ON EAGLES. 27l 



of bearing it away to a distance, the eagle makes as short 

 work as possible by climbing to a great height in the air, 

 when its victim is dropped, and killed by a dash against 

 the rocky ground. Instantly descending, it feeds vora- 

 ciously, and never leaves off until either completely gorged 

 or driven away. Next day it is pretty certain, about the 

 dawn, to return for the remainder, 



I once witnessed a touching instance of the attachment 

 of an eagle to her young, which, like the child of some 

 bloodthirsty chief, alone had the power to touch the single 

 chord of tenderness and love in the heart of its cruel parent. 

 I had wounded her mortally as she flew from her eyrie, 

 quite unconscious of her having hatched an eaglet. Next 

 day she returned to the foot of the rock, although not able 

 to reach her nest the feelings of a mother being stronger 

 in her savage breast than either the sense of present pain 

 or the dread of further danger. 



There is often only one egg in the nest, but when 

 there are two, one is generally addled. It is a curious 

 fact that, in the year 1847, when there was a dreadful 

 hurricane about the end of April, no eggs were laid in 

 either the sea or golden eagles' eyries of the Black 

 Mount Forest. 



The enormous nests of the golden and sea eagles are 

 pretty much alike ; the outer rim being composed of thick 

 boughs, and the whole not unlike the shape of a large-sized 

 round table. The golden-eagle always has its eyrie among 

 rocks, while the erne chooses an old tree for inland incu- 

 bation. On the bold rocky coast, where suitable trees are 



