142 ACCIPITRES. 



and also of fawns in those parts of the country where there 

 are wild deer. The extent of these excursions is not known, 

 but certainly, although the straight-forward, or journey flight 

 of eagles is not probably nearly so swift as that of the jer- 

 falcon or the peregrine, from the Scotch Highlands to the 

 border of England and back again would not probably be too 

 much for a day. 



As the sea eagle, in her miscellaneous feeding, the form of 

 her beak, and the looseness of her body, as compared with 

 the golden eagle, has a slight leaning toward the characters 

 of the vulture, it is probable that she may also have a trace of 

 that wonderful power of scent which guides the vulture to its 

 prey. The season, and consequent diminution of food in her 

 northern haunt, may be partly the cause ; but it has been 

 observed, that the sea eagle comes farther to the south and 

 more inland, in those inclement seasons, when, from cold and 

 deficiency of food, the deer in parks and forests, the hares in 

 preserves, and the rabbits in warrens, are weakly. On those 

 occasions she avoids the cultivated and warm lands, and 

 resorts chiefly to those places which have most the character 

 of her native haunts. 



The climate of Ireland is much more in accordance with 

 the habits of the sea-eagle than of the golden ; and therefore 

 it is probable that the eagles in Kerry, and other wild and 

 rocky counties, of which so many stories are told, with pretty 

 copious embellishments, are sea eagles, as those that are met 

 with in the Hebrides generally, if not exclusively, are. The 

 deeds of eagles, if there were a Macpherson to collect, arrange, 

 dovetail, and build them up, with as much enthusiasm and 

 labour, and as copious supplies of stucco, would make as 

 interestingly romantic a book as the poems of the son of 

 Fingal ; but, as is the case with these, we never should be 

 able to find out the real historical character to whom the 

 exploits belonged. 



