Natural History of Ireland. 49 



shooting in Achil, Lieut. Reynolds had with his first barrel shot a 

 grouse, which an eagle stooped to carry of, and when just in the act 

 of seizing was brought down by the second barrel. By Serjeant 

 Croker of the Constabulary, a most intelligent man, we were assured 

 that, about six months since, an eagle carried off a hen from the vil- 

 lage of Ballycroy, when a few yards only distant from him and se- 

 veral other persons. He was told that a similar occurrence had se- 

 veral times before taken place.* 



At Fairhead, the most lofty and sublime of the basaltic headlands 

 of Antrim, this eagle has an eyrie : — in the same county it has been 

 taken at Glenarm Park. In the Belfast mountains, far remote from 

 any of its habitations, I was once (on October 2, 1832,) gratified by 

 the sight of an eagle, which was soaring, attended first by one, and 

 afterwards by a second kestrel. The snowy Avhiteness of the tail 

 proved it to be an adult bird. It remained in view for about a quar- 

 ter of an hour, then disappeared in the direction of the Cave-hill. 

 In the deer park here, the last eagle I have heard of being taken near 

 Belfast, was trapped upwards of twenty years ago. 



When in August last, at Sleive Donard,t the chief of the Mourne 

 mountains, in the county of Down, a cliff was pointed out as the 

 " Eagle's rock," so named in consequence of having at one period been 

 the eyrie of this bird. Our guide informed us, that eagles had not 

 bred here of late years, (their place is supplied by ravens,) but that 

 they annually build at less frequented places amongst these mountains. 

 Here they are frequently met with by Lord Roden's gamekeeper, 

 but are seldom seen so low down as Tollymore Park, where one only 

 has been taken within the last nine years. 



Montagu relates an instance of a sea eagle being so much wound- 

 ed by a charge of snipe-shot, as, after flying some distance, to fall 

 and be captured. I saw one which was similarly obtained at " the 

 Horn," by Mr John Sims of Dunfanaghy, near to whom it rose as 

 he was returning from snipe-shooting, when his gun was loaded only 

 with this, the smallest of the sportsman's charges. 



Of the two eagles taken from the nest at " the Horn," it may be 

 stated, that Mr R.Langtry trained them so far, that they allowed him 

 to carry them on his arm, and on giving them liberty in the morn- 

 ing, they flew about the demesne during the day, generally attend- 



* When reading of this feat a short time before, in the " Wild Sports of the 

 West," I looked upon it as an embellished tale. 



f Montagu obtained specimens of the sea eagle from this mountain. The 

 individual from which Pennant drew up his description was taken in Galway. 



VOL. II. NO. 7- » 



