98 DICTIONARY OF NAMES OF BRITISH BIRDS. 
this is the WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. The name arises 
from the golden tinge of the plumage, especially on the 
head and neck. From time immemorial the Eagle has 
figured as the embodiment of courage and strength, and has 
been chosen from the days of ancient Rome as the emblem 
of all the great empires of Europe. Trevisa (1495) says 
“the egle is a foule that selde syttyth abrood and selde 
hath byrdes.” That a good deal of truth lay in this 
statement is shown in the fact that this species does not 
lay more than two or three eggs. It was an ancient belief 
that the Eagle could look at the sun without hurt, and it 
was furthermore believed that the young Eagle which 
could not look at the sun without blinking was killed by 
its parents. In the aeries were found stones called 
‘* Aétites ” or “‘ eagle stones ” which the eagles were thought 
by some to bring down from the sun to help hatch their 
eggs and by others from volcanoes, and these stones were 
formerly greatly prized for their virtues, being thought 
to cure a variety of ills. In the Welsh Mabinogion tales 
the Eagle occurs, being deemed to be only outclassed in 
longevity by the Salmon of Llyn Llyw. Giraldus Cam- 
brensis tells us of the Eagle of Eagle Mountain (now called 
Snowdon) which was prophetic of war, and “perching on 
a fatal stone every fifth holiday, in order to satiate her 
hunger with the carcases of the slain, is said to expect war 
on that same day and to have almost perforated the stone 
by cleaning and sharpening her beak.” In the story of 
Llen, son of Arianrhod, also, he flies off when wounded 
in the shape of an Eagle. Several stories are extant of 
infants having been borne away by this bird to its aerie, 
and lack nothing of probability. Montagu mentions that 
in Orkney a law existed to extirpate this species by entitling 
any person who killed an Eagle to “a hen out of every 
house in the parish in which it is killed.” 
GOLDENEYE [No. 302]. The name occurs in Willughby 
(1678) and is in reference to the rich yellow colour of 
the iris. 
GOLDEN-EYED Diver: The SCAUP-DUCK. (Provincial.) 
GOLDEN-EYED Duck, GOLDEN-EYED GARROT, or GOLDEN-EYED 
Poker: The GOLDENEYE. (Provincial.) 
GoLDEN GLADDY: The YELLOW BUNTING. See Gladdy. 
GotpEN Heap: The WIGEON. (East coast of Ireland.) 
Also occurs as Golden-headed Wigeon. 
GoLpEN Maw: The GLAUCOUS GULL. 
