WHITE-TAILED EAGLE. 
17 
met with an instance of the golden eagle breeding in 
a tree or in a sea-clifF, but on the other hand several of 
the sea-eagle breeding in a rock inland, though not many 
miles away from the ocean ; two such nests that I visited 
were in small rocks of easy access, in every respect like 
golden eagles, and in one the hen showed the same 
unwillingness to leave her eggs. In the summer of 1848, 
I took out of their nest on a ledge of a perpendicular 
sea-clifF, two fully-fledged eaglets, which, now nearly 
five years old, have not (March, 1853) acquired their 
complete adult plumage, though kept in a most congenial 
situation amongst the Derbyshire rocks. The eggs of 
the White-tailed are laid a week or a fortnight later than 
those of the golden eagle ; they are generally smaller.” 
“ The mountain-eagle, as Sir Walter Scott was well 
aware, is a carrion-eater equally with the-sea eagle; a 
friend of mine a few years ago saw no less than nine 
of the two species collected round a dead horse within 
a hundred yards of the windows of his father’s house. 
In Scotland it is a melancholy reflection that they can 
scarcely continue to exist much longer: the White¬ 
tailed eagle in its sea-girt fortresses will be the last to 
disappear. Each inland 4 Craig an Eulah’ will soon 
be an empty name.” 
Latham mentions an instance of this eagle breeding 
in Cumberland. 
Its eggs, two or three in number, are always probably, 
when first laid, of a spotless white, and afterwards receive 
as stains, the slight colour with which they are marked, 
as on the eggs figured in my former works: 
Mr. Wolley tells me that eggs of a species of penguin 
brought home by the guano ships are sold as those of this 
eagle. 
c 
