THE ROMANCE OF NATURAL HISTORY. 



ornithologist to hope that it might be the species 

 of which he was in quest. He determined to see 

 for himself. "In high expectation,*' he continues, 

 " I seated myself about a hundred yards from 

 the foot of the rock. Never did time pass more 

 slowly. I could not help betraying the most im- 

 patient curiosity, for my hopes whispered it was 

 the great eagle's nest. Two long hours had 

 elapsed before the old bird made his appearance, 

 which was announced to us by the loud hissings 

 of the two young ones, who crawled to the ex- 

 tremity of the hole to receive a fine fish. I had a 

 perfect view of this noble bird, as he held himself 

 to the edging rock ; his tail spread, and his wings 

 partly so, and hanging something like a bank 

 swallow. I trembled lest a word should escape 

 from my companions— the slightest murmur had 

 been treason from them; they entered into my 

 feelings, and, although little interested, gazed 

 with me. In a few minutes the other parent 

 joined her mate, which, from the difference in size 

 (the female being much larger,) we knew to be the 

 mother-bird. She also had brought a fish ; but, 

 more cautious than her mate, ere she alighted, she 

 glanced her quick and piercing eye around, and 

 instantly perceiving her procreant bed had been 

 discovered, she dropped her prey, with a loud 

 shriek communicated the alarm to the male, and, 

 hovering with him over our heads, kept up a 

 growling, threatening cry, to intimidate us from 

 our suspected design."' 



Tempestuous weather prevented access to the 

 nest for several days, at the end of which time it 

 was found that the young had been removed by 

 the parents. "I come at last to the day I had so 

 often and so ardently desired. Two years had 

 gone by since the discovery of the nest, but my 

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