PEREGRIXE FALCON. 333 



and the legs less yellow. From the adult Gyr-Falcon the 

 Iceland may always be told bv its paler, black-streaked head. 

 Male: Length, 21 ins. Wing, 14*5 ins. Tarsus, 275 ins. 

 Female ; Length, 23 ins. Wing, 16 ins. Tarsus, 3*0 ins. 



Peregrine Falcon. Faico peregrinus Tunstall. 



The handsome Peregrine (Plate 146) is the largest and most 

 powerful of our resident falcons, and is commoner, especially 

 round our rocky coasts, than is usually supposed. In spite 

 of persecution and the repeated burning of nests by farmers, 

 it holds its own. Some closely allied form of Peregrine is 

 found in most parts of the world, and our race breeds in 

 northern and central Europe and is partially migratory, many 

 wintering in Africa. Birds of passage are not uncommon in 

 Britain, especially on the east coast, where they travel with and 

 depend upon other migrants. The North American Duck- 

 Hawk, Falco peregrinus anatiun Bonap,, has been twice 

 recognised as a visitor, in Leicestershire in 1891 and Lincoln 

 in 1910 ; it is a darker bird than ours. 



There is a dash, neatness and finish in the flight of the 

 Peregrine which is purely its own. The wings move rapidly, 

 beating the air for a few moments, and are then held steady in 

 a bow whilst the bird glides forward, sometimes rolling slightly 

 from side to side. The legs, as in other raptorial birds, lie 

 under the tail and are not held forward except when striking ; 

 at times one leg will be dropped and shaken during flight. 

 When seen from above the bird looks blue, from below, red or 

 rufous, but if at a distance or high in the air it looks a black 

 arc or swiftly moving crescent. The bend of the bow varies 

 with the speed and iriclination of flight ; during descent, when 

 the wing tips point backward, it is a sharp curve. Near a 

 coastwise eyrie the bird will sail out over the w^ater, easily and 

 gracefully, rising to a great height, then with wings almost 



