248 



ACCIPITKES.- 



-BIRDS.- 



-Falconid^. 



and it appears to delight in soaring to a great height in the 

 air. But even when the bird is at such an elevation as 

 to appear only like a small black speck in the sky, the 

 acuteness of its vision is so great, tliat it can readily 

 discover its prey upon the ground below it, when it will 

 descend with the most astonishing velocity to seize its 

 victim. Its great strength enables it to prey upon crea- 

 tures whose size wouldpreventthem from bemg attacked, 

 or at all events being carried off by any of the smaller 

 Faloonidse, and although it does not contemn such 

 small game as partridges and grouse, it destroys lambs, 

 even when several weeks old, and young fa\vns, which 

 its great muscular power enables it even to carry off in 

 its talons to its nest among the rocks. Hares and rab- 

 bits also constitute a considerable portion of its food. 



The eagle is, in fact, the great tyrant of the wild regions 

 which he uihabits, but as we must bear in mind that 

 nothing that he can meet with there has any power of 

 defendmg itself from his terrible swoop, we must not 

 allow oivrselves, as om- forefathers did, to magnify him 

 into a type of magnanimity and courage. This view 

 is induced by the magnificent aspect of the bhd, and 

 the abundant evidences of terrible energy furnished 

 by his every movement; in true courage he is not supe- 

 rior to most of the smaller hawks, and certamly inferior 

 to the peregrine and many other falcons, which will 

 even venture to attack and drive away this BO-caUed 

 monarch of tlie waste, when he approaches too near 

 their nests. 



The Golden eagle, as already stated, is an inhabitant 



Fig. 99. 



The Golden E.^gle (Aquila chrysaetos). 



of mouiitainOTis regions, in die wild fastnesses of wliich 

 he dwells in sohtary state, far from the habitations of 

 man. On the highest and most inaccessible ledges of 

 tlio rocks the eagles build their nests, or eyries, which 

 consist of a vast assemblage of sticks, forming a flat 

 platform of several feet in diameter. Upon this the 

 female deposits two, or at the utmost three eggs, which 

 are of a dirty -white colour, mottled with pale reddish- 

 brown. The eggs are laid about the end of March or 

 the beginnmg of April, and in the course of a month the 



)'Oung eaglets are hatched. During their growth the 

 parent birds are indefatigable in attending upon them 

 and supplying them with food ; and such an abundant 

 supply of game do they brmg into the nest, that we are 

 told of one instance in which a native of Kerry obtained 

 a comfortable subsistence for himself and his family 

 throughout a summer of scarcit)', by robbing the nest 

 of an eagle of the food brought for the support of tlie 

 young birds, whose wings he clipped in order to retard 

 their flight, and thus prolong the attendance of the 



