BIRDS. 147 



One, now stuffed at Binscarth, Mr. Irvine-Fortescue tells 

 us, was obtained at Linnadale in the following curious way : 

 " A man named Andrew Ground water came upon an eagle one 

 morning on the hill not far from his house, which had apparently 

 just killed a hare. He went back for his gun, and returned to 

 look for the bird, intending to shoot it as it rose. When he 

 approached, the bird, instead of flying away, lowered its head 

 and spread out its wings. Seeing this the man walked back a few 

 steps so as not to injure the bird too much, and fired. On skin- 

 ning the bird only one shot was found in it, which had entered 

 between the eyes. Groundwater sold the bird to a tinker for 

 half-a-crown, and Mr. Scarth got it from the tinker for five 

 shillings. This was about thirty years ago. On another 

 occasion the same man found another eagle eating one of his 

 tame ducks, but his inherent respect for the " Sabbath " pre- 

 vented his going after it. Dunn told Groundwater afterwards 

 that if he ever shot another eagle he would give him a guinea 

 for it." 



From inquiries made in Hoy in 1888, and from our own 

 observations, it is highly probable that there never was more 

 than one pair of Golden Eagles in Hoy. The place where they 

 bred was pointed out to us ; indeed, there was no difficulty in 

 locating it for ourselves, there being only this one likely spot 

 among the inland rocks. They may have bred on the sea-cliffs, 

 but this is against all our present knowledge of the habits of 

 this bird, and it seems very probable that the Hoy men palmed 

 off the smaller and rounder Sea Eagles' eggs as those of the 

 Golden species, as at that time they were the rarer, and com- 

 manded a higher price. 



Haliaetus albicilla (.). White-tailed Eagle. 



To within a comparatively recent date this species seems to have 

 been abundant wherever the rocks afforded a convenient site 

 for nesting. Wallace speaks of them as being a regular pest : 

 " Eagle or Earns and Gleds are here in plenty, and very harm- 

 full to the young store ; yea, they have been found to seize 

 upon young children, and carry them a good way off, and there 



