?32 EAGLES 



in a most deafening manner, and, going out to 

 ascertain the cause, I heard them repeated like 

 an echo from above. At that moment a large 

 shadow flitted across the garden, and I became 

 aware that Francisca was deliberately encourag- 

 ing a follower. After some preliminary circling 

 there was a rush of wings and the stranger 

 alighted some few yards from the crippled 

 captive. Both then threw back their haughty 

 heads and made the whole surroundings ring 

 with their cries. What would have happened 

 had they remained undisturbed I have, of 

 course, no means of knowing, but, unluckily, 

 attracted by the unusual vociferations, a servant 

 rushed out and, before I could prevent him 

 from doing so, put the bold stranger to flight. 

 Francisca made unsuccessful and most pathetic 

 efforts to follow, and did not for some time 

 regain her wonted composure. So far as I am 

 aware, the visitor never returned. 



With the crested, variously called " warlike " 

 and " martial " eagle, I have had less to do. I 

 remember when I was residing at Zomba in the 

 Nyasaland Protectorate in 1894 there was a 

 wretched-looking, half-starved and utterly miser- 

 able specimen of this splendid type confined in a 

 small wire-netting enclosure in the back premises 

 of the Government buildings. This unfortunate, 

 whose air of unspeakable dejection never failed 

 to arouse my compassion, was said to have 

 become sufficiently tame to be reconciled to its 

 somewhat squalid surroundings, an allegation for 

 which, however, there was little enough apparent 



