34 BIRDS OF PREY. 



with the strength of their armature and the velocity of their flight. 

 The length of their wing-quills causes their forward course, in a 

 calm atmosphere, to be very oblique, so that they are obliged, 

 when they wish to mount directly upwards, to fly against the wind. 

 Nevertheless, there is an elegance in their port and a boldness in 

 their aspect which distinguishes them at a glance, while their 



ife 



Fig. iS. — The Peregrine Falcon {Falco po-egriniis). 



astonishing power of wing and great muscular strength render 

 them the noblest of predaceous birds. They are extremely docile : 

 they may be taught to pursue game, and to return, when called, 

 to the hand of their master — qualities of which man has not failed 

 to avail himself Among the most celebrated species is the type 

 of the race — 



The Peregrine Falcon {Falco percgrvius). This noble bird is at once 

 recognizable by a broad triangular moustache of black feathers on the cheeks. 

 It usually measures from fifteen to eighteen inches in length, and the female 

 is considerably larger than the male. Such is its power of flight, that it may 

 almost be said to be ubiquitous. It extends its range over the northern part 

 of both hemispheres, and is equally to l)e met with in the United States of 

 America, the south of Europe, India, the Straits of Magellan, and the Cape 



