98 



Bird Notes and News 



PROTECTION OF THE PEREGRINE 



In my opinion the Peregrine Falcon 

 should most certainly be protected. It 

 is one of the noblest of all our birds, 

 and no one with even the very slightest 

 taste for Nature could wish for its 

 extinction, which will not be very long 

 in coming about, so far as the British 

 Isles are concerned, unless protective 

 measures are enforced. 



LiLFORD. 



Sept. nth, 1923. 



People who may advocate the de- 

 struction of the Peregrine Falcon, one 

 of our finest birds of prey, can know 

 little of this splendid bird. Those who 

 have witnessed the flight of Falcons, 

 both wild birds and those trained to 

 fly at game-birds such as grouse and 

 partridges, will have seen the Peregrine's 

 magnificent powers on the wing and can 

 understand the thrilling excitement of 

 witnessing a really fine flight. 



In certain districts where homing - 

 pigeons are of special interest one can 

 understand that the Peregrine is not a 

 popular bird among fanciers, but among 

 the majority of Englishmen, who call 

 themselves sportsmen, the flight of the 

 wild Peregrine is a joy for ever and once 

 seen can never be forgotten. 



W. R. Ogilvie-Grant. 

 iSepL lOtJi, 1923. 



Of course I think the Peregrine should 

 be on the protected list. 



E. G. B. Meade-Waldo. 

 Sept. dth, 1923. 



Shall the Peregrine still be protected ? 

 It is a destructive bird ; when hungry, 

 or when its young call for food, it has 

 the audacity to stoop at and destroy 

 private property ! Can any sin be more 

 reprehensible ? 



Such are the questions asked by the 

 Fancy, not of show pigeons, but of the 

 racing bird. One young Falcon, illegally 

 taken from the nest, legally transferred 

 from the lawbreaker to better hands 

 and finally released, has brought the 

 matter to a head. If once for all the 



matter can be settled, and the law of 

 the land upheld, our persecuted Falcons 

 may be saved and every bird-lover bless 

 that little bird. 



The owners of racing pigeons, quite 

 correctly, accuse the bird of slaying 

 their homers. Of course it does if they 

 will persist in racing their birds under 

 its eyrie. The Peregrine is carnivorous — 

 so are we ; the Peregrine kills to live — 

 so do we ; and if succulent food is pro- 

 vided for it, it will, naturaUy, accept 

 the gift. But why, it may be asked, 

 is the Peregrine protected ? It is no 

 one's personal property now, even if it 

 once belonged to the Crown or to those 

 favoured by the CroAvn. 



Are we for ever, then, to be ruled by 

 this craze to protect property ? Urged 

 by earnest, disinterested men, after years 

 and years of struggle, our legislators 

 were persuaded that the protection of 

 wild birds was a National duty, and the 

 Wild Birds Protection Acts came into 

 being. The Nation demanded them. 

 Now and again a section, with vested 

 interests, demand their repeal or amend- 

 ment ; their sacred pockets are touched. 

 If we listen to every complaint from 

 those who fancy that they have a griev- 

 ance against this or that bird, we shall 

 soon be back in the dark ages when birds 

 were only protected when they provided 

 sport for the privileged classes, and, 

 what is more, we should live in an 

 agriculturally ruined country. 



But, it will be argued, a very large 

 number are interested in this sport, and, 

 if the truth is declared, large sums of 

 money pass over the results of the races. 

 Exactly, and because gambling is inter- 

 fered with by the Peregrine, the bird 

 must be removed ! 



Two or three questions may be asked 

 by the bird protector. What proportion 

 of the pigeons that are lost are slain 

 by Falcons ? In the first place there 

 are lamentably few Falcons left, and now 

 that they are rare the rapacious egg- 

 coUector is striving to make them extinct. 

 Secondly, there are a very large number 

 of pigeon owners who, by enticing the 



