PEREGRINE FALCOiV. |g5 



and small gulls, which it pursues in open flight, or 

 pounces upon by perpendicular descent. It is also said 

 to attack small quadrupeds, sucJi as rabbits and hares ; 

 but its favourite game is grous and water-fowL Poul- 

 try are very rarely molested by this falcon, which is by 

 uo means so ready to visit the farm-yard or its vicinity, 

 as several other species of the family. In raising birds 

 from the water, should they prove too heavy, it some- 

 times drops them, and sets out in cjuest of others ; yet 

 it is capable of carrying a weight nearly equal to its 

 own, for the keeper of the Bass Rock informed me 

 that he once found a black grous in a peregrine's nest, 

 which it had probably l>orne from a distance of several 

 miles. 



Although a very shy and vigilant bird, it sometimes 

 ventures to come into more immediate proximity to 

 man than is prudent. Mr iVudubon states, that, in 

 America, he has seen it fly up *' at the report of a gun„ 

 and carry off a teal not thirty steps distant from the* 

 sportsman who had killed it, with a daring assurance as 

 surprising as unexpected." Mr Selby also gives an 

 anecdote exemplifying its boldness and perseverance. 

 " In exercising my dogs upon the moars, previous to 

 the commencement of the shooting season, I observed 

 a large bird of the hawk genus hovering at a distance, 

 which, upon approaching, I knew to be a Peregrine 

 Falcon. Its attention was now drawn towards the 

 dogs, and it accompanied them whilst they beat the sur- 

 rounding ground. Upon their having found and sprmig 

 a brood of grous, the falcon immediately gave chase^ 

 and struck a young bird, before they had proceeded 

 far upon wing. My shouts ami rapid advant-e prevent- 



