TIRING. 37 



power of these birds, that none, however large, could 

 escape from their talons.* 



Burton, in his "Anatomy of Melancholy," -f- quoting 

 from Sir Antony Shirley's " Travels," says : " The Musco- 

 vian Emperours reclaim eagles, to let fly at hindes, foxes, 

 &c., and such a one was sent for a present to Queen 

 Elizabeth." 



A traveller to the Putrid Sea, in 1819, wrote : " Wolves 

 are very common on these steppes ; and they are so bold 

 that they sometimes attack travellers. We passed by a 

 large one, lying on the ground with an eagle, which had 

 probably attacked him, by his side. Its talons were nearly 

 buried in his back ; in the struggle both had died." 



Owing to the great difficulty in training them, as well 

 as to the difficulty in obtaining them, eagles have rarely 

 been trained to the chase in England. Some years since, 

 Captain Green, of Buckden, in Huntingdonshire, had a 

 fine golden eagle, which he had taught to take hares and 

 rabbits ; and this species has been found to be more 

 tractable than any other. 



Whether Shakespeare was aware of the use of 

 trained eagles or not, we cannot say, but he has in 



* See Pennant's "Arctic Zoology," ii. p. 195; Sir J. Malcolm's "Sketches of 

 Persia; " Johnston's "Sketches of Indian Field Sports; " Atkinson's " Travels in 

 Oriental and Western Siberia," and Burton's " Falconry in the Valley of the 

 Indus." 



t Folio, 1676. Part ii. p. 169. 



J " Memoirs of Stephen Grellet," i. p. 459. 



See " The Naturalist" for May, 1837. 



