IV. SEA EAGLE. 



(Haliaetus albicilla.} 



THE Sea Eagle is not very uncommon here, and builds in the 

 neighbouring hills. We heard of a nest some miles off, and were 

 guided to it by a shepherd. On approaching the eyrie the Eagles 

 came screaming around us, swooping with extended claws at the 

 shepherd's dogs, who turned upon them in self-defence, snapping 

 and snarling, evidently a good deal frightened. The Eagles came 

 very near the dogs, but did not venture actually to strike them. 

 We found the nest on a flat place near the top of a rock, which 

 projected a little over it, so as to afford some shelter from rain. 

 It looked quite accessible from a little distance, but when we 

 got to the top of the rock we found a very bad step, and could 

 not get into the nest for want of a rope, which we had not 

 thought of bringing. By peering over the edge of the cliff we 

 could see the white downy young one in the nest, surrounded by 

 fragments of food, such as bits of lambs' feet or hill hares' legs, 

 and skin and fur. The nest was built of coarse sticks, and there 

 was plenty of room on the shelf for the parents to alight and for 

 the young one to walk about when it was old enough to come 

 out of the nest. 



I got a good view of the nest from a rock opposite, and 

 when the sketch was done we departed, meaning soon to return 

 for another visit, with a rope to help us further " ben," and with 

 the intention of carrying off the young one for a pet and model, 

 but were prevented doing so for some weeks owing to a severe 

 and widespread outbreak of typhoid fever. Good trained nurses 

 not having then been developed, we had to attend on the sick 

 ourselves as we best could. When the plague was stayed, and 



13 



