE GOLDEN EAGLE 



Going up Glen Tana from Aboyne in the burning 

 sun and climbing the hillside above the golden eagle 

 tree I was in for an adventure as fresh and fascinat- 

 ing as any of childhood. As the eagle lays her eggs 

 in April, the second week in July seems late to visit 

 the eyrie ; but the young stay long in the nest, and 

 I knew the two eaglets in this eyrie had been seen 

 there a few days before. So we started with high 

 hope, and, working round the hill, came down from 

 the open heath to a little cleft with a sprinkling 

 of old pines. A hundred yards away the great nest 

 in one of these trees could be plainly seen. The 

 guide thought the birds might be still there, but 

 my field glasses began to tell another tale as we drew 

 near. A few minutes and we were within full view 

 of the top of the nest. It was quite flat, slanting 

 slightly down towards us. I could see the down 

 about it, and on the branches around stirred by the 

 breeze. 



The young eagles had left it, and we sat down 

 and tried to console ourselves with the thought that 

 at least we were looking at an eyrie where the birds 

 had been only a day or two ago. Later, I went up 

 the tree. Presently I was right under the mass 

 a full cartload of sticks at least and was seeking 



