4 THE PEKEGRINE FALCON. 



were holding on by their talons. When they found they 

 were being pulled up, they took to wing — being almost 

 fully fledged — and alighted on the rocks down at the beach. 

 We marked the spots where they settled, and, going down, 

 had no difficulty in catching them, as they were too inex- 

 perienced to attempt a second flight. I think we got four 

 — Mr. Smith taking two and Mr. Cowe two. Mr. Smith 

 reared his and had them six or eight months, when, after a 

 long fast, they were fed unhooded, and fought over the food, 

 the result being that one was killed in the fight, and the 

 other died some days afterwards. Mr. Smith had begun to 

 train them, and they would take long flights and come back 

 at his call, and settle on his hand, but he had never flown 

 them at game. Mr. Cowe reared one, and had it for a year 

 or more, but it flew away and did not return, though it 

 remained in the neighbourhood for several seasons, and 

 used to attend him at a safe distance when he was out 

 shooting, to pick up wounded birds." ^ 



Dr. Stuart of Chirnside records that upon one occasion 

 a " cottoned " fleece — that is, one taken from a sheep out of 

 health, and in which the wool is all matted together — was 

 lowered over the precipice at Hawksheugh to the Falcon's 

 nest for the same purpose as the blanket was employed by 

 Mr. Wilson and his friends." 



The Peregrine is said to have bred at Blakey on the 

 coast near Burnmouth in 1875, when a young one was 

 found at the bottom of the rock there ; ^ and Mr. Hardy 

 notes that on the 12th of June 1877 he saw a pair of 

 Falcons fly from their eyrie below the Standing Man or 

 Souter Eock, a short distance to the west of the mouth 



1 Letter from Mr. John Wilson, Chapelliill, Cockburuspatli, dated the 2nd of 

 July 1888. 



- Hist. Ber. Nat. Club, vol. xi. i\ '2i'2. 



3 Information from Mr. John Crockett, salnion-ti«her, Burnmoutli. 



