﻿BIRDS. 
  

  

  55 
  

  

  far 
  as 
  is 
  known. 
  The 
  same 
  place 
  was 
  occupied 
  in 
  1893, 
  but 
  the 
  

   egg 
  or 
  eggs 
  were 
  destroyed 
  by 
  some 
  person 
  or 
  persons 
  unknown. 
  

   On 
  May 
  7th 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  birds 
  was 
  trapped 
  by 
  a 
  keeper, 
  and 
  two 
  

   toes 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  cut 
  off 
  : 
  this 
  was 
  supposed 
  to 
  be 
  the 
  male. 
  The 
  

   above 
  is 
  an 
  abstract 
  of 
  information 
  supplied 
  at 
  a 
  late 
  date 
  by 
  the 
  

   head 
  gamekeeper, 
  who 
  adds 
  : 
  — 
  1 
  The 
  bird 
  is 
  none 
  the 
  worse, 
  as 
  I 
  

   see 
  them 
  often 
  flying 
  together. 
  Both 
  birds 
  sit 
  time 
  about 
  on 
  the 
  

   nest, 
  as 
  far 
  as 
  can 
  be 
  made 
  out. 
  In 
  the 
  month 
  of 
  March 
  1893 
  I 
  

   saw 
  three 
  Eagles 
  together.' 
  

  

  Of 
  another 
  alternative 
  eyrie, 
  also 
  within 
  the 
  limits 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  

   deer-forest, 
  we 
  are 
  credibly 
  informed, 
  by 
  one 
  who 
  traverses 
  these 
  

   mountaineering-club 
  paradises, 
  that 
  the 
  eyrie 
  was 
  not 
  used 
  this 
  

   year. 
  All 
  the 
  eyries 
  except 
  one 
  partake 
  of 
  very 
  similar 
  charac- 
  

   teristics 
  — 
  simplicity 
  and 
  accessibility, 
  and 
  are 
  abnormal 
  in 
  the 
  

   selection 
  of 
  the 
  sites. 
  The 
  eggs 
  have 
  either 
  been 
  stolen 
  or 
  broken 
  

   by 
  Hooded 
  Crows, 
  or 
  taken 
  bodily 
  away; 
  and 
  the 
  Glenfiddich 
  

   birds' 
  eggs 
  have 
  always 
  been 
  addled, 
  and 
  so 
  with 
  those 
  taken 
  by 
  

   Hinxman. 
  These 
  latter 
  also 
  were 
  almost 
  colourless. 
  Further, 
  on 
  

   Hinxman's 
  nest 
  only 
  one 
  bird 
  — 
  the 
  female 
  — 
  was 
  seen, 
  and 
  she 
  sat 
  

   steadily 
  for 
  weeks. 
  Either 
  the 
  eggs 
  were 
  addled 
  or 
  infertile, 
  or 
  

   became 
  addled 
  if 
  she 
  had 
  to 
  leave 
  her 
  nest 
  for 
  food 
  and 
  was 
  

   unassisted 
  by 
  her 
  mate, 
  which, 
  with 
  two 
  feet 
  maimed, 
  and 
  

   possibly 
  two 
  claws 
  or 
  toes 
  cut 
  off 
  each 
  foot, 
  may 
  have 
  perished, 
  

   or 
  been 
  unable 
  to 
  supply 
  food 
  enough 
  for 
  both 
  himself 
  and 
  

   her. 
  

  

  Eagles 
  are 
  seen 
  at 
  times 
  flying 
  high 
  over 
  the 
  plains 
  or 
  Laigh 
  of 
  

   Moray. 
  Captain 
  Dunbar-Brander 
  relates 
  how 
  he 
  once 
  observed 
  

   one, 
  ' 
  seemingly 
  crossing 
  from 
  Ross-shire 
  to 
  the 
  Cairngorms 
  ; 
  it 
  

   was 
  travelling 
  and 
  circling, 
  11 
  waltzing," 
  like 
  a 
  Vulture, 
  and 
  there 
  

   were 
  half 
  a 
  dozen 
  Rooks 
  mobbing 
  him. 
  He 
  was 
  crossing 
  over 
  

   Spynie 
  high 
  up, 
  about 
  twice 
  the 
  height 
  of 
  "the 
  Mucklc 
  Kirk" 
  

   of 
  Spynie.' 
  

  

  Haliaetus 
  albicilla 
  (L 
  ). 
  White-tailed 
  Eagle. 
  

  

  Of 
  the 
  former 
  breeding 
  of 
  this 
  bird 
  in 
  the 
  Sutherland 
  portion 
  of 
  our 
  

   area 
  we 
  have 
  little 
  information. 
  They 
  were 
  at 
  one 
  time 
  more 
  

   abundant 
  than 
  the 
  Golden 
  Eagle, 
  and 
  about 
  the 
  year 
  1850 
  bred 
  

   in 
  various 
  inland 
  localities, 
  such 
  as 
  Ben 
  Hee, 
  and 
  on 
  an 
  island 
  in 
  

   Loch 
  Fiack. 
  They 
  also 
  bred 
  in 
  a 
  rock 
  on 
  the 
  Ord, 
  and 
  Sandy 
  

  

  