PEBEGBINE FALCON 



209 



and motionless, as its custom is, its smooth and compact figure 

 looks as if carved out of a stone or marble of a beautiful soft 

 grey tint. The wings are sharp-pointed, and the flight is ex^ 

 ceedingly rapid. In South America, where I first observed its 

 habits, it used always to seem to me that the peregrine, alone 

 among hawks, possessed a courage conmiensurate with its strength ; 

 and, in hunting, an infaUible judgment. However swift of wing 

 its quarry might be, it was almost invariably overtaken and 



Fig. 70. — PBBEQBiNfi. Y5 natural (size. 



struck to the earth ; and the bird thus vanquished was in many 

 cases the equal, and sometimes even the superior, in weight to the 

 falcon. All other hawks make frequent mistakes, and often fail in 

 their efforts : they chase birds they cannot overtake, and attack 

 others that are too strong for them ; and occasionally their courage 

 fails, and they pass by the healthy and strong to attack the wounded 

 or weak that are incapable of making an effort. 



In the British Islands the peregrine is an inhabitant of the iron- 

 bound coasts, where it is still able to find comparatively safe 



