106 DEER-STALKING, 



for it, there are plenty still left ; for one could rarely 

 go out in any direction without seeing three or four 

 of these majestic birds, and many a time have I 

 watched their graceful sailings through the spy-glass. 

 It will be a bad day for the poor eagles if once the 

 Rads get their way and abolish the deer-forests; but 

 for the shelter these give, they would already be as 

 extinct as the dodo. On our way to join the ladies, 

 we stopped in the hall to admire again his span of 

 wing and powerful talons ; and then a merry round 

 game, followed by a cigar, brought to a close as good a 

 day for all concerned as the most ardent sportsman 

 could desire. 



The fate of this silly eagle might well be made to 

 point a moral and adorn a tale, but none of us being 

 great at that sort of thing, it only reminded one of our 

 party of the judge who, summing up a case against an 

 able-bodied young man who lived by stealing poultry 

 commenced with, "Prisoner at the bar, Providence 

 has blessed you with the full use of your faculties, and 

 good health and great strength, instead of which you 

 go about the world stealing ducks ! " and there is no 

 doubt if this poor bird had used the powers he had to 

 get his living by the chase, he would doubtlessly still 

 have been sailing over the three thousand feet of 

 Mount Keen's summit. 



