THE SEA-EAGLE. 119 



with its wing, or tear out it eyes, or open its skull with 

 its beak. If the fish be very large, and the claws of 

 the bird do not, in consequence, very much destroy its 

 muscular power, it is sure to succeed so far as to drown 

 the eagle ; after which, the talons relax, the dead body 

 floats off, and the fish recovers. But if the fish be 

 small, it is drowned in the struggle, by the water passing 

 the reverse way into its gills, or it is lifted so far out 

 of the water, as to enable the eagle to beat or tear it to 

 death. When that takes place, the fish has no ten- 

 dency to sink, and the eagle is said to float with it to 

 the shore, rowing in the air, or occasionally on the 

 surface of the water with Its wings. 



Upon those lonely islets and rocks in the North Sea, 

 where the nests and young of sea-fowl almost cover 

 the surface in the breeding season, the sea-eagle finds 

 'abundant prey, and reigns king of the place, except 

 upon an occasional visit of the golden eagle, or in 

 those wild and lofty places which are selected by the 

 skua gull, for the scenes of its nidification. Though 

 no match for the eagle, single-handed, the Skuas, which 

 are bold and powerful birds, come to the charge in 

 numbers, and so buffet the eagle with their wings, that 

 she is glad to make her escape to the upper regions of 

 the air. 



Though both active and successful as a fisher, the 

 sea-eagle has other means of subsistence. She does 

 not scruple to pick up dead fish along the beach, or to 

 attack seals, and land animals. Birds and small quad- 

 rupeds, arid even lambs, fawns, and grown-up deer, 

 fall a prey to the craving of her appetite ; and, as she 

 relishes carrion, on that account, most likely hunts by 



