THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 181 



many years, the eagles generally were to be found, and 

 here it would have been an easy matter to destroy the 

 parents and get possession of their young. In their pre- 

 sent position, however, no attempt had ever been made 

 to come at them, it having always been looked upon as 

 an utter impossibility, and I cannot but acknowledge 

 that to test the possibility of such an undertaking is no 

 easy task. 



June 14. — Watched in my place of concealment 

 from 4 A.M. till 6 p.m. A pouring rain added to the 

 delights of these fourteen hours. At three o'clock in the 

 afternoon the eagiess came, and before she could quite 

 fly into the eyrie I shot her. She dropped at once ; but 

 the way in which she fell convinced me more and more 

 that these animals recpiire a good charge in order to kill 

 them. Moreover, on remembering how small the bird 

 had seemed to me, as she was just about to wheel to- 

 vrards the nest, I found I had been deceived as to the dis- 

 tance, and had fired too far for the bird to receive the 

 charge with full effect, namely sixty yards. I could not 

 look below, and so I remained where I was three full 

 hours, hoping that the male eagle might come too ; for 

 I know by experience that, although the eagle keeps to 

 no particular time for feeding his young, they prefer 

 returning to the eyrie at morning and at noon rather 

 than late in the evening. At six o'clock I climbed dowm, 

 the rain falling in torrents all the while, in order to look 



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