138 WITH NATURE AND A CAMERA. 



The cliff could not have been less than four 

 hundred feet in height, and as the eyrie was 

 situated midway betwixt its base and summit the 

 bird was practically out of gunshot, whether 

 approached from the top or bottom. 



After we left, the gamekeeper thinking that by 

 the exercise of a little patience he could destroy 

 the eggs, kept the parent birds off the nest for 

 six consecutive hours, but to no purpose, for the 

 faithful Peregrines ultimately brought off their 

 young ones in safety. 



A strange peculiarity of many birds of prey is 

 their unconquerable love for an old breeding haunt. 

 If the female is killed the male flies away, and 

 often returns in an incredibly short space of time 

 with another mate. 



Amongst other interesting things which our 

 friend told us about Peregrine Falcons was an 

 instance of two male birds living in perfect harmony 

 with one female. It came about in this way. He 

 had shot a female from her eyrie in a cleft of rock, 

 and placing a trap for the male, discovered a day 

 or two afterwards that he had been in it and taken 

 his departure minus a leg. In a little while this 

 legless bird returned with a male and female, and 

 they all three occupied the old nesting-quarters in 

 the utmost peace. 



The same gamekeeper also told us that he had 

 seen one of these birds strike the head clean off a 

 Grouse whilst in full flight by one blow of its 

 powerful wing. 



In the spring of 1896 my brother returned to 

 this part of Scotland in the hope of getting a 

 photograph of a Golden Eagle sitting on her eggs, 

 but found it impossible to do so on account of the 

 bird's exceeding shyness, and the fact that he could 



