30 



the base, within ^inshot. The eggs are from two to four 

 in number, mottled over with pale reddish brown. There 

 are generally two nests of these birds between Dover Oastle 

 and Kingsdown. The nest is difficult to find until the 

 young are produced. It is then that the parent birds show 

 great boldness to any one that approaches near their nest, by 

 continually swooping over their heads, uttering a cry of 

 alarm, and woe be to any solitary gull that may be passing 

 near at the time, for it is not unusual to wreak its ven- 

 geance on the passing bird by striking it with its talon's, as 

 a notice to quit. Lionel Rice, Esq., of Dane Court, ob- 

 tained a nest of these birds from these cliffs last year for 

 training purposes, but I believe he was not very successful in 

 keeping them. W. 0. Hammond, Esq., of St. Alban's Court, 

 also obtained a nest of these birds by the Shakespeare's cliff, 

 for hawking a few years past, and was, I believe, successful 

 in flying them at Partridges. We have several specimens 

 of these birds in our Museum. The young and adults. 

 Also a specimen killed in India. The young Peregrimes 

 leave their nest early in July. 



The nest of the falcon tribe which locates in our cliff is 

 the Kestrel hawk ffalco tinnuncnltis). This is the most 

 common of all the hawk tribe found on these shores ; its 

 general plumage is a light chesnut with transverse bars of 

 black on the back. The breast is of a pale nisty brown. 

 The adult male has the head and tail ash coloured, the 

 latter with a broad band of black. This small falcon may 

 be seen daily soaring high in the air, sailing in a rotary 

 motion, now and then turning its head to the wind and re- 

 maining as if stationary, looking to the earth as if it had 

 discovered some favourite prey. Su-ldenly down it darts 

 on its prey, which is often a mouse, this being the most fa- 

 vourite meal. I believe this bird ought to be watched by 

 the agriculturalist. It may probably do some mischief to 

 the poultry by now and then taking a " chick," but the 

 amount of good these birds do overbalance considerably any 



