THE EAGLE. 
105 
taught them to kill and tear them to pieces, as a cat brings 
live mice to her kittens, and teaches them to kill them. 
Sometimes, it seems, hares, rabbits, rats, &c., not being suffi- 
ciently weakened by wounds, got off from the young ones 
while they were amusing themselves with them; and one 
day a rabbit escaped into a hole, where the old eagle could 
not find it. The parent bird another day brought to her 
young ones the cub of a fox, which, after it had fought well, 
and desperately bitten the young ones, attempted to make 
its escape up the hill, and would, in all probability, have 
accomplished it, had not the shepherd, who was watching the 
motion of the Eagles with a view to shoot them, which they 
do with bullets (Swan-shot not being able to penetrate their 
feathers), prevented it. 
As the Eagles kept what might be called such an excellent 
storehouse, whenever visitors came unexpectedly, the owner 
said he was in the frequent habit of sending his servants to 
see what his neighbours the birds had to spare ; and that 
they scarcely ever returned without some dainty dishes for 
his table, game of all kinds being rather the better than the 
worse for being kept a certain time. When the gentleman 
or his servants carried off things from the shelf or table near 
the nest, (for it was a work of great hazard to approach the 
nest itself,) the Eagles lost no time in bringing another 
supply ; but when they did not take them away, the old ones 
loitered about, and were very inactive, amusing themselves 
with their young, till the stock of food had nearly come to 
an end. 
While the hen Eagle was hatching, the table or shelf on 
the rock was generally kept well furnished for her use : and 
when she was in that state, or the Eaglets very young, the 
male-bird generally tore a wing from the fowls for her, or a 
leg from the animals captured. These Eagles, as is generally 
the case with birds that are not gregarious, that is, which do 
not live together, or assemble in flocks, were faithful to 
each other, and would not permit even their young, after 
they had grown up, to build a nest, or live near them, but 
drove them off to a considerable distance. This gentleman 
