174 THE BIRDS OF HELIGOLAND 



considerable period. Young birds arrive as early as the end of August, 

 and are seen until the middle of November. The spring migration 

 takes place in March and April. Unlike all the other Falcons, which 

 swoop down upon their prey from above, this small bird, being 

 even more eminently equipped for flight, may very frequently be 

 seen attacking its prey from below in an upward direction ; roving 

 low over the fields, the bird will suddenly dart upwards in an oblique 

 direction into the midst of a flock of Chaffinches or Pipits, at a dis- 

 tance of from about two to three hundred paces off, and at a height 

 of a hundred and fifty feet. On approaching its victim this Falcon 

 in a most peculiar manner throws itself over on one side of its body, 

 and attacks the prey in darting past it. I have never j^et seen an 

 attack of this kind miscarry, although it is carried out with light- 

 ning-like rapidity ; failure however happens very often when the bird 

 attacks its prey by swooping downwards from above, both in the case 

 of this small Falcon and also in those of the larger species. In the 

 pursuit of its prey this bird rushes past, swift as thought, keeping 

 its feathers closely pressed to its body and the wings half- closed. 

 This makes it appear so tiny that almost all the gunners of this 

 island feel convinced of the existence of a Falcon still smaller than 

 the Merlin, which however, they say, flew at such an extraordinary 

 speed that no one had as yet succeeded in shooting it. Under the 

 circumstances, this may be considered a very pardonable error. 



The nesting-places of this small and lovely Falcon extend from 

 the Hebrides and Ireland eastwards through northern Europe and 

 Asia. America possesses a species only slightly distinguished from 

 it, viz. Falco columbarius. 



9. — The Common Kestrel [Thukjifalk]. 

 FALCO TINNUNCULUS, Linn. 



Heligolandish : Scoarenkoater-lioai'k = Beetle Haivk. 



Falco tinnuni-idus. Nauniann, i. 323. 

 Common Kestrel. Dresser, vi. 113. 

 Faucon cresserelle. Teiiiminck, Manuel, i. 29, iii. 14. 



As may be gathered from the name, the gunners of Heligoland 

 are too acute observers to give to this species a place among the 

 Noble Falcons, but hold it in such low esteem as to call it the Beetle 

 Bawk. This bird has the peculiar capacity of sustaining itself 

 while soaring in the air steadily and apparently immoveably at one 

 particular spot. This habit is known here as rufteln, [a word which 

 signifies to shake or rattle,] as it seems to be effected by short but 

 rapid motions of the wings. In this act it is probably seen nowhere 



