290 WILD SCENES AND SONG-BIEDS. 



curiosity, for my hopes whispered it was a Sea Eagle's nest. 

 Two long hours elapsed before the old bird made his appear- 

 ance, which was announced to us by the loud hissings of the 

 two young ones, which crawled to the extremity of the hole 

 to receive a fine fish. I had a perfect view of this noble 

 bird as he held himself to the edging rock, hanging like the 

 barn bank, or social swallow, his tail spread, and his wings 

 partly so. I trembled lest a word should escape my com- 

 panions. The slightest murmur had been treason from them. 

 They entered into my feelings, and, though little interested, 

 gazed with me. In a few minutes the other parent joined 

 her mate ; and, from the difference in size (the female of 

 rapacious birds being much larger), we knew this to be the 

 mother bird. She also brought a fish ; but more cautious 

 than her mate, she glanced her quick and piercing eye 

 around, and instantly perceived that her abode had been dis- 

 covered. She dropped her prey, with a loud shriek com- 

 municated the alarm to the male, and, hovering with him 

 over our heads, kept up a growling cry, to intimidate us 

 from our suspected design. This watchful solicitude I have 

 ever found peculiar to the female must I be understood to 

 speak only of birds ? 



" The young having concealed themselves, we went and 

 picked up the fish which the mother had let fall. It was a 

 white perch, weighing about five and a half pounds. The 

 upper part of the head was broken in, and the back torn by 

 the talons of the eagle. We had plainly seen her bearing it 

 in the manner of the fish-hawk. 



" This day's sport being at an end, we journeyed home- 

 ward, we agreed to return the next morning, with the view 

 of obtaining both the old and young birds ; but rainy and 

 tempestuous weather setting in, it became necessary to defer 

 the expedition till the third day following, when, with guns 

 and men all in readiness, we reached the rock. Some post- 

 ed themselves at the foot, others upon it, but in vain. We 

 passed the entire day without either seeing or hearing an 



