﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  were 
  made, 
  however, 
  fully 
  sixteen 
  years 
  ago, 
  and 
  long 
  before 
  the 
  

   eagles 
  came 
  there. 
  Mr. 
  Norrie 
  took 
  five 
  photos 
  of 
  the 
  nest 
  and 
  

   situation. 
  Later 
  in 
  the 
  season 
  the 
  head 
  forester 
  related 
  to 
  us 
  the 
  

   history 
  of 
  these 
  birds, 
  which 
  was 
  noted 
  down 
  by 
  us 
  as 
  soon 
  after 
  

   as 
  possible. 
  'When 
  the 
  eagles 
  came 
  first 
  in 
  1891 
  they 
  selected 
  

   another 
  site 
  not 
  far 
  off 
  ' 
  (we 
  have 
  already 
  spoken 
  of 
  them 
  in 
  that 
  

   year. 
  — 
  Eds.). 
  In 
  1892 
  they 
  shifted 
  ground, 
  but 
  were 
  unsuccessful 
  

   in 
  rearing 
  young, 
  though 
  an 
  egg 
  or 
  eggs 
  were 
  laid. 
  In 
  1893 
  the 
  

  

  Glen 
  eagles 
  returned 
  and 
  laid 
  eggs, 
  and 
  the 
  hen 
  was 
  seen 
  

  

  sitting 
  on 
  the 
  nest, 
  but 
  some 
  person 
  unknown 
  to 
  the 
  head 
  keeper 
  

   took 
  the 
  eggs. 
  The 
  birds 
  naturally 
  left, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  keepers 
  

   accidentally 
  caught 
  one 
  of 
  them 
  (the 
  cock 
  ? 
  — 
  see 
  further 
  on) 
  by 
  

   two 
  of 
  the 
  claws 
  or 
  toes. 
  The 
  head 
  keeper 
  cut 
  these 
  off 
  and 
  

   gave 
  the 
  bird 
  its 
  freedom, 
  and 
  the 
  two 
  birds 
  were 
  seen 
  together 
  

   afterwards. 
  Our 
  informant 
  added, 
  ' 
  The 
  curious 
  thing 
  was 
  that 
  

   the 
  other 
  foot 
  had 
  lost 
  two 
  claws 
  or 
  toes 
  ' 
  (compare 
  the 
  statement 
  

   of 
  the 
  keeper 
  in 
  Glenlivet 
  of 
  how 
  he 
  trapped 
  one 
  last 
  year 
  or 
  the 
  

   year 
  before, 
  and 
  took 
  it 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  factor's 
  house 
  at 
  Drumin 
  ; 
  and 
  

   which, 
  when 
  released, 
  flew 
  away 
  up 
  Glen 
  Avon). 
  Our 
  informant 
  

   then 
  added 
  the 
  information 
  that 
  this 
  bird 
  — 
  trapped 
  in 
  1893 
  — 
  

   measured 
  6 
  feet 
  6 
  inches 
  across 
  the 
  wings, 
  had 
  a 
  white 
  spot 
  on 
  

   each 
  shoulder, 
  and 
  white 
  across 
  the 
  root 
  of 
  the 
  tail, 
  but 
  that 
  

   the 
  other 
  bird 
  was 
  much 
  blacker, 
  and 
  had 
  no 
  white 
  on 
  the 
  tail. 
  

   This 
  indicates 
  immaturity 
  in 
  the 
  one 
  — 
  probably 
  the 
  male 
  — 
  

   and 
  greater 
  age 
  of 
  the 
  female. 
  All 
  the 
  above 
  happened 
  before 
  

   Mr. 
  Norrie 
  and 
  Harvie-Brown 
  were 
  there 
  on 
  April 
  20th 
  and 
  took 
  

   the 
  photos. 
  

  

  The 
  sequel 
  to 
  the 
  above 
  relation 
  is 
  as 
  follows. 
  Mr. 
  Hinx- 
  

   man, 
  in 
  his 
  report 
  to 
  us 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  of 
  Glen 
  Avon, 
  when 
  speaking 
  

   of 
  Eagles' 
  eyries, 
  mentioned 
  'a 
  huge 
  mass 
  of 
  sticks 
  in 
  a 
  very 
  

  

  accessible 
  situation 
  in 
  Glen 
  , 
  but 
  it 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  occupied 
  for 
  

  

  many 
  years 
  ' 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  later 
  communication 
  he 
  informs 
  us 
  that 
  

   the 
  eagle 
  had 
  returned 
  to 
  this 
  site 
  late 
  in 
  the 
  season, 
  had 
  laid 
  and 
  

   sat 
  upon 
  two 
  eggs, 
  but 
  after 
  some 
  weeks 
  he 
  took 
  them, 
  and 
  they 
  

   proved 
  to 
  be 
  both 
  addled. 
  

  

  The 
  nest 
  of 
  1891 
  was 
  destroyed 
  by 
  a 
  heavy 
  fall 
  of 
  snow, 
  and 
  

   fragments 
  of 
  eggs 
  were 
  procured 
  by 
  the 
  keeper. 
  The 
  birds 
  shifted 
  

   to 
  the 
  present 
  site 
  in 
  1892, 
  and 
  had 
  only 
  one 
  egg, 
  and 
  they 
  sat 
  

   on 
  this 
  till 
  the 
  1st 
  of 
  June. 
  This 
  egg 
  was 
  destroyed 
  by 
  frost, 
  so 
  

  

  