THE PEREGRINE FALCON. 529 



I had worked down some fifty feet ()\er the lin^w of a 200-foot granite cliff, 

 when the nesting site flashed into view. It was merely a flat accumulation of 

 soil and detritus, held in position in a tiny "throat" by a fallen stime which 

 had failed to clear the rocky fauces. Fifteen feet was the closest I could get 

 with the camera, but five juicy eggs clamoring to be taken were too much for 

 the oologist. Cantiou.sly down, down. I went. On the way, and indeed while 

 photographing the Falccins' eggs from abo\-e, I had become aware of some 

 other a\'ian denizens somewhere, as evidenced by the lusty peepings of a callow 

 brood. Now one, and now a nestful, clamored or were silent by turns. When 

 I reached the platfdrm. I found my birds. The Falcon eggs were upon the 

 point of hatching. Only one had pipped, but all were singing ;;; oz'o. Better 

 so ! I turned and retraced my steps without disappointment — shame rather, for 

 maternit}' is sacred in castle or in ca])in. Farewell, bra\'e Falcons! Let your 

 Screams of rage and defiance be changed to soft lullabies. My hour has passed. 



No. 213. 



PEREGRINE FALCON. 



.■\. (J. U. No. 356. Faico peregriniis anatiim (Bonap.). 



Synonyms. — .Ami'.ricax Pi:Ri-:c.Ri.\h; Kaiaox. GREAT-FooTia) Falco.n. Duck 



ILWVK. 



Description. — Adult: .\bove dark l)hiish ash, or slaty black with a glaucous 

 "l)looni,"' the feathers lighter edged, and the larger ones obscurely barred; top of 

 head appreciably darker, — almost black ; wings long, and pointed by the second 

 quill, the first notched about two inches from the end ; primaries distinctly barred 

 on the inner webs with ochraceous : tail and upper tail-coverts narrowly barred 

 with ashv-gray and blackish, whitish-tipped ; area below eye. produced downward 

 as broad "moustache." sooty black; throat and chest white or buffy. immaculate 

 or "nearlv so; remaining underjiarts white or buffy, everywhere heavily spotted, on 

 breast with blackish cresccntic marks, posteriorly lengthening into braces and 

 bars; tarsus feathered two-fifths of the way down; toes and claws lengthened; 

 bill blue-black, but with cere and much of base yellow ; feet yellow ; claws black. 

 hninatnrc: Above sooty brown, plain or with some glaucous bloom with ad- 

 vancing age ; feathers not barred, but more broadly and distinctly edged with 

 ochraceous buff; top of head lighter than back by reason of ochraceous and 

 whitish admixture; bars of tail obsolete on central feathers; below heavily striped 

 with sooty brown, or if barred, only on flanks; chest never immaculate, — narrowly 

 streaked with sooty brown ; prevailing color of underparts deeper buffy or ochra- 

 ceous than in adults. Adult male, length: 15.50-18.00 (393.7-457.2); wing 

 1 1. 50-13.00 (292.1-330.2) ; tail 6.00-7.75 ( 1 52.4-196.9 ~) ; culmcn .jy (19.6). Adult 

 female, length: 18.00-20.00 (457.2-508); wing 13.50-14.75 (342.9-374.7); tail 

 7.00-9.25 (177.8-235); culmen .95 (24.1). 



