66 AMID THE HIGH HILLS 
with the same lightning-like rapidity as the 
peregrine. 
Jolin Finlayson, the head stalker at Killilan, 
wrote to me last February as follows : "I have 
once plainly seen the eagle driving after grouse 
and striking it down very similar like what the 
peregrine falcon does. It happened at the north 
end of Corrie-ach. I was going up to Patt from 
Mulbuie way. A covey of grouse came tearing 
down from the low end of Aonachbuie in front 
of me, about 300 yards away, and an eagle in hot 
pursuit, wings gathered up, and making a swish- 
ing noise ; going through the air it struck one down, 
with a cloud of feathers knocked out when it did 
so. The eagle glided up a little, then balanced 
and dropped down where the bird fell ; it was a 
little over a ridge out of my view ; when I got up 
to the place I saw the eagle well up the glen going 
fast with the bird in its talons." 
My gamekeeper, Donald Mclver, who has 
lived all his life in Ross-shire, on one occasion saw 
an eagle strike and kill a blackcock. This is his 
account of it. " In the forest of Strathconan, 
where I was for a number of years, I once saw a 
very fine sight of an eagle pursuing a blackcock. 
The blackcock got up at the head of a very deep 
