218 FALCO iE SALON. 



The chase continued for some time, when I observed 

 that the merlin had perched on a stone ; when, think- 

 ing that it had secured its prey, I endeavoured to get 

 within shot of it. On my going up to it, however, it 

 rose, and soon after the sanderling made its appear- 

 ance, apparently undecided as to the course it ought to 

 take, on which the Merlin swept towards it in a deep 

 curve and seized it. But now the hawk became in its 

 turn the pursued party, and on its alighting to feast 

 near one of the bathing machines, I ran up and shot it 

 from behind the cover. 



More than twenty years ago, when I was residing in 

 the island of Harris, the herd-boy brought in a Merlin 

 alive, which he had caught in the act of pouncing a 

 starling in the midst of the cattle. The merlin had 

 struck the starling, and both had come to the ground 

 together, on which the lad ran up and secured them. 

 Besides being remarkably small, this bu'd was ex- 

 tremely emaciated, otherwise no doubt it could have 

 carried off a much heavier quarry than a starling. 



The contents of the stomach of two individuals whose 

 intestinal canal I examined, were exclusively remains 

 of birds ; and although the Merlin is said to eat insects, 

 it does not appear that it preys upon mice or reptiles, 

 like many other hawks. Around the place where a 

 pair had bred on the Pentland Hills above Penicuik, 

 in the summer of 1835, there was a great quantity 

 of snipes' feathers, and, among other matters, the re- 

 mains of a sand-martin. The young were able to fly 

 by the middle of July. 



The Merlin was formerly trained to catch larks, 

 snipes, woodcocks, and young partridges ; and appears 



