The Golden Eagle. "5 



on plundering his nest, leaves him to pursue his course unmolested. Over woods 

 and green fields, and scattered hamlets, speeds the Eagle, and now he enters the 

 long vallej'- of the Dee, near the upper end of which is dimly seen through the 

 thin grey mist the rock of his nest. About a mile from it he meets his mate, 

 who has been abroad on a similar errand, and is returning with a white hare in 

 her talons. They congratulate each other with loud yelping cries, which rouse 

 the drowsy shepherd on the strath below who, mindful of the lambs being carried 

 off in spring-time, sends after them his malediction. Now they reach their nest, 

 and are greeted by their yotxng with loud clamour. 



" Let us mark the spot. It is the shelf of a rock, concealed by a projecting 

 angle, so that it cannot be injured from above, and too distant from the base to 

 be reached bj' a shot. In the crevices are luxtiriant tufts of Rhodiola rosea, and 

 scattered around are many Alpine plants, which it woiild delight the botanist to 

 enumerate. The mineralogist would not be less pleased could he with chisel and 

 hammer reach that knob which glitters with crystals of quartz and felspar. The 

 nest is a bulky fabric, five feet at least in diameter, rudely constructed of dead 

 sticks, twigs, and heath, flat unless in the centre, v^^here it is a little hollowed, and 

 covered with wool and feathers. Slovenly creatures you would think those two 

 young birds, clothed w^ith vi^hite down, amid which the larger feathers are seen 

 projecting, for their fluid dung is scattered all over the sticks, and you see that 

 had the nest been formed more compactly of softer materials it would have been 

 less comfortable. Strewn ai'ound too are fragments of lambs, hares, grouse, and 

 other birds, in various stages of decay. Alighting on the edges of the nest the 

 Eagles deposit their prey, partially pluck off the hair and feathers, and rudel}- 

 tearing up the flesh, lay it before their ever-hungry^ 3-oung." 



In Scotland the Golden Eagle nests early in April, often while the snow is 

 still deep upon the hills, selecting a rock generall}' nearer the bottom than the 

 top of a mountain, and rarely more than 1000 feet above the sea-level. The ledge 

 chosen is almost invariably sheltered b}^ some overhanging crag, the nest built up 

 of sticks and heather is a large structure, five or six feet across, and is alwa3's 

 lined with tufts of the grass Liizula sylvatica. The eggs are laid about loth 

 April, and are one, two, or three in number ; an instance of four having been 

 found has been recorded. When there are three one is usuallj^ addled, and is not 

 so well coloured as the other two. The eggs vary^ both in size and colour ; some 

 are almost completel}^ white ; others are closely powdered over with dull brick 

 red ; others have lilac underlying shell markings, and are handsomel}- blotched 

 with red. Those laid b}^ Scotch Eagles are reputed b}" some collectors to be the 

 largest in size and the best marked ; the writer has known ^10 asked for a clutch 



