120 THE KEEPER'S BOOK 



I then managed to crawl feet foremost to the edge of 

 the precipice, where I could see the sticks on the outer 

 edge of the nest, though to reach it some 10 ft. of 

 sheer descent intervened. On being let over, I looked 

 like Mohammed's coffin, suspended between heaven 

 and earth. The rope now assumed a rotary motion 

 which for me was anything but pleasant. Reaching the 

 ledge, I called up to slacken the rope, and proceeded to 

 examine the place which went some distance backwards, 

 forming a sort of cavern. Closely cuddled together were 

 two little downy eaglets, evidently only a day or two 

 hatched. Exploring the cavern, I saw what was evi- 

 dently the larder of previous years, as the bleached re- 

 mains of lambs, red-deer calves, hares, rabbits, grouse, 

 black game, ducks, etc., lay all around in profusion ; 

 while a newly killed grouse, neatly plucked and partly 

 devoured, lay near the nest, doubtless supplying the 

 rusks of eagle babyhood. 



Putting an eaglet in each coat-pocket, I hallooed to 

 be hauled up. This was by no means a pleasant process, 

 as I was several times roughly jolted against the rock, 

 with the result that the little eaglets were both crushed 

 to death. They may, however, still be seen as stuffed 

 specimens in the Royal Scottish Museum. I am no 

 advocate for the destruction of the eagle, but, being 

 gluttonous birds, they are frequently captured in traps 

 set for foxes. 



Next to the eagle, the buzzard is the largest bird of 

 prey in this country. It lives a good deal on carrion, 



