They often carry off ducks and wild birds to their rocky eyrie, as
food for their young ones. The Sea-eagle lives upon fish which swim near
the surface of the waves; it sees them afar off with its keen eyes, and
darts down upon them.
[Illustration: "THE OWL WILL BUILD BESIDE A BARN, OR IN A HOLLOW TREE."]
Most likely you remember the story of the Highland mother, whose baby was
carried away by a great eagle, and how she climbed the steep rocks until
she reached its nest, and rescued her child. Her strong mother-love took
away all fear of the dreadful height which even a young sailor feared to
climb, and of the wild birds who flapped their great wings at her, and then
fled screaming away; but I need not say more of this Scotch story, which
you may have so often heard, so I will tell you of what happened once in
Switzerland to a little girl about five years old.
She was playing near her mountain home, when a great eagle saw her, darted
down, and was just catching her curly little head in its strong talons,
when a man with a gun, not far off, fired. He had been watching the eagle,
but did not see the child, or he would have been afraid to fire, lest he
should kill her. When he came to pick up the dead bird he found the little
girl beside it. She had been saved by the shot which killed the fierce
eagle; but I have heard that when she had grown to be a woman the scars of
deep wounds made by its talons upon her head could still be seen.
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