84 On the South African Lanner Falcon. 



Perc^^rine. It is lazy and, unless sliarp set, will not stick to 

 difficult quany. I have, unfortunately, had little oppor- 

 tunity of observing this bird in its wild state, but it appears 

 generally to content itself with very humble quarry, though 

 it is a great enemy to Quail and will follow a shooting-party 

 with great boldness if unmolested, as Mr. Davies has told us, 

 and will carry off birds that are sprung by the dogs *. An 

 officer of some experience with these birds tells me that he 

 has a poor opinion of their courage and that he has known 

 them, when trained, to check in midllight at locusts or 

 other insects. 



Nevertheless, it was formerly in some repute in Europe, 

 especially in France and Italy, where it could be flown 

 more successfully than in the more boisterous weather of 

 Great Britain ; thither, however, as appears from old 

 account books, it was imported in considerable numbers. I 

 am, of course, speaking of lanarius, though tani/pterus was 

 imported into Europe from North Africa too. 



The male was formerly called a Lanneret, and a|)poars to 

 have shared with the Merlin and Sparrow-Hawk the dis- 

 tinction of being the lady's Hawk f. 



The stoop of the Lanner is neither so forcible nor direct 

 as that of the Peregrine, and in my experience it seems to 

 })refer clutching to giving a knock-down blow. It can 

 follow every turn and twist of the quarry, and a pair of 

 them were seen to capture a Swallow after a long chase. 

 Pro[)erly handled they ought, I think, to make good IMover 

 Hawks. 



In Humbe, according to Anchieta, the native name signifies 

 "liare-killer," but on what grounds I do not know. Canon 

 Tristram, however, tells us that the Arabs train their Lanners 

 [tanijpterus) to hares ; the Algerian hare, however, is a puny 

 quadrui)ed. Lanners have been known to stooj) at a cat, and 

 Mr. L. E. Taylor shot one in the act of so doing. \\\ this 



* Journal of the Union, July 1911, p. ;38. 



t " Lc3 dames/' f-ays llabeljiis, " inuntt/cs sur bullcs hacquouues .... 

 portaient chascune ou uu t5pervier, ou un luncnt, ou uii iSnionllou." 



