105 
ON THE “WING: OR, (BIRD (REPRE, 
By CHAS. A. PARKER, M.D. 
(Read at Whitehaven, October 19th, 1880. ) 
THE Eagle, save an exceedingly rare and passing visitor, has 
entirely disappeared from our district; and the noblest bird of 
prey that still remains with us is 
THE PEREGRINE FALCON. 
This really magnificent bird possesses great powers of flight, and, from its 
frequent exertion of these powers, has derived its name of Falco peregrinus, or 
The Wandering Hawk. It is found in most parts of the world, and has often 
been seen at a great distance from land. Whether it is partly migratory is not 
fully ascertained, but there seems little doubt that the old birds expel their 
young when able to take care of themselves, and remain by themselves in their 
old district. 
Their flight is extremely rapid, and has been likened to that of the Rock 
Dove, flying generally near the ground with quickly-repeated beatings of its 
long pointed wings, and seldom sailing or soaring like the Buzzard. 
Its speed is tremendous ; Montague having calculated it to be as much as one 
hundred and fifty miles an hour; and Col. Thornton, an expert falconer, 
calculated one to travel nine miles in eleven minutes when in pursuit of a snipe, 
without including the turnings, being at a rate of nearly sixty miles an hour, 
I once saw one near the Screes at Wastwater. As soon as it saw me it turned 
abruptly and sped like an arrow directly across the valley to Buckbarrow, and 
seemed to me to easily accomplish a full mile within the minute. With such 
speed as this we might naturally expect the falcon to be sometimes killed or 
injured when striking prey near the ground ; but this very rarely occurs, though 
instances have been known of pursuer and pursued being dashed against a tree 
or stone in the ardour of pursuit. No doubt at the very instant of striking its 
prey the wings of the Peregrine are sloped slightly upward and forward, which, 
