BIRDS OF PREY. 5 



Greenup, the eagles occasionally built their 

 nests. But they were so destructive to the 

 lambs, and consequently injurious to the in- 

 terests of the shepherds, that their extermi- 

 nation became absolutely necessary. Their 

 building places being inaccessible by climb- 

 ing, a dangerous experiment was tried. A 

 man was lowered by a rope down the face 

 of the cliff for ninety feet, carrying a piked 

 staff, such as is used by the shepherds, to defend 

 himself against the attack of the birds while 

 he robbed the nest of eggs or eaglets. If birds, 

 their possession was to be his remuneration ; if 

 eggs, every neighbouring farmer gave for each 

 egg five shillings. The nest was formed of 

 branches of trees, and lined with coarse grass 

 and bents from the neighbouring rocks. The 

 Eagles sometimes flew off with lambs a month 

 old, and in winter frequented the head of the 

 Derwent, where they preyed upon waterfowl. 



The White-tailed Eagles bred upon the rocks 

 of an escarpment overlooking the sea, and fed 

 upon gulls and terns. The vast peat-mosses 

 which stretched away for miles below abounded 

 in hares and grouse, among which the birds 

 made terrible havoc. Year after year they 



