102 THE FEATHERED TRIBES. 



to teach the hawk to fix on the back between the wings, which has the same effect, only 

 that the bird tumbling down more slowly, the falconer has more time to come to his 

 hawk's assistance ; but in either case, if he be not very expeditious, the falcon is inevit- 

 ably destroyed. 



" I never saw the shaheen fly at eagles, that sport being disused in my time ; but I 

 have often seen him take herons and storks. The hawk, when thrown off, flics for some 

 time in a horizontal line, not six feet from the gromid, then mounting perpendicularly 

 with astonishing swiftness, he seizes his prey under the wing, and both together come 

 tumbling to the ground. If the falconer is not, however, very expeditious, the game 

 soon disengages itself." 



THE MERLIN.* 



This may be regarded as one of the handsomest of our raptorial birds. It greatly 

 resembles the peregrine, except in stature, but though less, its proportions are all most 

 symmetrical, and the colours of the plumage, though somewhat similarly distributed, are 

 more brdhant and better marked. It is also allied to that bird in its changes of 

 plumage. 



In pursuit of prey, the merlin does not often mount above it and rush down, as the 

 peregi-ine generally does, but at once gives chase, closely following the victim through 

 all its turns and windings to escape, and unless cover is at hand, is generally successful. 



" This beautiful little hawk," says Mr. Lloyd, " visits us about October, and leaves us 

 in the spring. Scarcely larger than a thrush, the courageous little fellow glides with the 

 rapidity of thought on a blackbird, or fieldfare, sometimes even on the partridges, and 

 strikmg his game on the back of the head, kills it at a single blow. The merlin is a 

 very bold bird, and seems afraid of notliing. I one day mnged one as he was passing 

 over my head at a great height. The little fellow, small as he was, flimg himself on his 

 back when I went to pick him up, and gave battle most furiously, darting out his talons 

 (which were as hard and sharp as needles) at everything that approached him. We 

 took him home, however, and I put him into the walled garden, where he lived for more 

 than a year. He very soon became quite tame, and came, on being called, to receive 

 his food, which consisted of birds, mice, &c. So fearless was he, that he flew instantly 

 at the largest kind of sea-gull or crow that we gave him. \Vlien hungry, and no other 

 food wa.s at hand, he would attend the gardener when digging, and swallow the large 

 earth-woiTOS when turned up. To my great regret we found the little bird lying dead 

 \nidcr the tree in which he usually roosted ; and though I examined liim carefully, I could 

 not find out the cause of his death. 



" Although all these small hawks which frequent this coimtry destroy a certain quan- 

 tity of game, their principal food consists of thrushes, l)lackbirds, and other small birds. 



* Kal( o Cf^salon. — \Villoujilil>v 



