44 Contributions to the 



coursing it along the ground, the other keeping perpendicularly 

 above the terrified animal. When the lowest eagle tires, they 

 change places, and pursue the same system of tactics, until the hare 

 is completely wearied out. I was told the same circumstance a few 

 days afterwards near Tralee, and again near Monasterevan : my in- 

 formant in every instance stated the fact as having fallen under his 

 own knowledge, and not as a matter of hearsay." 



In October 1833, when looking over a collection of the British 

 Falconidaj belonging to William Sinclaire, Esq., in company with 

 Mr Adams, lately gamekeeper at Glenarm Castle, he at once re- 

 cognized a golden eagle as the species of which he had killed four 

 individuals in Glenarm Park (Antrim.) The first he saw was in 

 the month of March, when two visited the park. At this time, 

 there were but five lambs dropped, and on each of the two first two 

 days of the eagles' appearance, two lambs were carried off, thus leav- 

 ing only one. Mr Adams finding that lambs were in such request 

 with these birds, procured two of them to bait his traps, and had 

 thus the satisfaction of capturing both eagles. In November, a 

 third individual made his appearance, and was seen by Mr Adams 

 and several other persons in pursuit of a hare. This poor animal 

 took refuge under every bush that presented itself, which, as often 

 as she did, the eagle approached the bush so near as apparently to 

 beat the top of it with his wings, and thereby forced the hare to 

 leave her refuge. In this way she was eventually driven to open 

 ground, which did not long avail, as the eagle soon came up with, 

 and bore her off in his talons ; and so disappeared from the specta- 

 tors. Mr Adams, hearing that this eagle had killed several of a 

 neighbour's ducks, lost little time in obtaining one for his trap, and 

 with this tempting bait secured him. The fourth eagle he came 

 upon by chance when out shooting. This bird flew over him at about 

 twenty yards distance, when he was fired at ; the shot from the first 

 barrel bereft him of many feathers, but even after receiving the 

 contents of the second, and though severely wounded, he was able to 

 fly off. Mr Adams saw no more of him after this, until inform- 

 ed by some men who were near, that they had seen an eagle mob- 

 bed by magpies, and he was eventually discovered by the great 

 number of these birds collected about the place where he lay dead 

 on the heath with wings outstretched. 



On Oct. 14, 1835, I saw an adult specimen of the golden eagle,* 

 which was trapped the day before at Claggan (county Antrim.) It 



* Now preserved in the Belfast Museum. 



