A PLEA FOB THE WASTES. 11 



the action to the word, " in that craig is your eagle. " A 

 threatening crag it was j from the view I got, it seemed 

 as steep as the side of a house from top to bottom. For 

 the first time I felt a slight misgiving, lest the shot might 

 be crank and difficult, when the bird flew out of such a 

 rugged mass. What if I should miss ! However, I 

 banished these craven thoughts, and marched on merrily 

 as before. 



We were still a long mile from our rocks, when a dark 

 bird rose in the midst of them, and winged his way to 

 the opposite mountain. Was he a buzzard ? No ; small 

 as he appears, that determined flight, and free flap of the 

 wing, can belong to no bird but the eagle. Peter looked 

 carelessly at him. '< Ton's the cock: he'll be for the 

 opposite hill, after bringing the hen her breakfast. " He 

 now whipped out his glass, and placing his back upon a 

 hillock, and the glass upon his knee, looked long and 

 anxiously through it. At last, jumping up, shutting the 

 glass with a satisfied jerk, and looking to me with a smile, 

 " She's on, sir. " I now took his place, but it was some 

 time, in spite of Peter's minute directions, before I could 

 discern the eyrie. " Look, sir, to the side o' yon bushes 

 in the face o' the craig. " 'Twas easy enough to see 

 them ; they seemed " moored " not " in the rifted " but 

 solid " rock. " When I at length detected the eyrie, it 

 appeared no bigger than a rook's nest, and how Kobertson 

 had discovered " she was on " I was a good deal puzzled 

 to find out. But he told me to keep my eye upon the 

 east side of the nest, and I should see a black ball which 



