Page:The Natural History of Ireland vol1.djvu/45

 of the whole struck upon me, and I bent my course back with a feeling of gratification, that, but for the occurrence of the eagle, would have been one of having made a profitless excursion."

Two of these birds (adults) were seen by us the next day, soaring above a lake in the island, and we were informed by Lieutenant Reynolds,* that four pair of sea eagles breed in Achil. With respect to their being in so wild a district comparatively fearless of man, it may be stated, that the gentleman just named when once shooting there, had, with his first barrel brought down a grouse, which an eagle stooped to carry off, and when just in the act of seizing, was itself shot by the second barrel. Such a pro- ceeding, however, was more like that of a golden eagle, than of the species now under consideration.

Lieut. Reynolds assured me, that in Achil he once saw a pair of old sea eagles attack and kill a young bird of their own species, which they eat, leaving only the bill and legs.f

Although we associate the sublime in scenery with the eagle, yet where these birds are of frequent occurrence, as at Achil, they

This gentleman mentioned that an eagle had for some years frequented the uninhabited Bills Rock, which rises above the ocean at the distance of several miles from Achil. To the fishermen visiting the place, this bird was known by the name of Old Brown, in consequence of a belief that a well-known person so called, who had committed some heinous sin, had been changed into the eagle, and doomed to the penance of living on the wild and savage rock. The idea of but one bird being there, probably arose from the circumstance of the rock being but rarely visited, and one individual only seen at such times. A correspondent mentioned in 1841, that a pair of sea eagles inhabited the islet, and from their remarkable light colour, he imagined them to be very old birds.

f A portion of the following matter communicated by my late friend, Geo. Matthews, Esq., although relating to another country, bears on some of the preceding points : — " We saw a number of eagles along the coast of Norway, from Trondjeim to the Alten Fiord, in the summei', autumn, and winter of 1843, especially the osprey or sea eagle. Some were shot. They were watchful, and difficult to get at. They eat car- rion : — even the carcass of one of their own species, which we threw overboard, after being skinned, was eaten by them. Sometimes we looked out for eagles hovering over a mountain side, and on going there with our dogs, were sure to find game. We thought them cowardly, as several times we have seen a falcon attack and hunt them well. The falcons would not leave the mountain, notwithstanding our firing, if once they saw grouse on the wing, and several were shot in consequence of their following the same pack of grouse as we did. The eagles always went off on the first fire."

The difference between the actions related by Lieut. Reynolds and Mr. Matthews, may, as it seems to me, (taking it for granted that the same species is alluded to,) fairly be attributed to the different circumstances of the localities, and to the individual character of the birds.