The Zoologist— July, 1867. 803 



ment is peculiar. Eleven of the " fish " were sold for £29 Bs., the 

 highest price given for one being £i 15s. ; the one brought to Glasgow- 

 was also sold for oil. One of the men told me that when first seen, the 

 whales were "just dannerin' (*. e. sauntering) up and down in the 

 water," and that now and then they " reared right up, like sae mony 

 men." He opined that they fed on " sma' fish, and kind o' insecs," 

 having probably learned something of the food of the right whate 

 (Balarna mysticetus, Linn.) from seafaring friends. He added that 

 they often saw shoals of the " grampus," as they call the present 

 species, about the Bass Rock, but that it was but very rarely that they 

 entered the Firth. 



Edward R. Alston. 

 205, Bath Street, Glasgow, May, 1867. 



Notes on the Breeding of the Booted Eagle (Aquila pennata). 

 By H. E. Dresser, F.Z.S.* 



On my return to England this year from a journey through Southern 

 Europe I remained a few days at Madrid, chiefly with the view of 

 obtaining the eggs of some of the rarer birds frequenting the neighbour- 

 hood of that town. I obtained great assistance from Manuel de la 

 Tone, the chasseur who had accompanied Lord Lilford : and as I and 

 Manuel became very friendly, I was soon made acquainted with the 

 haunts of most of the rarer birds. I was especially wishful to take the 

 eggs of the booted eagle {Aquila pennata) with my own hands : and 

 Manuel, on being applied to, at once agreed to act as guide, fixing an 

 early day for the trip, and at the same time promised me that he would 

 not think of returning to Madrid before we had obtained at least one 

 nest of this eagle. 



Accordingly on the 15th of May, 1866, I was up early, and ready 

 for a start by half-past 6 a. m., at which time Manuel, true to his 

 appointment, came to my room fully equipped for the trip. We left 

 Madrid by rail, taking tickets to Aranjuez ; but, meeting some of 

 Manuel's friends in the train, with whom we talked matters over, it 

 seemed from what they said that we should stand but a poor chance of 

 success there, and we therefore determined to proceed to some station 

 near Toledo. At Castellejo we left the train, and started off towards 



* Communicated by the Author, aud reprinted from the 'Proceedings of the 

 Zoological Society of London,' June 26, 1866. 



