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finest flights I ever have seen, wrought out entirely by strength 
of wing and good footing, high in air, between two birds of 
prey. No cover—not a twig—for an immense distance; her 
wings alone the only hope, the old tyrant of small birds, then 
possessed. Do what she would in the way of flying, within a 
short time the falcon was high above her, and round and down, 
in her first stoop. A clever shift, and the falcon was far below 
her, and the sparrow-hawk fifty yards nearer the distant firs. 
Another, and yet another stoop, all cleverly evaded; then passion 
seemed to seize the falcon, for she ringed up to twice the height 
she had hitherto deemed necessary, poised herself for the half- 
second required, and stooped. This time she did better, and a 
cloud of feathers followed in the wake of her stroke. This 
was a settler. She was soon again above her quarry, and the 
next stoop struck it dead 100 yards above my head. The 
sparrowhawk fell into high turnips, and there (by the sound of 
her bell) I found the Irish falcon coolly eating her hard won 
and revolting meal, in the shape of an old female sparrow- 
hawk, the destroyer of thousands of larks, and small birds in her 
many years of rapine, with her head lying by her side. I took 
up this “Erin” and gave her something better to eat, for the 
flight was worth that of a score of partridges, and went home 
with the only sparrowhawk I ever saw or heard of as taken by 
a trained falcon. 
It may truly be said that the sparrowhawk at her best is 
no such great flier, but I suppose it will be admitted that the 
merlin can fly. Well, I have twice seen the before-mentioned 
tame “Lundy” tiercel (with all the disadvantages of a tame 
and captive hawk so largely deprived of the proper daily 
exercise of his wings enjoyed by his wild congeners, who 
have to catch their food, instead of having it given to them 
at the block) engage with a wild merlin in the open, and each 
time with conspicuous ability and success. In actual speed he 
was much the better of the two, whilst his stooping and footing 
(he being very fond of flying at any wild hawk he met) left little 
to be desired. The first merlin escaped into cover, after getting 
it hot for five minutes, by the skin of his teeth. On the second 
