EAGLES TEACRING THEIR YOUNG.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1975, 28 November 1889, Page 1

EAGLES TEACRING THEIR YOUNG.

A short time ago (says a correspondent of The Field) Mr G. Barrow, of the Geological Survey of Scotland, who is surveying the district of Aylth, N. 8., saw, when in the highest point of my deer forest (Glencally), two golden eagles flying towards him, and on their approaching nearer he perceived that one of them was carrying what appeared t© be a ball in its talons. When they came to a large soft piece of ground, which seemed to suit their purpose, one bird remained flying round and round close to the ground, while the other, carrying the ball mounted to a considerable height, when it let it drop ; but after it (the ball) had fallen a little way, the bird swooped down and caught it, and took it up again, and again dropped it, and again caught it. This occurred three or four times, till at length, on being dropped, the ball opened its wings, and Mr Barrow perceived it was a young eagle, which bad steadied itself in its fall. The parent bird, who had dropped it, did not attempt to eatch it this time, but allowed it to lower itself, and the other parent bird caught it with its talons before it quite reached the ground. These tactics having been accomplished to their satisfaction, the old birds carried their offspring back to their nest in. the next forest to min® (Caenlochan). Surely the above shows the groat natural , instinct in wild animals— i.e., the parent birds teaching their young one to fly, in case it might fall out of its nest, which was high up in the rocks, with a fall of 200 ft. on to the rocks below. It is generally supposed that eagles only strike their quarry on the ground, but Mr Barrow not long ago saw one of the eagles above referred to strike a ptarmigan when about 30ft in the air, dash it to the ground, and then kill it (the bird screamed when on the ground), pick it up, and fly off with it