PEBEGBINES AND MERLINS. 141 



or slioutino;-, so it was arranged tliat the watclier 

 should frighten lier off by firing his gun. This 

 was done, and slie instantly fluttered out. Bang ! 

 bang ! bang ! went three shots, and away flew the 

 Falcon fatally wounded, according to the verdict 

 of lier would-be slayers. 



They now descended to a cottage some little 

 distance below, and waited to see whether the male 

 bird would turn up to take his share of the labours 

 of incubation. In a little while he flew into the 

 eyrie, and the keepers crept stealthily towards the 

 place. As soon as they arrived at a satisfactory 

 point one of them cried out, and their chance came. 

 Four barrels were emptied in a skyward direction, 

 but despite this liberal expenditure of lead the 

 Peregrine sailed away, apparently none the worse. 



Both birds subsequently returned to the eyrie 

 as full of life and mischief as when they left it. 



The Merlin, or " Stone Falcon," as it is called 

 in some parts of the country, is the smallest and 

 pluckiest winged enemy the moorland gamekeeper 

 has to contend with. It breeds in the deep heather 

 and preys upon young Grouse and small birds, 

 which are plucked on little " knowes " at some 

 distance from the nest, round which there is hardly 

 a feather to be seen. Last summer we were shown 

 a nest on the Westmorland hills containing four 

 eggs, and succeeded in inducing the farmer, on 

 whose property it was situated, to spare them and 

 the young ones, which were subsequently hatched, 

 and of which we made a photograj^h. 



I have canvassed the opinions of many intel- 

 ligent gamekeepers of wide experience upon the 

 vexed question of killing hawks and owls, and 

 although my sympathies are with the birds, I must 

 admit that their arguments in defence of their action 



