THE CHAUNTING FALCON. 65 



orite Falcons chosen for that sport. Its strength and swiftness are 

 very great, enabling it to strike down its prey with great ease; indeed, 

 it has been known to disable five Partridges in succession. From its 

 successful pursuit of Ducks, the Americans call it the Duck Hawk. 



There is a peculiarity in the method of attack which this bird em- 

 ploys when pursuing small game. Instead of merely dashing at its 

 prey, and grasping it with its claws, the Peregrine Falcon strikes its 

 victim with its breast, and actually stuns it with the violence of the 

 blow before seizing it with its claws. The boldness of the Peregrine 

 Falcon is so great that it was generally employed to take the formida- 

 ble Heron. After the Heron had been roused from his contemplations 

 by some marsh or river, the Falcon, who had previously been held 

 iiooded on its master's hand, was loosed from its bonds and cast off, 

 A contest then generally took place between the Heron and the Falcon^ 

 each striving to ascend above the other. In this contest the Falcon 

 was always victorious, and after it had attained a certain altitude, it 

 swept, or "stooped," as the })hrase was, upon the Heron. When the 

 Falcon had closed with its prey, they both came to the ground together, 

 and the sportman's business was to reach the place of conflict as soon as 

 possible, and assist the Falcon in vanquishing its prey. Sometimes, 

 however, the wary Heron contrived to receive its enemy on the point 

 of its sharp beak, and transfixed it by its own impetus. 



Nothing can exceed the terror in which the Peregrine Falcon is re- 

 iTarded by such of its feathered brethren as cannot compete with it in 

 :5trength and activity; indeed, no bird from a Wild Goose to a Lark 

 is safe from its murderous attacks. Its prey is usually seized when 

 upon the wing, and is made to rise from the ground by a variety of tac- 

 tics. A Partridge it terrifies by performing gyrations above its head till 

 it seeks safety in flight. 



It changes the color of its plumage several times before it arrives at 

 full maturity, and in the days of falconry M^as known by different 

 names, such as "Hagard" when wild, "Eyass," "Red Falcon" when 

 young, "Tiercel" or "Tassel-gentle" when a full-grown male, a term 

 forcibly recalling the words of Juliet, "Oh for a Falconer's voice to 

 lure this Tassel-gentle back again!" 



It builds on ledges of rocks, laying four eggs of a reddish brown 

 color. Its length is from fifteen to eighteen inches. 



THE CHAUNTING FALCON. 



This lately-discovered species is about the size of the Common Fal- 

 con. Its plumage is, in general, of a pale lead-color, with the top of 

 ihe head and the scapulars inclining to brown. The under parts of 

 the breast are of a pearly gray, crossed with numerous gray stripes. 

 The quills are black. The tail is wedge-shaped, the outer feathers' 

 one-third shorter than the middle ones, and the tip white. The bill 

 and claws are black, and the cere and legs orange. 



Daring the breeding season the male of this species is remarkable 



