THROUGH WILD EUROPE 91 



whatever else they could find ; and almost daily we 

 could see a magnificent pair of Sea Eagles hunting 

 for their daily food over marsh and hillside. 



Booted Eagles, Bonelli's Eagle, and Short-toed 

 or Snake Eagles I had seen before in Spain ; but 

 the Sea Eagle was a new species in my experience, 

 and as such all the more interesting. 



One day we had a splendid view of both birds 

 at close range as they quartered the reed-beds ; both 

 male and female had perfectly white tails, and in 

 the bright sun we could see every feather in their 

 plumage through our glasses. It was a splendid 

 sight, and we began to make plans for a search for 

 their nest in a neighbouring forest, where we felt 

 sure they must be breeding. The large flocks of 

 Coots on the lagoon seemed to be a great attraction 

 for them, and we often saw their attacks, and from 

 a very considerable distance could hear the roar 

 made by thousands of terrified Coots and Ducks 

 rising from the water in a huge black mass. Doubt- 

 less many of the nearer birds would dive to avoid 

 the "stoop" of the Eagle, that being the method 

 generally ascribed to these birds in evading similar 

 attacks, but this we were always too far away 

 to witness. Gulls also form part of their prey. 

 On one occasion I found the nest of a Yellow- 

 legged Herring Gull [Larus cachinnans) which 

 contained three eggs and the freshly-severed head 



