80 BEITISH BIRDS' NESTS. 



JRe}uarls. — Resident, but \Yaiideriiig. Note : a 

 yelping, or barking kind of cry. Local and other 

 names : Sea Eagle, Erne, Cineroiis Eagle. Sits 

 rather lightly, and is much attached to the same 

 nesting- site. 



FALCON, PEREGRINE. 



Description of Parent Birds. — Length from 

 fifteen to seventeen or eighteen inches. Bill short, 

 strong, much curved, and blue with a blackish tip. 

 Bare skin round the base of the beak and eyelids 

 yellow. L'ides dusky. Head, back of neck, and 

 upper parts generally bluish-ash, coloured darkest 

 on the crown and nape, and faintly barred on the 

 back and wing-coverts with a darker tint. Wing- 

 quills dusky, barred and spotted on the inner webs 

 with reddish-white. Tail-feathers barred alter- 

 nately with black and dingy ash. Chin, throat, 

 and upper breast white, tinged with j^ellow or 

 rufous, and marked on the two latter parts with 

 a few dark streaks. Lower breast, lielly, and under- 

 parts white, barred with dark brown and grey. 

 Legs and toes j^ellow ; claws black. 



The female is somewdiat larger, but similar in 

 plumage. However, the species is subject to a 

 great amount of individual variation. 



Situation and Locality. — On ledges and in the 

 crevices of rugged inaccessible sea cliffs and inland 

 crags. In one or two places in England and 

 Wales, and more numerously in Scotland and 

 L-eland. I know a scaur in Westmoreland where 

 the bird frequently attempts to breed, but invariably 

 gets shot or robbed. The illustration appearing on 

 p. 15 rej^resents a cliff in Mull, in wdiich a Peregrine 

 Falcon and Common Buzzard were nesting at the 



