26 
FALCONIDiE. 
ber, 1837, when a man on turning suddenly round a rock, came 
close upon one, and attacking it on the instant with his walking- 
stick, so disabled the bird as to bear it off in triumph. 
Habits in captivity. Kinds of food preferred , fyc .-— The Rev. 
Thomas Knox of Toomavara, (Tipperary), remarked in a letter 
dated November 22, 1837, with reference to two young sea eagles, 
birds of that year, which he had in captivity, that he attributed 
their clean healthy state in a great measure to “ having placed in 
their cage, which is very large, a tank of water in which they have 
full room to wash themselves. They seldom miss a day without 
doing so, and the time preferred is immediately after eating : even 
in cold weather, they seem to enjoy the ablution.* Their food is 
varied as much as possible ; raw beef, liver, eels now and then, 
rooks, small birds, and all the dead rats that can be got ; the last 
are preferred to anything else. They sometimes swallow small 
birds whole, and the feathers are afterwards ejected in castings 
about the size of a hen's egg; but when not very hungry, 
they pluck the feathers off. When young, one of them would 
occasionally get out between the bars of the cage, and take a flight 
about the place ; on its being confined again, the bird that re- 
mained behind chastised the transgressor, which, as an additional 
mark of disfavour, was not permitted to occupy the same perch 
with it for the remainder of that day, [in fact, was f put in the 
corner/] The quantity they eat daily was very small compared 
with what was required by a kestrel kept during the preceding 
summer : this bird was very ravenous, and when satisfied, would 
hide the remainder of the food given to it, in a very cunning 
manner." 
The two sea eagles taken from the nest at “ the Horn," were 
trained so far by Mr. Rd. Langtry, that they allowed him to carry 
them on his arm. When given liberty in the morning, they kept 
about the demesne during the day, generally attended his call to 
the lure in the evening, when they were put up for the night, 
throughout which, however, they were occasionally at large. As 
* The partiality of eagles for the bath is also mentioned under C£ Golden Eagle,” 
