THE EAGLES 93 



and appears to show no further interest in the unwelcome 

 visit." 



It is odd, too, to see how this species of Eagle will 

 tolerate the presence of small birds, even when intruding 

 into its home. We have it on the authority of the late 

 Prince Ptudolph of Austria that colonies of tree-sparrows 

 often take up their abode in the huge pile of sticks of which 

 a Sea Eagle's nest is composed. " The cheeky little birds 

 hop about without caring either for the young or the old 

 Eagles, and quite friendly relations seem to exist between 

 the mighty lords of the nest and the little intruders." Of 

 course this applies only to the case of Sea-Eagles that 

 build in trees. 



That the Sea Eagle is daring enough when its anger is 

 really roused is beyond doubt. The same author tells how, 

 when he was shooting on the Danube marshes, he sent his 

 keeper to pick up one of these birds which he had brought 

 down with his gun. 



Suddenly they both caught sight of another Sea Eagle 

 circling high overhead. "As soon as this bird saw the 

 keeper pick up its slain comrade it folded its wings and 

 swooped down like an arrow. The keeper, whose attention 

 was attracted by the noisy flapping of its heavy wings, 

 looked up and saw the Eagle only a few feet above his head, 

 with its claws ready extended for attack. The charge was 

 so furious and the bird was so close, that the keeper, 

 though a courageous man, was obliged to spring behind 

 the trunk of a neighbouring beech tree." He adds, " I had 

 often heard of such daring attacks being made by parent 

 Eagles close to their nest, but this was in the wood." 



Prince Rudolph reckoned the Sea Eagle the best known 

 Eagle of his country {i.e. Austria), but it only stays there 

 for part of the year, as a rule. Most of the Sea Eagles 



