64 ANNALS OF BIRD LIFE. 



dropping their lambs on the hillsides, and the old 

 birds will. levy a costly tribute from them. Lamb 

 after lamb will disappear, in spite of all the shep- 

 herd's care and watchfulness ; but fortunately the 

 gentleman-farmer is proud of his Eagles (a most 

 unusual fact), shrugs his shoulders at their depre- 

 dations, and philosophically bears his loss ! It is 

 a stirring sight to watch these Eagles fly across 

 the valley, or soar round and round in widening 

 circles high above the mountain-tops ; they imbue 

 these desolate hills and heaths with life, and their 

 barking cries are fitting music for such grand and 

 rugged scenery. 



Lower down the glen, on the face of one of 

 those stupendous "storr" rocks which occur so 

 frequently in the Highlands, a pair of Ravens 

 have their nest. Although banished almost 

 entirely from their lowland haunts, Ravens here 

 are common enough ; and this pair of birds have 

 bred here for more years than the very oldest 

 inhabitant of the scattered cottages around it can 

 recall. The bulky nest, time-worn and bleached 

 by many a tempest, is in full harmony with the 

 sable owners. Season after season, often before 

 the snow has melted on the hills, the old birds 

 patch up and renovate their cradle, and with a 

 regular " spring-cleaning," prepare it for the 

 coming brood. The Raven is another of the 

 very earliest birds to breed, and the eggs are laid 

 on an average by the middle of March. Even a 

 month previous to this date the Ravens are to be 



