EAGLE. 
383 
with what they take, till the disagreeable task of 
providing for an offspring that perpetually fatigues 
them, obliges first the male, and then the female, 
to forsake him. The male transfers himself to a 
new situation, and the female follows the track of 
her faithful mate ; after which, their tenderness for 
another progeny makes them forget the former, whom 
the shepherds leave in the aerie to starve, unless they 
are compassionate enough to remove him. 
This is a fact they were assured of by the gentle- 
man, who acquainted them that three or four of 
these aeries were sufficient to furnish a splendid 
table throughout the year ; and instead of mur- 
muring at the Creator of eagles and vultures, he 
thought himself very happy in their neighbourhood, 
and reckoned every aerie of an eagle or vulture on 
his estate, equivalent to an annual rent. 
This formidable bird is sometimes found in Great 
Britain, but more frequently in the mountainous 
parts of Ireland, where it breeds in the loftiest cliffs, 
and lays three or four eggs, of which seldom more 
than two are prolific. A full-sized golden eagle 
weighs about twelve pounds ; his length is three feet, 
and the extent of his wings between seven and eight 
feet ; his deep-blue bill, about three inches long, 
is ornamented with a yellow cere. The whole body 
is of a dark rusty brown colour, and the feathers on 
the back are finely clouded with a deeper shade of 
the same. The legs are yellow, short, and very 
strong, being three inches in circumference, and 
feathered to the very toes ; these are covered with 
