130 THE EAGLE. 



is particularly so at the time when he is bringing up 

 his young. At this time the pair make use of all their 

 courage, strength, and fierceness, in order to provide 

 meat for their brood. 



The quantity of provision which these birds carry 

 to their young, is sometimes sufficient to maintain a 

 family. Mr. Smith, in his history of Kerry, a county 

 in Ireland, relates that during a season of famine, a poor 

 man obtained nourishment for himself and children by 

 robbing a pair of young eagles of the food which was 

 brought them by their parents. When the young 

 birds became large enough to fly, the poor man clip- 

 ped their wings, so as to keep them in the nest, and 

 thus make the old ones continue to bring them food. 

 In this manner was this poor family supported, with 

 kids, lambs, geese, and hens, during the summer. 



It was fortunate for this man, that the Eagles never 

 caught him at their nest, for had this been the case, 

 his life would have been in danger from their fury, as 

 may be seen by the following story. 



A man in the county of Kerry determined to rob an 

 Eagle's nest, which was on an island, of its young. 

 He accordingly swam to the island, at a time when he 

 saw that the old birds were away, and having secured 

 the young ones, was returning to the land, having 

 waded into the water nearly up to his neck. At this 

 moment the old Eagles returned, and finding that their 

 young were not in the nest, but in the hands of the 

 man, they fell upon him with such tremendous fury, 

 as to kill him in the water. 



The nest of the Eagle is commonly built among 

 mountains, and in places where it is most difficult for 



