THE EAGLE. 133 



with guns, and materials for ensuring success, and 

 proceeded to post themselves, some at the foot and 

 some at the top of the rock ; but all in rain. The 

 Eagles had been beforehand, and proved too cunning 

 for them. The young birds had disappeared, and 

 they passed the whole day without 'seeing or hear- 

 ing anything of either them or the old ones. It 

 appeared from their observations, that the old ones 

 had actually removed their young to fresh quarters, 

 but as they did not seem sufficiently grown to use 

 their wings, how they could accomplish such a 

 removal, was a mystery not to be solved. 



Two years afterwards, the same person was for- 

 tunate enough to shoot one dead on the spot, as it 

 sat upon a low tree, attracted, as was supposed, by 

 the scent of some slaughtered hogs. The bird in 

 this case seemed to be perfectly fearless, not only 

 allowing the sportsman to approach within easy 

 gunshot distance, but looking at him all the time 

 with an undaunted eye. 



Having had, since first seeing one of this species, 

 other opportunities of observing their habits, he has 

 given some very interesting details. In its flight it 

 differs from another sort of Eagle for which it is often 

 taken; when looking after fish in the water below,, 

 it makes very wide circles, and when it sees one, it 

 falls gradually in a circuitous, spiral manner, as if 

 with an intention of checking any retreating move- 

 ment of its prey. "When within a few yards, how- 

 ever, it darts clown like a shot, and seldom misses 

 its object. As it is so constantly exposed to the 

 water, its feathers are provided with a greater portion 

 of that oily substance common to many birds, and 



