24 FALCONlDiE. 



the western side of Urrisbeg mountain, was, with the accumulated 

 materials of the nest of the preceding years, nine feet in diameter. 

 The portion in which the eggs were deposited, was lined with 

 wool, the fur of the hare, &c. 



On the 15th Feb., 1847, Mr. E. Ball received from the county 

 of Carlow, where it was shot, the finest sea eagle he had ever seen, 

 the weight of which was 131bs. He remarked : — "We have one 

 eagle of the same character in the Zoological Garden. I would 

 almost call it a species, if A. albicilla did not vary so much. The 

 size is much greater than ordinary, and the bearing more lofty ; 

 besides, our living specimen, though young when we got it, as- 

 sumed the mastery over a number of others, and has kept it ever 

 since.* It cannot be that this is merely the female, or else in 

 about thirty living sea eagles which we have had, we never had 

 any but this one. There is a good deal of white on the back, 

 and the breast is strongly and very beautifully spotted with that 

 colour." 



The species is said to breed at Lugnaquilla, the loftiest of the 

 Wicklow mountains ; and there is an eyrie at Moher cliffs, county 

 of Clare.f It has occasionally been met with about Youghal, and 

 has several eyries in the county of Cork; in June, 1837, one was 

 seen on Knockmeledown mountain, county of Waterford.J It 

 frequents the Saltees, off the Wexford coast, and the burrow of 

 Ballyteigue, both being places plentifully stocked with rabbits. § 

 The lofty marine cliffs, noble mountains, and grand rocky islets of 

 Kerry, are favourite abodes of this eagle. It may, therefore, have 

 been this species, and not the golden eagle, which was seen (as 

 uoticed under that bird) by some of our party and others at Man- 

 gerton. The lofty and admirably picturesque cliff between the 

 Upper and Lower Lake of Killarney, called the ' ( Eagle's Nest," 

 bears that name in consequence of its containing an eyrie either 

 of this species or of the golden eagle : — to each it would be 



of two eagles — sea eagles, if the locality be correctly described — attacking a person 

 lowered by a rope to their nest, is given as " well authenticated." 

 * This bird is noticed under Golden Eagle, p. 12. 

 t Davis. + Ball. § Poole. 



