FALCON. 151 



the Kestrel and Merlin, which end tl»e British series, 

 differ from the rest in nothing" that could be assumed 

 as a generic character. The different species agree in 

 being remarkably bold and vigorous ; but they have 

 each peculiarities of habit which cannot be generalized. 

 Thus, some, when searching for prey, fly in circles, 

 others move in a straight or curving course, and some 

 assume a fixed station in the air, and hover over the 

 ground. On account of their docility, the Falcons, and 

 some of the Hawks, were considered by falconers as 

 " noble birds of prey ;" while eagles and other species, 

 being less easily reclaimed, were held to be " ignoble."' 

 Six species are found in Britain : the Iceland Fal- 

 con, the Peregrine Falcon, the Hobby, the Merlin, the 

 Kestrel, and the Red-footed Falcon. Of these the 

 rai-est are the first and the last. Nothing general can 

 be said as to their haunts, excepting that they, like all 

 birds of the family, reside in wild and unfrequented 

 places, or their nestling, as they rear their young on 

 rocks, in buildings, on trees, or on the ground. It has 

 been stated, as a character of the Falcons, that they al- 

 most exclusively prey upon living animals ; but so do 

 the Accipitres ; nay, the wren, the robin, the flycatcher, 

 the sanderling, the snipe, the guillemot, the gannet, — 

 in short, a multitude of birds, differing greatly from 

 each other in many important circumstances. Some of 

 those generalizations which are applauded by inade- 

 quate judges, are merely the result of ignorance and 

 self-sufficiency. 



