306 THE ZOOLOGIST. 



better to see the odd movements — recurrent at not very long 

 intervals — which she makes on the nest. I do not understand 

 these movements. They do not seem deliberate and directed to 

 the attainment of some special end, but rather of a spontaneous 

 kind, as though they had their origin in the bird's own feelings, 

 whatever these may be supposed to be. If there be an object in 

 them at all, the one which they might best seem to subserve 

 would, perhaps, be the rolling over of the eggs, so that every 

 part of their surface should come in contact with the bird's 

 warm body. There may be a tactile pleasure in thus rolling 

 the eggs under the body, which, if it brought about any beneficial 

 result, would have been fostered, as well as kept within due 

 limits, by natural selection. But this explanation hardly satisfies 

 me, for certain movements which cannot, as far as I oan see, 

 have anything to do with this supposed object, are left un- 

 accounted for ; and the cat's-paw theory is no better. From 

 what I could catch of the movements of the Eagle on the nest, 

 they were much of the same kind as those of its small relative. 



6.10. — The sitting bird utters the little, sharp, twittering cry, 

 and flies from the nest. I follow her, this time, well with the 

 glasses. She flies low over the ground, and at a certain point, 

 seems just to stoop upon it, rising and flying on again, almost 

 without a pause, and she then seems to be carrying something 

 in her claws. It certainly gave me that impression, but owing 

 to the distance, and the smallness of the bird's body, with my 

 never being able to get it against the sky-line, I could not be 

 sure, and, unfortunately, she soon dipped into a gorge, and was 

 hidden. Immediately afterwards, the male Merlin appeared, 

 flying from the direction in which the other had flown, and 

 going up, I think, from the ground — so much I can say of him, 

 and so much is in accord with the supposition that he had 

 brought in prey for his partner. The latter, after a short 

 interval, flies back and covers her eggs again. She came down 

 on the ledge, and then made a curious little shuffling run on to 

 the nest, with her body held quite low. I did not note the 

 exact time of her return, but it must, I think, have been well 

 before 6.30 — she would, however, have had plenty of time for a 

 meal. It is now 8.40, and there has been no further exeat. For 

 the last twenty minutes, or so, the bird has reversed her position 



