THE SEA EAGLE. 15 



when she flew off, two eggs, greenish-white in colour, like those 

 of the swan, {Cygnus olor), were exposed to view. Very near to 

 this was^ another nest at a similar distance from the top, but it 

 was untenanted, and from its proximity to the other, I should 

 rather suppose that both had belonged to the same pair of eagles 

 in different years, than that they were occupied by two pair at the 

 same time. Less than a furlong distant to the eastward of the 

 Head, there was a nest similarly situated, and containing two 

 eaglets. To obtain these, we engaged a man accustomed to the 

 apparently hazardous exploit of descending precipices. A rope 

 being attached to his body for safety, and a basket to Ins back for 

 the reception of the eaglets, he was lowered to the nest, from 

 which he brought up the birds without injury either to himself 

 or them. The parents were most vociferous during the robbing 

 of their eyrie, taking hurried flights, evidently in despair, towards 

 the nest, but did not attack, nor even closely approach the plun- 

 derer, nor did they come within fair gun-shot of the rock. The 

 eaglets were almost entirely feathered. The first layer of this 

 nest, as well as that of the other two, was composed of strong 

 stems of heather ; being unable by looking over the rock to see 

 the lining, I had it brought up, and found it to be the tender 

 twigs of heath, and plants of Luzula sylvatica, both of which grow 

 on the summit of the cliff. About the nest, there were many legs 

 of rabbits, and the remains of puffins {Mormon fratercula, Temin.) 

 On the following day I saw five sea eagles in mature plumage,* 



* Excepting eaglets, the gamekeeper had never seen any but white-tailed, or adult, 

 eagles here at this season. Mr. J. V. Stewart, however, with reference to this part 

 of the country, remarks : — " In spring I have seen the white-tailed eagle apparently 

 paired with Ossifragus (the adult with the immature bird), and I have reason to 

 believe that they breed together." He adds : — " The males at this season are very 

 assiduous in their attention to the females, and very pugnacious in their rivalry. 

 Some time ago, two of them near this fought so furiously for a female, who remained 

 soaring above, that having in the contest fixed their talons firmly into each other's 

 breasts, they dropped to the ground, and there continued the struggle so fiercely, 

 that a peasant passing by, was enabled to despatch them both with a stick." — Mag. 

 Nat. Hist. vol. v. p. 580, 1832. I have been informed of another instance (which 

 happened in 1836 ?) of two eagles, that after fighting for some time in the air, fell 

 to the ground, in a garden near Newtowncunuingham in the same county, and were 

 secured. If gallantry be really the cause of such combats, birds about to pair for the 

 first time are probably the disputants, as from the circumstance of a pair frequenting 



