The Golden Eagle. 243 
The Golden Eagle builds in inaccessible cliffs from 7 to 
10,000 ft. altitude and constructs a great platform of sticks, on a 
ledge of rock, with another one overhanging it, as a protection 
from the snow and rain, The only lining to the nest is a few 
green twigs of one of the firs or pines, the needles of which must 
be anything but pleasant for close sitting. In one nest, taken by 
me last year, three men could have lain comfortably side by side, 
with room to spare, and all round was a miscellaneous assort- 
ment of legs, hair, feathers, fur, and to cap all, the grinning skull 
of a fox. Crows, judging from the number of beaks about, 
seemed to be in high favour in this family and the large Red 
Flying Squirrel (/*/. hiornatus) ran a good second. On the 
ground, at the foot of the cliff, was the almost entire skeleton of a 
musk deer. 
The young are hatched in March, but do not leave the 
nest till the middle or end of July and then only to get on to 
the adjoining trees and do not accompany the parents till nearly 
the end of August. The Eyass may always be distinguished 
from the parent birds, by the white patches on the wings, visible 
from either above or below, when the bird is flying, and the 
amount of white on the tail. 
The youngster remains with the parents for nearly a month 
after it begins to fly with them, and after that, is turned out into 
the world to fend for itself. One of the finest sights imaginable 
is the Eyass being initiated into the mysteries of stooping. The 
trio will be seen leaving the trees and soaring up into the 
heavens, the haggard leads the way with "something" in her 
talons, then comes the squealing youngster and the tiercel a little 
to one side, as if to keep guard. If you watch them carefully 
with a strong pair of glasses, you will see the "something" drop 
from the haggard's claws and the eyass will drop with closed 
wings after it, followed leisurely by the mother. If the youngster 
misses his stoop and he is pretty certain to do so, the haggard 
simply shoots past him, catches the juicy tit-bit and begins soar- 
ing again, till high enough up to give the youngster another 
good stoop. This game may go on till the youngster has put in 
four or five stoops and in the end he either catches it, or the 
mother considers he has had enough and takes the family back 
