WH ITE-TA I LED E AG LE 
7 
defied the attempts of the dog, who was swimming round, awaiting a favourable opportunity for an attach, tun ing 
apparently hut little fancy for facing the terrible beak and talons of his antagonist. At last a sudden gust of wind 
carried one of the broken pinions over the head of the Eagle, and the dog, seizing the point ol the leathers in 
his mouth, swam off towards the shore; the poor bird then drifted on its back, and, impotently clutching at 
the air, was dragged to land. On examining the nest (which was composed ol dead heather-stalks and pieces 
of fir, lined with coarse grass and the roots of a broad-leaved rush) I found the eggs unbroken, and one large 
feather from the wing-coverts cut by a shot alone bore witness to the murder that had taken place. A bile 
climbing back with the assistance of the ropes I discovered an old stump of mountain-ash almost concealed by 
heather. When I reached the ledge above no signs of it could be discerned ; and this, I expect, had taken oil 
the greater part of the first charge, and prevented the bird from being killed on the spot. 
“ By the time I gained the point from which I started the Eagle had been brought up from the shore. ith 
its beak tightly bound up with a leather bootlace, and its powerful legs and claws made fast by some dirty white 
material that bore a suspicious resemblance to a pair of garters, the poor bird was utterly incapable of mischief, 
and its bright and flashing eyes alone gave signs of life. 
“ It was quite possible that the male might soon return ; and having found the nest unoccupied, I imagined 
lie would most likely take his place on the eggs. On this account we deferred setting traps till after we had 
rested and taken our lunch. Concealing the ropes under some heather, we retired to a sheltered gully, where 
we were perfectly hidden from view. The whole of the arrangements had been carried out without a hitch ; the 
signals had been conveyed and the ropes payed out with the regularity of clockwork. The latter part of the 
business had been rather ticklish work, as an inch or two more than was required when I fired the shots 
would have pitched me headlong off the ledge. ‘ Athol,’ notwitstanding his objection to hymn, tunes, had 
done his work right well. Sitting now demurely awaiting his share, lie hardly liked to trust the Eagle from 
his sight, but ever and anon lie turned his eyes towards the slab of stone on which was laid out the body of his 
fallen foe. 
“Cautiously returning an hour later, we found the nest untenanted; a villanous Grey Crow flying croaking 
past was the only bird in sight. As it seemed useless to remain any longer, a couple of traps were soon set in 
the nest ; and having securely covered up the ropes for use on the following day, we left the spot and made our 
way homewards across the moors. 
“ Before leaving the coast we followed the shores of the loch a short distance further west, in order to 
examine with the glasses a small bay that was concealed from sight by a projecting ledge of rocks. Here a 
number of Gulls and Crows were collected round the carcass of a dead seal. While watching this assemblage 
the arrival of a White-tailed Eagle put most of the party to flight ; and I particularly noticed a pair of Grey 
Crows making a straight course towards the cliffs in which the Eagle’s nest was placed. The journey before 
us was long and the way was rough, or I should certainly have turned back to learn if possible the object of 
their visit to this locality. 
“ May 1st. On reaching the nest the following day I discovered the eggs had been sucked ; this was, without 
doubt, the work of Crows, although in some manner the robbers had managed to avoid the traps and make their 
escape. As the shells were almost dry, it was evident that they had been broken for some considerable time • 
and it is most probable that the damage was done shortly after we quitted the spot the previous evening and 
before the male Eagle had a chance of returning to the nest.” 
Another extract from my notes will show that even when the cyrio of the Eaglo has been discovered the 
work of procuring specimens is not always so easy as might be imagined; and the slightest accident or a 
moment's forgetfulness may frustrate the best laid plans. I may as well here state that I was using one of 
the newly invented hammerless guns; and to this cause the Eagle was probably indebted for a slightly l„n»er 
lease of life than it would otherwise have enjoyed. The mistake I made in this case (attempting to shoot 
