210 



NATURAL HISTORY. 



IIYPOTRIORCIIIS. 



(Gr. Alauluv), the Merlin. 



content itself with the bird allotted to its peculiar station, 

 royalty alone having the privilege to bear an eagle into the 

 field. 



The spirited little Merlin seizes with great dexterity small 

 birds such as buntings, thrushes, and blackbirds, itself really 

 hardly larger than its prey, its entire length being barely eleven 

 inches. Even the partridge falls before a trained bird. Its 

 eggs are four in number, of a reddish mottled brown, laid in a 

 rude nest among the heather. 



The KESTREL, or WINDHOVER as it is often called, frequently 

 falls a victim to the mistaken zeal of the farmer, who lakes 

 every opportunity, of destroying it, as he confounds it with the 

 sparrow-hawk. The natural food of the Kestrel is field-mice, 

 so that the farmer should protect instead of remorselessly 

 murdering his benefactor. These birds are not uncommon. 

 Many live close to Oxford and in Bagley Wood, where they 

 may be seen almost daily. They also live in great numbers 



