THE GOLDEN EAGLE. 183 



eagle was dried, the pleasure of pulling out the beau- 

 tiful delicate down was enjoyed, and the bird was then 

 packed up in a case to be sent off to Munich on the 

 morrow, in order to be stuffed. In the evenino- it o-rew 

 clearer, and I took a walk through the valley, and 

 saw the male bird wheeling aloft in the air till it was 

 almost dark. I could hardly await the morrow. 



June 16th. — At four in the morning beautiful weather. 

 As I was about to start for my post, the eagle was 

 wheeling round and round : he did not go however in 

 the neighbourhood of the ep'ie. Two hours later he 

 was no longer to be seen. I was off at once, but by 

 the time I had got up to my look-out he appeared 

 again, saw me go to my ambush, and darted down with 

 the speed of lightning towards me. But as often as he 

 did so, he invariably made a movement to the right 

 about, at the respectful distance of eighty yards from the 

 spot where I stood ; till at last after a couple of hours, he 

 went quite away ; which time he spent in wheeling high 

 and alwa3^s higher in the air. Although my hopes for 

 that day were but small, I still remained there till even- 

 ing; but in vain, for no eagle appeared. On coming 

 home, Weber told me that he and the son of the forester 

 of Fischen had three times last year missed the very same 

 eagle on the upper eyrie, and in consequence of this he 

 had growTi very shy and careful. Our meeting of to-day, 



N 4 



