THE PRAIRIE FALCON. 



527 



terializes out of tlie empty blue and picks up a gopher or a blackbird as quietly 

 as you would pluck a tlower. The approach has doubtless been niceh' calcu- 

 lated. The thunderbolt, launched from the height of half a mile, lias been 

 checked every few hundred feet by a slight opening nf the wings tliat the 

 Falcon might gauge the caliber and intent of the \ictim ; and the final |)lunge 

 dias, therefore, 

 the speed and 

 a c c u r a c y of 

 fate. In case of 

 larger game 

 the quarry is 

 knocked head- 

 long by a crash- 

 ing blow, after 

 which the as- 

 sailant turns to 

 try conclusions 

 as to weight. 

 But the Falcon 

 prefers always 

 to snatch, and 

 w hen s m a 1 1 

 game is abun- 

 dant, the bird is 

 less likely to 

 disturb rabbits 

 or poultry. 



To be honest 

 w i t h }-ou, I 

 fear the Prairie 

 Falcon is a 

 great nuisance 

 sometimes. It 

 is he who gets 

 the chickens 

 while Red-tail 

 gets the shot. 

 It w o u 1 (1 be 

 amusing if it 

 were not so 

 tragic at times, 

 to see the Fal- 



Tabeit 



near 



Chelan. 



Photo 



by the 



Author. 



A NESTING CLIFF ON LAKE.CHEL-AN. 



WHERE THE BABIES SHOWN IN THE NEXT ILLUSTRATION WERE CRADLED. 



