Chapter XL. 



FALCONS: THE PEREGRINE. 



There are various reasons why, amongst thediscriminating 

 as well as the undiscriminating observers of birds, falcons 

 should hold perhaps the very highest rank. In the first place 

 there is the inimitable boldness, combined with a dash and 

 go unapproached by any other birds. Man loves even a 

 robber, provided his robbery has a dash of the dare-devil in 

 it. This moreover, is an age of "record" collecting, and the 

 superlative in any form of sport is sure of its fame until 

 eclipsed. But man was an admirer of speed before the d-iys 

 of stop-watches, and we should have to go back to prehistoric 

 times before we came to the first mental record — if that were 

 available — of the speed of a peregrine or a hobby. I remember 

 seeing one of the former at apparently full speed several 

 years ago. It was on the borders of the provinces of Kiangsu 

 and Chekiang. The season had been mild. The day had 

 been one of those absolutely perfect days which Dame Nature 

 so generously deals out to this part of the world at Christmas- 

 time. I and my companion had been shooting the whole day, 

 and had just returned to the boat. The sun was about to go 

 down, and so was throwing aslant his clear ruddy beams 

 across the landscape, making those glorious changing pictures 

 only to be seen during a few gorgeous minutes at such a time. 

 Out of the north came the perej^rine, his course due south. 

 He passed us at a distance of sixty or seventy yards perhaps, 

 not more than 30ft. above the ground, and looked as though 

 he might have an appointment in Canton between five and 

 six. It was then half-past four or so. We saw him appear, 

 we saw him pass, his lighter under parts ablaze in sunset 

 tint; and we saw him disappear. Then we looked at one 

 another, laconically asking. What pace that? We could but 

 guess, of course, but we both agreed that three times the 

 speed of a mile a minute train was somewhere about it. 

 Never before or since have I seen animal motion approaching 

 this rate except, perhaps, in a sudden dash for a short distance. 



Yet there is reason to believe that the speed of the hobby 



■ outranks even that of the peregrine. I saw one some eighteen 



months ago cross the Racecourse at Shanghai much as the 



peregrine was travelling, but it was not in so favourable a 



