Page:The Natural History of Ireland vol1.djvu/48

 the western side of Urrisbeg mountain, was, with the accumulated materials of the nest of the preceding years, nine feet in diameter. The portion in which the eggs were deposited, was lined with wool, the fur of the hare, &c.

On the 15th Feb., 1847, Mr. E. Ball received from the county of Carlow, where it was shot, the finest sea eagle he had ever seen, the weight of which was 131bs. He remarked : — "We have one eagle of the same character in the Zoological Garden. I would almost call it a species, if A. albicilla did not vary so much. The size is much greater than ordinary, and the bearing more lofty ; besides, our living specimen, though young when we got it, as- sumed the mastery over a number of others, and has kept it ever since.* It cannot be that this is merely the female, or else in about thirty living sea eagles which we have had, we never had any but this one. There is a good deal of white on the back, and the breast is strongly and very beautifully spotted with that colour."

The species is said to breed at Lugnaquilla, the loftiest of the Wicklow mountains ; and there is an eyrie at Moher cliffs, county of Clare.f It has occasionally been met with about Youghal, and has several eyries in the county of Cork; in June, 1837, one was seen on Knockmeledown mountain, county of Waterford.J It frequents the Saltees, off the Wexford coast, and the burrow of Ballyteigue, both being places plentifully stocked with rabbits. § The lofty marine cliffs, noble mountains, and grand rocky islets of Kerry, are favourite abodes of this eagle. It may, therefore, have been this species, and not the golden eagle, which was seen (as uoticed under that bird) by some of our party and others at Man- gerton. The lofty and admirably picturesque cliff between the Upper and Lower Lake of Killarney, called the "Eagle's Nest," bears that name in consequence of its containing an eyrie either of this species or of the golden eagle : — to each it would be

of two eagles — sea eagles, if the locality be correctly described — attacking a person lowered by a rope to their nest, is given as "well authenticated."

This bird is noticed under Golden Eagle, p. 12.

t Davis.

+ Ball.

§ Poole.