52 



HARD WICKE 'S SCIENCE - GOSSIP. 



Numerous are the stories that we hear of this bird's 

 dauntless spirit — of its following hunters on the 

 moors, and carrying off the game from under "their 

 very nose " ; of its flying away with the hunted hare, 

 and thus putting the dogs off the scent ; and many 

 others, far too numerous to mention. 



Swift as the Peregrine flies, it is seldom it comes 





circle, and again awaits its chance. When once the 

 Peregrine has compelled its prey to take cover, it 

 does not wait patiently like the Goshawk {Falco 

 pabanbarius), but immediately abandons it and goes 

 in search of another victim. In Falconry the Falcon 

 (female) was flown at very large game ; that is, at 

 birds often much larger than itself, and endowed 



-"'CJ'"^'*^ 1,;. 



Fig. 42. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), on the look-out. 



to harm through it ; for if in its flights any obstacle 

 arise — a fence, a huge rock, or some natural rising 

 on the earth's surface — it is cleared as if with a 

 bound. In the final nish at its victim, should it 

 miss its aim (an occurrence which rarely happens), 

 instead of dashing itself against the earth (as one not 

 used to seeing this magnificent bird in his wild 

 nature would be led to expect), it rises in a beautiful 



with great strength ; such as herons and ducks, and 

 sometimes even at geese. 



The food of the Peregrine consists of the various 

 kinds of aquatic birds, together with grouse, par- 

 tridges, rabbits, hares, &c. Small birds are consumed 

 entirely, the feathers and bones being afterwards 

 ejected in the form of pellets. Birds about the size 

 of a partridge ar« carried off to some quiet nook. 



