FOURTH DAY.] THE EAGLE. 87 



I hardly expected to have found. Pray are there 

 many of these animals in this country ? 



HAL. Of this species, I have seen but these two, 

 and I believe the young ones migrate as soon as they 

 can provide for themselves; for this solitary bird 

 requires a large space to move and feed in, and does 

 not allow its offspring to partake its reign, or to live 

 near it. Of other species of the eagle, there are 

 some in different parts of the mountains, particularly 

 of the Osprey, and of the great fishing or brown 

 eagle. I once saw a very fine and interesting sight 

 above one of the Crags of Ben Weevis, near Strath- 

 garve, as I was going, on the 20th of August, in 

 pursuit of black game. Two parent eagles were 

 teaching their offspring, two young birds, the 

 manoeuvres of flight. They began by rising from the 

 top of a mountain in the eye of the sun ; it was about 

 midday, and bright for this climate. They at first 

 made small circles, and the young birds imitated 

 them ; they paused on their wings, waiting till they 

 had made their first flight, and then took a second 

 and larger gyration, always rising towards the sun, 

 and enlarging their circle of flight so as to make a 

 gradually extending spiral. The young ones still 

 slowly followed, apparently flying better as they 

 mounted ; and they continued this sublime kind of 

 exercise, always rising, till they became mere points 



