On Mountain and Loch. 83 



that eventful morning nearly twenty years ago, but 

 never with such excitement as then. We are glad 

 to say that the Golden Eagle in one or two localities 

 seems to be increasing. This is specially the case 

 in certain deer forests, where the bird is held (and 

 justly so) to be harmless. There is, however, plenty 

 of room left for the preservation of this fine bird, and 

 we should like to see the placing of poisoned meat 

 made illegal. The White-tailed Eagle is perhaps the 

 most familiar species of the two, but this bird loves 

 the hills near the sea, and its favourite resorts at the 

 present time are amongst the grand mountain scenery 

 of the Hebrides, the Orkneys and Shetland. We 

 have often watched the magnificent aerial movements 

 of this Eagle from the mountain tops in the haunt of 

 the Ptarmigan and the blue hare. Like the larger 

 Gulls and the Vultures, it will remain in the highest 

 air for long periods, sailing round and round in 

 spacious circles, ever and anon gliding obliquely 

 down, then resuming its ordinary flight. We often 

 used to meet with it high up the hills in Skye, a dis- 

 trict which we believe still continues famous for this 

 Eagle, and we knew of several nests or eyries scat- 

 tered over the island. Both these eagles breed very 

 early in the year, long before the ordinary stream of 

 tourists flows northwards; but this, we regret to say, 

 does not prevent many an eyrie being robbed of its 

 eggs by shepherds and others, in the pay of the 



